With summer just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about how you’ll spend it. Summer is a great opportunity to hone your talents, learn new skills or just pursue new adventures. There are myriad possibilities in various fields for everyone from high school students to college graduates. Here are just a few ideas to get you started.
Jobs With a View
If an active, outdoor adventure is what you seek, CoolWorks.com is your ultimate source. The site lists numerous jobs at state and national parks, resorts, campgrounds, outfitters and other outdoor facilities across the country. Employees can work as tour guides, camp counselors, farm interns, barn wranglers or servers and cooks in resort restaurants. You can search jobs by category, state, season or park. All professional levels are sought, from dishwashers to engineers.
Jobs Abroad
If your idea of a perfect summer involves immersing yourself in an entirely new culture, one of the best ways to get a foothold in a new country is through a teaching position. Since work visas can be difficult to obtain, it often helps if somebody else is arranging it for you.
GeoVisions.com offers paid teaching positions in Asia and volunteer teaching assignments in Spain, Italy and France. Although the assignments in Europe aren’t paid, you’ll gain valuable international classroom experience that could help you nail a paying job later. Plus, the registration fee includes lodging with a host family and three meals a day.
Transitions Abroad is an amazing resource for information, advice and listings for all jobs abroad, including paid teaching and au pair positions, internships, volunteer positions, fellowships, full-time jobs, and short-term positions.
Jobs for Nerds
If you prefer a more cerebral or creative job this summer, check out these amazing programs. For many of them you can also gain college credit or useful research experience.
How cool would it be to spend the summer working at NASA? Not only would it give you instant cred at parties, it’d look super impressive on your resume.
If you know the difference between green Hulk, gray Hulk and red Hulk or how many suits of armor that Iron Man has worn throughout his crime-fighting career, then perhaps an internship at Marvel Comics is right for you. Candidates must be full-time students or recent grads.
Pathways to Science lists summer research and internship opportunities for science, technology, engineering and math students.
- Environmental Protection Agency
The EPA offers paid internships and fellowships at their Washington D.C. headquarters, in their ten regional offices, and at their labs and research centers throughout the nation.
In addition to the EPA, you can find numerous jobs in government and public policy at the USA Jobs’ Pathways Programs page.
Job for the Idealist
If making the world a better place is more your speed, check out Idealist.org. The site currently lists more than 12,500 jobs worldwide in every imaginable field. Back Door Jobs also lists meaningful work in various fields including jobs as wilderness guides for at-risk youths.
This informative article describes the best way to find humanitarian work.
For a more thorough list of humanitarian relief organizations, visit the Council on Foreign Relations’ web site.
