More Summer CashShare your story
 Tell us how you and your friends made summer cash and we may post it online. Super babysitterReading books, swimming, drawing with sidewalk chalk, playing with sticks, taking bike rides and dressing up as the “superhero of the day” were just a few favorite activities during the summer I spent taking care of two young boys. Paddling kidsTeaching little kids how to canoe at a YMCA day camp was one of my best summer jobs. Kids were constantly screaming my name because they couldn’t paddle straight or their canoes were drifting off course. Consistent ministryWhile serving as a summer worship intern at my home church, I also worked in the factory at Pella Corporation. I found the factory work was a ministry too—full of practical jokes and great relationships. Interesting facesOne summer I worked at a campground in the Black Hills, near Mt. Rushmore. Besides being the store clerk, campground secretary and coffee maker (tourists get really crabby if they don’t get their morning coffee!), I also had to give directions and advice on local attractions. I met a lot of interesting people from all over the world, especially around the Fourth of July and during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Ironic employmentOne summer I worked as a nanny in Chicago. The first family I served were devout Catholics but treated me poorly. Later I ended up nannying in the home of some phenomenally nice atheists. No complaintsAt Covenant College in Chattanooga, Tenn., I worked for conference services, which meant I basically sat at a desk and surfed the Internet until someone had a complaint. Pest controlI worked the midnight shift at a factory that produced Round-up and other pesticide products. The work was dull, but the pay was decent. Cold cashWorking as a shift manager at Cold Stone Creamery, I heard many crazy customer attempts at free ice cream, like, “Look, I think there’s a twig in my ice cream!” I always smelled like a waffle cone but enjoyed free ice cream on my shifts. Summer on the shoreI spend summers on the north shore of Chicago as a “summer girl”—another term for nanny. It’s a great way to spend a summer (or two)! Heart mattersFor two summers, I worked at Mayo Clinic’s Transplant Center. My work involved checking patients in, taking their vitals and handling their paperwork. Though some days were difficult, my interaction with transplant patients was rewarding as they have wonderful stories and resilient, loving personalities. Sweet jobMy summer job was the graveyard shift at a candy factory. I sat on an assembly line and inspected bag after bag of candy. Boring? You try staying awake staring at candy. I think everyone should work in an assembly-line factory at least once in their lives. Savory vacationMy favorite summer job was working as a kayak guide for Missouri River Expeditions. I guided guests down the wild and scenic Missouri River, often ending our day of paddling with a gourmet meal. Sucker for bugsLast summer I worked in Pioneer Hi-Bred’s insectary, taking care of moths. I raised colonies of bugs in climate-controlled rooms, and once a day I would head out to the fields to catch bugs with a vacuum cleaner and begin new colonies. HogwashOne of my jobs was power-washing the inside of a hog shed. The scent of hog manure lingered in my hair for days, and I probably shouldn’t mention what I found lodged under my fingernails. Yuck! Creature countFirst, I weighed about 200 individual rats, from the huge smelly adults to the naked pink newborns. Then I sifted through bags of ethanol to count the dead creatures—roly polies, beetles, field mice, frogs. Later I endured 100-degree temperatures and clouds of mosquitoes in the woods near Alton, Iowa, to count plants—just a typical day for me last summer, working for the NWC biology department. Service with a smileI worked as a breakfast attendant at a Holiday Inn Express and Suites. Each morning I set up the breakfast food and enjoyed the variety of people I met—Froot Loops-spilling toddlers, families on their first vacation, businessmen and women. I learned to exchange greetings in Spanish with other hotel employees and grew to love opportunities to be hospitable to both weary travelers and co-workers in a new culture. Frazzle detassleMy worst summer job was detassling corn with Pioneer Hybrid, wandering around cornfields with middle school kids during an unusually hot summer. International flavorMeeting people from around the world was part of my summer job as a grill cook at Mt. Rainier National Park. My seasonal staff colleagues included students from Malaysia, Taiwan and Turkey. Corn boreI worked as a corn detassler for two summers. The money was great, but the days were long and hot with lots of walking, sometimes in the rain. Nursery dutyDirty, wet and fun describes the work I did for five summers at K&K Gardens, a small nursery in Hawkeye, Iowa. Great waitressFor two summers I’ve enjoyed the best summer job of all—working as a waitress on the water at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. I’m there again this summer! Special relationshipI spent a summer caring for an 11-year-old boy with cerebral palsy who could do very little on his own. It was a challenging, worthwhile experience for me. I grew to love him, even when his behavior was difficult. Rich colorI paint houses with my dad on Whidbey Island. We work 9- or 10-hour days, Monday through Saturday, and we don’t spray—just good old-fashioned slapping it on. I get a lot of paint in my hair and fingernails, and I never really feel clean all summer, but at least I’m outside, and I make ridiculously good money for a college student. Depressing workI worked 10- to 11-hour days at a convenience store with a number of middle-aged, female colleagues—all of whom brought personal problems to work with them. Veggie salesMy job selling fresh produce for the Country Stop Inc. began each morning with unloading a truckful of fruits and vegetables. Although I worked long hours, I enjoyed meeting the people who shopped at my gazebo, and the variety of weather—thunderstorms, wind, extreme heat—kept the job interesting. Little buddiesTwo summers I worked at a daycare and made some of my best friends—never mind they were 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds! Though I no longer work there, I make sure to visit my buddies whenever I’m home on break. Daycare dramaEvery summer between my years at Northwestern was spent at Creation Station, a daycare in my hometown. I poured more glasses of milk than I ever dreamt possible and dealt with lice, being bitten, cleaning up vomit, and even catching some poop in my hands one time. However, every day I was able to regroup during naptime, and I realized having hugs and little high-fives whenever I wanted them made the rest of it totally worth every moment. Plus, having an infant fall asleep in your arms is never a bad thing.
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