The weather is finally beginning to warm up, and snow everywhere is starting to melt; spring is here! But, while the weather brings some relief, the season also brings exams and then…. wait, what comes after exams? Well, who is thinking of that – exams are the top priority, right? While this may be true, this is actually the perfect time to think about what you are going to be doing for the summer break. If you wait until exam season to plan your next step, you will be too busy and either your grades or your plans will suffer. So, here are 4 ideas for what you can do with your summer that you can plan right now!
Get a Job
There are a myriad of benefits to summer employment. Jobs can be fun, they help you finance your education, you learn real-world skills, you have experience for your resume, you make connections with key people, you find out what you want and don’t want from a future career and more! Even if the job seems like it is low-paying or boring you will only be doing it for 4 months at most, and the benefits are still all there. Now is when employers are hiring for the summer; this is the perfect time to send your resume around. Your school likely has job boards that you can find job opportunities on. Alternatively, there are hundreds of online job boards where you can apply for positions. Summer camps are also a good option and are lots of fun. Make this summer a good one and get a job!
Travel
Summer is also a perfect time to travel to new places in the world. There are many student opportunities to travel. Your school likely has programs or trips that you can go on to learn about everything from history to science. You can also travel to volunteer in new places through organizations such as SOS. Traveling not only gives you a break from regular life, it also lets you experience the world and broaden your horizons. While traveling can be expensive, there are many ways that you can travel on a budget, even if traveling is just exploring new places in the country you already live in. The key though is that many of these opportunities need to be applied for in advance. Go see where you can travel right now.
Rest
Setting aside time for rest is also very important. Going non-stop for the school year can leave us feeling burnt out. The summer is the most important opportunity we as students have to rest and recover some of our energy. What rest looks like varies from person to person but make sure that you take some time to do the things you want to do. Even it is just getting away for a long weekend, or just having a day home. After the exam season we all need this kind of time.
Do it all
The best part about summer is that it is a long period of time. You likely have time to work, travel and rest. The best summers are when you get to do many different things. If you plan now you just might be able to fit it all end, if you leave it until exams are done you might have missed some opportunities. So do one of the things above, or do them all! The possibilities are endless!