So you are in college and it has recently dawned on you that adulthood is absolutely unavoidable.  You will graduate in a period of 1-3 years (hopefully) and you will inevitably enter the “serious” time of your life when a career, spouse, house, children, 401K, and long term care insurance (just kidding…maybe?) will begin to change you from the free-wheeling good time person you are currently into an early to bed, gotta get up in the middle of the night to pee type of person with a mortgage.

This is beginning to weigh on you, right?  You don’t feel ready to become an adult and you aren’t sure what could possibly give you the tools necessary to become one.  Well then I have the perfect solution!  You need to become a summer camp counselor.

Why in the world is this the perfect solution for me you might be asking?  I am trying to be more responsible and become an adult.  How would spending the summer with a bunch of children help me in this?

Glad you asked!  Here are a few different reasons:

1. Being a camp counselor means you get to act like a kid for the summer.  Do you like throwing water balloons?  Do you enjoy being outdoors and getting paid for it?  You need to be a counselor.
2. Watching kids grow and learn is powerful and you see yourself better because of it.  After reason number one you might have thought this job was a cake walk, right?  Yeah, sorry about that.  It’s really hard.  And you will have to learn how to put yourself second (or last) a whole lot.  Kids make mistakes and helping them navigate that is not easy, but it is such great work.
3. More and more employers are recognizing that summer camp counselors are better problem solvers and team members than the average candidate for employment.  Try navigating a homesick camper situation on their first night away from mom and dad (ever?) and tell me you haven’t learned a skill!  Check out this blog by one of our former directors on what employers can expect when they hire a person who has been a summer camp counselor.
4. You will make the best friends ever.  Kids are hilarious in general so there is the relationships are usually built upon humor, living in close quarters breaks down barriers so you feel genuine with these folks, being in the woods makes you feel alive anyway, nights off from camp are super special because you finally have less responsibilities.  Relationships at camp are set up for success.

Are you still wondering if you have what it takes?  Check out this article on more benefits of being at a camp.