The Summer holidays for students are a great time to just sit in the sun and dream away the long hot summer days, enjoying their youth, a care free spirit and the lack of real responsibility in a modern digital debt laden society.
Or are they?
The first thing I will say is that they should be, those endless summers created some of the best literature, greatest relationships and most inspirational events this great country has to offer. There is no better place to be on a true summers day that in the English countryside. (Sitting on a packed train, in the rain)
So lets get back to the 21st century.
Most students have around three months off (around 25% of the year), so they should plan what to do as most parents don’t like such long periods of parental supervision thrusted upon them after having recently finding their freedom.
The answer to the long summer break has always been to gain experience: Life, Work, Places, Travel, Opportunities, Skills, Extra Learning and Revenue. So you need to think about how to do this entrepreneurially.
So going out and getting a job during the summer basically means three choices, paid casual work e.g. Bar, Internship e.g. major corporates or run your own business.
How do you ensure you get real benefit of working in some casual job? The answer is to think outside the box, how about working in a bar in Goa, help the owner to double their revenue during the summer,.. just make it different, make it fun and ensure you get some great contacts and references.
There are loads of Internships and one of the best websites to get you started is www.Enternships.com. Here they have jobs in many sectors in various locations, which you can apply for. What is interested is the length of time you can spend in some businesses, so over the summer you could work in 3 or 4 companies gaining a vast amount of experience in a particular industry sector. This is very valuable for your CV and also in deciding what you want to do for a permanent role.
I meet a lot of students who run businesses and the summer provides the opportunity to increase their income from a part to a full time amount. It also allows them to take the business to the next stage and ensure they are in good shape for the following years studies. The balancing act of studying for a degree and running a business can be difficult, however, some students have turnover of between 20,000 to 200,000 per year. Its about time management and focus.
The summer is a great opportunity to revisit your entrepreneurial side and think how can I make a real difference to my life.