Summer jobs are memory makers by Amie Denman

Did you have a summer job when you were in high school or college? I'll bet you remember it like you remember the layout of the house you grew up in. Summer jobs are a great place to grow up. I've shared stories on this blog about my four summers working at a local amusement park that became the Starlight Point of my Heartwarming series--which is currently stretching to five books! I can't wait to share the cover for book four (releasing this October) as soon as I see it. The first three books always take me back to the summer I was eighteen.
Recently, I've been thinking about summer jobs because my oldest son is out there applying for
summer work. One day last week, he dressed up and hit the road. He came home after filling out three applications and completing one interview. Luckily for him, he's confident and well-spoken so I didn't have to coach him about the interview. He's hoping for the job at a local resort that offers fun in the sun with a marina, golf course, and beach. There are also frequent weddings at this resort, and I've already instructed him to report any and all wedding details to his mother who will use them in her novels. Is that wrong? Of course I'm a terrible eavesdropper and voyeur, but I guess it's crossing a line to recruit my children.


What fun summer jobs did you have back when you were a teenager? Did you make lifelong friends, learn life skills, and make minimum wage? Back when I was in college, minimum wage was around $3.00, but I earned a staggering $6.00 an hour during my four summers at the amusement park. More than that, I had fun, gained independence, and used the experience as inspiration for my writing.

Thanks for sharing a fun story of a summer job, experience, or paycheck. Let's all think summer!

Comments

  1. Amie, I look forward to sharing a release month with you again in October, and I am excited about the release of the fourth book in your wonderful Starlight Point series!

    When I was in high school and during my first couple of years of university, I taught children's art classes and administered warranty claims at a Ford dealership. One summer, I worked at an automotive body shop doing custom airbrush graphics on cars and vans.

    As for your son telling you about weddings, I see that as a legitimate way to do research for your books! :)

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  2. This fun post was a real trip down memory lane, Amie. Haven't thought about my summer jobs for a looong time! When I was 16 I spent 2 weeks filling helium balloons at our local fair. I broke a lot (too much helium) but was too nervous to try the trick where you breathe in the helium and speak in a Donald Duck voice. My co-worker wasn't though and it worked! Your amusement park series sound wonderful and yes, any tips from any source are legit!

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  3. I agree with Kate. Using your son is completely acceptable! My summer jobs almost always consisted of babysitting. One summer I babysat 4 children for 6 hours a day and made a whooping 25 cents an hour. AN HOUR. Oh well, I guess that was good practice for teaching kindergarten!

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  4. Thinking about those first jobs makes me so grateful that I no longer have to do them. On summer in high school I worked briefly as a telemarketer (cue laughter). And no, my experience doesn't stop me from hanging up on them now, but I am polite when I do it(: Then I got a job at a pizza parlor delivering pizzas. Which was both scary and funny because I have a terrible sense of direction. This was long before cell phones and GPS. Needless to say, I had several near disasters.

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  5. I had all year jobs from the time I was about sixteen. I started in McDonalds, and it was THE place to work in our small town because all the high school kids worked there. I had a blast! After that it was retail jobs, which gave me all sorts of people-watching opportunities. I had a good time in those jobs. :) And I'm loving the novel-writing job, even more!

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  6. Fun post--and it's a colorful location and setting. As dull as some of these "kid" jobs are, many of them involve meeting people and moving around some. I liked my job year-round job selling clothes in a store on State Street more than the factory job I held one summer during college. In retail I was on the move and had a chance to talk with people, and we worked hard, but it changed minute by minute as shoppers came and went. I learned a lot. But working on the factory floor, I was focused on one machine for days at a time. I made the first little piece that became a microphone--the company is still around decades later. Your post triggered lots of memories--and I know for sure, nothing is ever wasted!

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  7. Hands down, the best summer job I had was working as a skate guard at the local roller rink. I got paid to skate and blow the whistle to, "slow down." I loved it!

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  8. In college, one summer I worked in an ice cream shop, the other summer I cooked for a nursing home. The nice thing a about the first one is that everyone's in a good mood when to go to buy ice cream, but I have a lot of funny stories about the nursing home and the characters there.

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  9. Amie, I LOVE, LOVE your books. And as far as your son is concerned, Yes! Kids should support their mother in any ways they can. So, scarf up all the info from him you can. My summer job was as a waitress and then a cook at the Public Golf Course Coffee Shop. I learned so much about life and people, and the stories from the golf course crowd. YOWSER! Those are "Blaze" stories. Not Heartwarming. Anyway, I had one stint on the MIDWAY during the summer County Fair. I was the evening "announcer" working the loud speaker. Lost kids? Lost dogs? I was your gal. It was fun and YOUR books bring back that summer when I was 17. Thank you!

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  10. I can't wait to see the cover for your newest Starlight Point book. I love the series!!
    My first ever job was at Burger King when I was 16. That lasted all of 3 weeks, and I think I called out for most of the days. Fast food was not for me. Fortunately, my next job at age 17 was at a stock brokerage firm in Manhattan. I loved that job!! I felt grown-up. I opened my own checking account (there was a bank on the ground floor of the building), and I made many friends there. It was a stepping stone to even greater jobs later on. Nice to reflect on it all.

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