Unlike many of my friends, I didn’t spend my summer working my butt off at some incredible internship, or traveling around the globe checking out exotic places. I put my seven years of competitive swimming to use and decided to teach people how to swim at a nearby university. Not only did I get to enjoy the gorgeous Miami weather on a daily basis (when we weren’t having torrential downpours) and get to look at the even more gorgeous guys, I learned some very interesting things.

For example, even the cutest little girl’s vomit will be vile when you are covered with it. And, even though the adorable boy you teach can’t be more than 40 pounds, his “accidental” kicks to your lady parts will make you see stars. Every. single. time.

Since I don’t plan on teaching swimming or working with kids in the future, I didn’t anticipate learning anything super important through this job. I figured I’d be in the sun, make some money, and get really pruney fingers now and then. But while I was teaching these little kids how to stay afloat in a large body of water, they were teaching me a much bigger lesson.

The thing is, kids are crazy confident. But it’s not just regular confidence; it’s the type that magazines promise you’ll get if you turn to page 124! It’s the kind that would keep you from caring if you ever fell face first in front of your crush, or even in front of your ex and his new girlfriend.

One of my students, Karl*, basically thought he was the next Olympian. He’d try a new stroke, completely butcher it, and come up gasping for air.”Good, right?!” he’d ask. At the end of the lesson, as a little treat, I would take Karl over to the diving board. He’d climb on up there and throw himself off of it, limbs outstretched, hollering in some language only 8-year-old boys can understand. He didn’t care who was watching or what they thought; he did what he wanted to do.

Then there was me, surveying the scene as I walked around the pool to see who was watching and if they noticed the cellulite on my thighs I was trying to cover with a pair of Soffes. I was conscious about my every move, constantly thinking about who was out there and what they were thinking of me.

Then there was Eloise*, a precious little four-year-old. Kid sank like a rock every time I let go of her. Even if I tried to help her along or bring her closer to the wall she was swimming to, she’d screech “No! I can swim!” while wriggling out of my grasp like a puppy. She had faith that she could do it, even though she kept messing up. Eloise didn’t ever seem scared of failing (or drowning, in this case), she was just excited to try again and see what she could do.

Where does this kind of confidence, this infallible belief in ourselves, go as we get older? Why can’t we just do what we want to do instead of getting bogged down by our fears of rejection, failure, and how other people perceive us? Why can’t we face the world with the “I can do that” attitude of our childhood selves, instead of with the feeling that we’ll never be good enough for everyone around us?

We need to get a hold of that confidence again!

These kids taught me that you can accomplish so much if you just fully, 100% believe that you can. This applies to everything, from getting a date with a hot guy that’s “out of your league” (I hate when people say that!) to scoring an A in econ if you’re not a math person (I could definitely use some confidence in that area). When we believe we will fail, we will. And when we focus more on what other people think, we lose ourselves.

I’m no failure and I’m definitely not ready to give up on being me. I may have taught my students how to swim without their floaties, but they taught my how to live without my baggage. And to consider investing in some protection for my lady parts.

*Names changed to protect the adorable.

During my first few years of college, I spent my summers working at a resort.  It was good administrative experience and the night life was amazing.  Also, because I was well under 21, it helped that most of the bars didn’t card (and the bartenders were amenable to some flirtation and tipping in lieu of my ID).  My days were spent hanging out in an air conditioned office while my friends and coworkers slaved away in ridiculously hot restaurants and golf courses.  My nights were spent at aforementioned bars (and anywhere else there was alcohol).

It just so happened that my second summer of resort work commenced shortly before my 19th birthday.  This meant a weekend of awesomeness (especially because the tourist season hadn’t really started yet and we were all bored and ready to party).  My birthday started nicely enough, with trips to the ice cream store and a picnic on the beach with my friends.  Later that night we spruced up and headed out to the bar with my favorite bartender, where we all agreed we would be celebrating my 22nd birthday (we picked my 22nd because the summer before I was drinking in the bars and was considered at least 21…obvs).

