I'll try and keep this short (hard if you're used to my posts!)

In high school and at 16, I started working as a bank teller at a local bank and was there until this spring--almost 4 years, and really enjoyed it. Paid peanuts, but it was 3 minutes down the road, the work was easy, and I knew everyone well.

In the meantime, started college and have been majoring in Mechanical Engineering for 2 years and will be a junior this fall--so I figured I better start some kind of internship/summer employment having something to do with at least engineering in general.

To make a long story short, ended up as a "Project Engineering Intern" at a local Civil Engineering/surveying firm (COMPLETELY the opposite of Mech. Egr., but experience in a lot of things never hurts)...and HATE it. Can't stand the office, the boss, etc., and loathe the work (not that I do much, but it's still stuff I'd rather beat my head against a wall than work on).

SO, I need a new summer job. I live 10 minutes from one of the hottest beach resorts on the east coast, so it honestly shouldn't be that hard...but it is.

Thanks to a lead from someone I work with now, I interviewed yesterday at a construction firm for what would be an Architectural Drafting job (my other interest, and one that I have a lot of background in) and they were very impressed and said they would be thrilled to hire me but wouldn't be busy enough to have work for me to do for at least another 2+ weeks.

Was REALLY looking forward to that job, and still am if it comes through, but can't stand another day where I'm at now and just not working is not an option.

There's a lot of other local architecture/engineering firms, of which would certainly stick to my plan of getting some real experience related to my major...BUT I'm not sure if I really want to do that anymore, at least not this summer after my current experience.

One possibility that others have suggested to me, and I would LOVE, is to work in a dealership. This would be such a perfect place for me, I'd probably never leave, but am wondering from anyone in the know...what kind of position, if any, might a dealer hire for just as a summer thing?

Sales is the biggest choice (and I really think I could do it, given my insane background in cars, pricing, options, having worked in the bank for years, etc.), but what else is a possibility? Also, who's usually the person to talk to? And how to approach with such a request?

For the engineering jobs (which I actually applied to quite a few for), I basically just opened the yellow pages, and sat for an afternoon calling up all the different ones, asking if they'd be interested in hiring summer work, and sent off resumes...which was shockingly easy.

I don't do mechanical labor, and am more of the office type for sure, but am open to all suggestions. The dealership ones really being attractive though...if anyone (like Stoney) has any comments?

So much for keeping it short...:rolleyes:

Or , maybe, sales might be a bad idea...not sure...what else can anyone suggest?

My goal is to find something I enjoy, get paid at least decently, and also that isn't completely "menial" on a resume for someone with my education...

I wanna start selling cars this summer. Should be easy considering where I work...

Or, I know that the local Valvoline Instant Oil Change is hiring, and is in bad need of new techs. I suppose I could do that. I'd practically be a shoe-in considering my backround. Well I may not be very mechanically inclined, it shouldn't be very hard to change oil, the hardest part is getting the filter off on some cars.

At your age I was detailing cars. Not the most prestigious job but I was averaging $600-$700 a week. It paid the bills and then I opened my own shop. If that is a path you would consider, try going to a large volume dealership.

Theres an opening for detail/lotboy at the local Audi/Porsche/M-B dealer. Bad part is that it's like a 30 minute drive. I think I'll apply so I can have two part time jobs now.

Haha, funny you mention that...I've had a little "business" doing that myself since about '02.

It's purely a side thing, and I have a pretty small but very loyal clientale base, but that's the way I like to keep it...really don't "like" doing it, but I'm obsessive and take the better part of a day per car, the people love me, and the extra couple of bucks are nice every once in a while. Just did one 2 weeks ago--I've done the lady's car about 6 times now, usually about twice a year.

The more I thought of my current situation, as much as I do think I hate it, not really having a lot to do and having your own place inside an office isn't exactly torture...I'll probably just stick it out until and if the other place I interviewed with calls again.

