By Caroline Hathorn

As summer break quickly approaches, most people are tuning out of schoolwork and preparing to relax after a long year of stress.  While this may be the last thing students want to read, it is important that planning for your future does not stop just because the academic year has.  Summer should be primarily a time to take a break and prepare yourself for the upcoming year, but it is also a great opportunity to devote some newly-available time to activities that look good on your resume.  When reading this article, keep in mind that there are many different activities that would be great ways to spend your time- the ones listed here are just a few!

 

Get a Job

This is an obvious one, but it’s common for a reason!  College is expensive, so earning a little extra cash could make a difference in the future!  Additionally, it’s good to establish good saving habits early on so that you will know how to manage your money well in the future.  If you’re not old enough to get a real job yet, try something more informal, like babysitting or dog walking!  The hours are much more flexible, and you can ease into the responsibility of a job so that you’re prepared for future employment options!  To take your qualifications one step further, consider taking a class to get CPR certified.

 

Start a Small Business

Similar to the last suggestion, starting a business is a great way to make money and build good habits!  The first step to this is evaluating your skills- are you a really good baker, or do you have a knack for painting nails?  Almost any common skill can be turned into a business idea with a little brainstorming.  Even if your business is something as simple as sitting on the side of the road with a lemonade stand, it’s a more productive use of your time than staring at your phone all day, and who knows how successful you’ll be?

 

Volunteer

While volunteering will not earn you a profit, it is still a very valuable way to spend a summer.  Not only does a ton of community service hours look great on your college applications, but there are plenty of local organizations that are really fun!  I suggest thinking about what kind of organization you would be interested in volunteering at, and then reach out to places using the contact information on their website or social media!  This will also help develop better communication skills, which will be very important once you are an adult in the workforce.

 

Devote Time to Your Sport

This suggestion might not seem as serious as working or volunteering, but it has the potential to be the most valuable of the three!  If you’re an athlete and interested in pursuing an athletic career in college, now is the time to start the grind!  There are definitely better resources out there to help you achieve your goal of playing your sport in college, so make sure to check those out.  But, as a baseline, I would suggest spending a LOT of time training this summer- both specifically for your sport and just in the gym to increase your overall fitness and athletic ability.  Also, make an instagram account for your highlights!  This is a great way to put yourself out there for colleges to potentially recruit you.

 

Try a Wide Variety of Things

Finally, try lots of new things!  Even though it is important to spend your time in a productive way, you’re still young!  It is not too late to discover a passion that could possibly turn into a career in the future, and the only way you’ll do that is by experimenting to see what kind of things you like doing.

 

Whether you have a forty-hours-a-week job lined up or are simply planning to try something new every day, it is important to have an idea of how you want to spend the next three months.  Planning will prevent rotting on your phone, but it will also allow you to make the most of what little time you have before school starts up again in the fall.  Good luck!