My “22nd” birthday was definitely a success.  We had half the bar to ourselves and ordered massive amounts of drinks and food.  It was supremely enjoyable.  But then it started getting late and people started peacing out.  I wasn’t ready to leave yet, so I parked myself on a bar stool and had the bartender mix me random pink frothy things he made up on the spot (deeeelish).  It just so happened that a cute guy was sitting right next to me.  There was talking, laughing, drinking, and some concrete sexual signals flying back and forth between us.  When my last set of friends were leaving they asked if I was coming with and I decided to stay.  About five minutes after this decision, I started thinking that I didn’t want to be by myself in a bar with a strange guy, so I packed up and hijacked it out of there.

Instead of going home like I most definitely should have (especially looking back now….), I took my drunk ass on a stalking mission to find my ex-boyfriend.  Which ended up with me watching Top Gun with a bunch of German guys I’d never met in the same apartment complex he used to live in. Stalk fail.  After about an hour of my drunken attempts at German, I left. But keeping with the theme of the evening (bad decisions), I went back to the bars. And who should still be wandering the streets at this hour? The guy I met at my birthday celebration.  He was obviously excited to see me again and asked if I wanted to go to an after-party at his place.  Obviously another bad decision, but it was my birthday and I deserved at least four more drinks and some cake.  He promised me cake.

Well, I didn’t get any cake, but I did have sex.  Really embarrassing, awkward, loud sex.  As in he was loud and I was embarrassed and the whole thing was awkward because his bed was about six inches from his roommate’s bed (and his roommate was sleeping soundly when we stumbled in to his apartment).  He kept grinning maniacally and saying, “Happy Birthday, baby.”

Oh my… and he had seemed so normal at the bar!

The next morning, he had to work early so he jumped out of bed to get ready and assured me I could stay the whole day.  Seeing how his roommate would be there, too, and was probably very aware of my embarrassing hookup, I wanted to leave as soon as possible.  So, the walk of shame commenced and I comforted myself with the fact that I never had to see this guy again.  Or so I thought…

It turns out that when I got a new roommate halfway through the summer, she was dating that guy (who, thankfully, I hadn’t seen since my birthday).  And she had been dating him when he was wishing me a happy birthday naked.  Awesome.

Beautify. Nothing like cruising into a new semester of classes feeling like hot sh*t. Book your appointments early for those caterpillar eyebrows, exposed roots, and crusty feet.

Prepare for potential hanky-panky. (Yep, I did just call it hanky-panky.) Visit to the gyno? Check. Birth control stockpile? Check. Brazilian wax? Check. Stop trying to salvage period-stained panties — as my motto goes, new school year, new lacy underthings.

Buy new dorm / apartment / house décor! Draw some inspiration from Apartment Therapy and go to town. May we suggest wall decals, some choice picture frames and scented candles?

Pick up a new planner. Steal one from freshman orientation if you have to, and then neatly pencil in important dates (your boyfriend’s grandmother’s birthday, any club meeting with free food, the three-year anniversary to the day you got your v-card swiped, etc.) There’s nothing quite like touching a spankin’ new notebook — devoid of uncompleted to-do lists — for the very first time.

Evaluate your finances. If you’re anything like me, you’ve all but avoided checking your banking account for a summers’ worth of glorious sales, extravagant dining and uninhibited bar-hopping — but it is, my friends, something that must be done. Pay off your outstanding bills and determine your budget for the upcoming year so you know exactly how many hours you have to slave away at Applebee’s this fall.

Speaking of jobs… update your resume. ‘Cause let’s face it, you’re not going to even want to think about cleverly crafting bullet points about your summer of servitude well into Welcome Week. Or Rush Week. Or Recovery from Rush Week. Or any of the subsequent weeks after that, really. Get it out of the way now so the moment you encounter the perfect side-job to finance your weekend boozing, you’ll be ready-for-hire.

Do a massive overhaul of your wardrobe. Barring the sentimentally priceless — though really, it’s time to part with the chocolate-stained denim capris that remind you of your high school summer camp fling — donate or eBay the stuff you don’t wear. It goes without saying, but gauchos are not coming back in this lifetime. Head to American Apparel (or Targét — that’s how I roll) to stock up on your favorite basics. Reorganize your jewelry, and splurge on one pair of fabulous, fabulous heels.