I would still love doing something at a dealer...just not sure what, besides sales, there would be, or who to talk to since I'm still a "full time student" and only really looking for a summer thing. I would have been on the prowl today, at least looking, but it's Memorial Day weekend and we live at the beach...enough said...

I'd suck it up for 2 weeks, and take the Architectural Drafting job.... sounds like that's what you REALLY want to do.....

You could last 2 weeks in the basement of a Soviet Prison, if you had to.... you can make it.

Sadly, life is not all Beer & Pretzels & "Girls Gone Wild" videos.... sometimes you have to tough it out.

Not all beer and pretzels? Not girls gone wild videos? Oh, please, say it ain't so!

My Best Summer Job: Working at a Veterinary Hospital. By the end of the summer I was assisting in operations.

My Worst Summer Job: Working Construction as a go-fer. By the 2nd week I had broken 2 toes - and the bummer was, they were MY toes!

Most Money Earned at Summer Job: When I was self-employed, detailing cars, cutting lawns, walking dogs, babysitting perst, etc. Bascially anything legal for money.

Least Money Earned at Summer job: Working Construction.

Best Summer for Girls: 1970.

Worst Summer for girls: All the rest of them.

At your age I was detailing cars. Not the most prestigious job but I was averaging $600-$700 a week. It paid the bills and then I opened my own shop. If that is a path you would consider, try going to a large volume dealership.

Thats a good option...I worked at a marina powerwashing and detailing boats for about 300 a pop (depended on length). Id make close to 3 K a week....It was a good gig, babes in bikinis, lots of sun (sweat too) and for tips (yeah, Id get tips on top of my fee) I got booze (remember I was 16-18 yrs old) weed, tickets to ball games...all sorts of goodies... remember, if they have enough $$ to buy the toys, then they want someone else to do the tough work.... :thumbsup:


F

My parents said that either I get a full time job, or I'm headed back to school in the fall. I could start off selling cars now full time, but I feel that I'm too young to do this, but in fact, many salespeople started at 18, and that's one year younger than me. With my current job, and love of cars, I'd probably be a shoe in for the job. What I would like to do is work a couple of years full time, so I can get money saved up so I can move out comfortably and have a 2nd car, and then go back into schooling at a trade school if necessary, and I would have money saved up so I can pay cash for that, or take out the smallest loans possible.

Or I could do trade school in the morning, and work a 8 hour shift afterwords to pay it off.

Either way, I gotta find either a 2nd job this summer, or quit the one I'm at and get a full time job. But that really sucks because I have grown to like my work. I have great co workers, they respect me, I respect them, and I really get paid to do nothing! LOL! I just sit on the computer and do paperwork and when that's done, I sit on line!

All more good points, and I am still only (at least) midway through college, so this is all just mainly a "summer thing" and not much more--unless I find something I REALLY enjoy and might want to stick with.

Still, things could be a lot worse--I could be out in the heat digging up stuff or on a roof somewhere baking in the sun--so getting paid peanuts to be an engineering intern of sorts in an office isn't all that bad. And hopefully, the other place will call me up sooner rather than later, and I'll just switch it up and start doing that for the rest of my time.

Ask Sandy about selling cars for a living. It's tough, tough work. He did it for about 20 years or so, and has some funny stories, but he'll also tell you about the long hours, crappy management, crappy customers, crappy cars, etc etc etc.

I tried it for three weeks until I got a real job in my field. I offered to stay and sell part time but manager basically told me that unless I could devote, get this 50 or more hours a week to selling cars, he couldn't use me. No part timers needed.

Try to stay in the field for which you are (being) trained. People who WORK at their HOBBIES generally find that the WORK is far less fun than when it was just a HOBBY....

Not to be a wet blanket, though. Just offering some thoughts.

Take it from me: Mooch off your parents. That's what I've been doing for the past couple weeks, and it kicks ass.

(Ok I'm not THAT much of a bum, starting this week I'm going to be restoring my grandfather's old Satellite wagon, my grandmother was going to have someone else do it but I offered.)