Editorial: Get the most out of summer by doing something out of the ordinary
by Emily Schmidt, posted April 29, 2008
As the semester winds down, many students are contemplating three long months free of responsibility. Some students will get summer jobs, some may take summer classes, some may move home with mom and dad, others, however, are taking that time and doing something unconventional.
Brianne Girse, a senior at Mizzou, will spend her summer in St. Louis planning a wedding.
“It will be a crazy summer for me,” Girse said. “I recently became engaged and have three months to plan my entire wedding.”
Some advisers and career counselors encourage students to use the summer months to further their educational experiences by studying abroad.
“I’m going to study abroad in Prague in mid-May and will spend until mid-July,” said CAFNR sophomore Megan Ostling. “I’m looking forward to the experience, but sad that I wont have a normal summer break.”
Advisers also often encourage students to focus on their professional futures by interning during the summer months.
But studying abroad and interning are not the only options.
Stephanie Chipman, CAFNR Career Services director, believes students should focus more on doing something that makes them happy.
“I recommend students use their time to support long- and short-term goals,” Chipman said. “It’s all about the experience you get within an opportunity and how you present it to future employers. I want students to spend these months learning things they will use in their lives, and being excited about what they do.
“It’s how you communicate these experiences to future employers that matters, not exactly what you do,” Chipman said.
That’s why I’m taking a different path. I think the summer should be spent doing something out of the ordinary and unconventional. We only live once, and I’m making the most of it while I’m young.
I plan to move to Hilton Head Island, S.C., to work as a lifeguard. I won’t just be watching over swimmers at an ordinary pool, though, I will be guarding beachfront. Not quite the educational experience school counselors talk about, for me, it will be a life experience.
Hilton Head is a small island located on the southeastern tip of South Carolina, just north of Savannah, Ga. The 13.5-mile island is lined with white sand beaches where 65 lifeguards from all over the United States and several other countries work to ensure the safety of vacationers from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.
I don’t expect it to be easy, or fun-filled all the time. I know it will be a challenge, from the daily workouts, to the weekly seminars, and the constant need for preparedness, I believe this experience will teach me life lessons some students may never learn. I will be flying there by myself, living in an apartment with three young women I have never met before, and starting my life over for three short months.
I have been vacationing to Hilton Head for almost thirteen years with my family, so I am familiar with the island. Eventually, I want to live on the east coast, so this is a great opportunity to work there and “try out” east coast life.
The job I took came at quite a cost, though, and the prerequisites were not easy to meet. I began by taking the full lifeguard course in January of 2008. From there, the challenge was being accepted for the position — I have not had any experience as a lifeguard, so this will be all new for me.
“Lifeguarding is not meant to be fun,” said Kathy Ray, the St. Louis American Red Cross Lifeguarding Instructor. “It is a serious job that requires serious attention. If you are looking for an easy job, then look someplace else.”
Because it is what you do in those last few seconds that matters, the class encompasses more than lifeguard techniques. From first aid, to CPR, to AED (automated external defibrillator) training, American Red Cross courses stress proficiency and cover every area. Most courses, as do jobs, require excellent swimmers.
So it doesn’t surprise me that Shore Beach Service, the company I’ll be working for, requires its guards to have a great deal of swimming strength. Before I am allowed to begin work as a beachfront life guard, I will have to be able to swim 500 meters in 10 minutes or less. This test is what I am fearing the most.
But, I know that if I believe in something, I will do what it takes to achieve my goal. If that means endless hours at MizzouRec, then you know where you will find me in the upcoming weeks.
Summer break is about three weeks away, so time is running short on figuring out how you should spend those precious months. Just make sure that whatever choice you make, you have fun doing it.
Remember, it’s what you get out of it that matters.
