Attention High School Job-Seekers: Consider This Job for Soft Skills
by Justin B.
For high school students, finding a job can be tough! Most find themselves working at a restaurant, retail store or movie theater, and while these jobs can be worthwhile, many students are looking for opportunities that are better aligned with their future career aspirations.
Unfortunately, most entry-level paid employment opportunities in STEM, law and other pathways have advanced training and certification requirements that a typical 16 or 17 year old can’t obtain. Fortunately, however, there is one job for high school students that will help them prepare for wherever their long-term career path takes them, and that is being a Summer Camp Counselor!
While on the surface, it may seem as though being a camp counselor would only be fitting for teens interested in becoming a social worker, school counselor, teacher, psychologist, or other helping professional, the skills learned at summer camp will last a lifetime.
As a long-time camp professional myself, I’ve seen countless teenagers develop the transferable soft skills that employers (and colleges) are looking for, including communication, teamwork, problem solving, decision making, and leadership. In fact, working as a camp counselor will help teens develop almost all of the transferable skills that employers seek, as identified by The Smeal College of Business at The Pennsylvania State University. I often tell my students that their demonstrated “hard skills” (ex- Python programming) will get them an interview, but their “soft skills” will determine if they get the job and ultimately succeed in the role. These soft skills are waiting for you at summer camp!
So as long as you enjoy working with children and don’t mind getting a little sweaty and muddy, it is most definitely worth your while to consider working at camp next summer. While the summer of 2024 is far away at this point, many camps begin their hiring process before Thanksgiving so it’s not too soon to begin looking. The American Camp Association’s Database is an excellent starting point to begin your search.
And as an added bonus, summer camp often provides the hard to find inspiration and compelling stories for those college essays that you’ll be writing and we’ll be reading!