Catch up on old seasons of your favorite trashy television. This is obviously the most crucial on the list. Between TiVo and internet video, there are no excuses to be made anymore — because God forbid you watch the Gossip Girl premiere without having seen the one where Serena dies. What? Yeah, see?

Over 500 pairs of jeans had been surveyed in order to find the perfect few that would appear in the magazine, so you can imagine how much material I’m talking about here. I, along with the other intern I work with, was informed that all these jeans had to be separated by brand and then put in separate piles. After this we would send the jeans back to the PR companies that sent them to us.

Thus began my day of physical labor – if you think carrying huge piles of denim around in your arms all day isn’t heavy and tiring, you’re wrong – and I didn’t sit down until about 5 pm. I realized that these fashion girls were doing this every day as I sat placidly in front of my computer typing and web surfing! This got me to thinking about some of the jobs that require you to stand/lift/push/pull things all day long, and I decided to ask my friends with labor-intensive jobs for some funny stories.

Amusement Park
This summer, thanks to the totally sh*tty economy, one of my friends is working at a water park in New Jersey where she has to lift little children on and off a miniature waterslide all day long. The other day, a three year old peed on her in mid-air, and then the mother (standing behind the gate) proceeded to yell at my friend for making her daughter cry. Not to mention the fact that these water park pools and rides are probably filled with pee anyways, since little kids think its okay to let it all out wherever and whenever they please. Awesome.

Bus Boy (or girl)
Because restaurants are cutting down on their staff – again, thanks to our fabulous financial situation – it has become more and more competitive to land a job as a hostess or waitress if you don’t already have a lot of experience. So, my friend was forced to take a job as a bus boy (or a food-runner), and has already dropped two plates (on or around the diners) while making her rounds throughout the busy seafood joint on the Jersey Shore that she now calls home. At least she’s getting muscles?

Aesthetician
The fact that one of my friends is working as a waxer at a small spa has nothing to do with the economy; she actually wants to give people eyebrow and bikini and lip waxes (and she’s forced to learn how to as part of the hairstyling program that she’s enrolled in). Now I, for one, cannot imagine dabbing boiling hot wax on and around people’s private parts (or close to their eyes or mouth, since we need these to live and I am very clumsy), and I would honestly rather be a zookeeper than give someone a Brazilian. For my friend, however, things haven’t been too bad, except for one small incident when she had just ripped a nice wad of wax from a girl’s B-line and a freak reflex made the girl on the table kick her leg straight into my friend’s boob.

With these horrible stories in mind, I’d gladly tote around a few more pairs of jeans. Maybe I could even score a pair for free.

The car has been packed, your roommates have been hugged and you’re only a short car ride away from a summer at home. Your parents try and talk strike up conversation on the way (“So, honey, how did that last exam go?”), but you just want to sit in the backseat and flip through your pictures from the last week in silence.

Too bad looking at the camera makes you want to barf. So you shut your eyes and lay your head on the clothes piled up next to you and go to sleep.

Soon you are back in your childhood bedroom. It’s weird climbing back into that twin (non extra long) bed and staring at pictures of your high school friends you haven’t talked to in months adorning the walls. It’s weird not having to use a key to unlock the bathroom down the hall. Hell, it’s weird to pee alone. Being home is just weird.

All you want to do it lay down and relax – the last week of studying and partying has taken its toll on you – but the moment you do, you hear an all-too-familiar call.

“Honey! Babe! Are you going to start unpacking these boxes?!”

And so it begins: being back home with the parents.

The nagging starts with the unpacking and quickly moves into cleaning up after yourself, doing your laundry, putting your laundry away, cleaning your room so the maid can get in there, putting your dishes in the dishwasher, taking out the garbage, etc.

When the parentals aren’t asking telling you what to do, they are asking questions:

“Where you goin?”
“Who you goin’ with?”
“What time are you going to be home?”
“Who is driving?”
“When are you going to start looking for a summer job?”
“Are you this messy in your dorm room?”
“How did your roommate deal with you listening to that music so loud all the time?”

You try catching up on all the sleep you lost for the past 8 months, but it seems sleeping past 9am on a Saturday is unheard of at home. You try calling your friends to catch up (and commiserate), but someone is always nearby, listening in. And even you know that spending a day in your PJs with a tub of Edy’s Loaded in your lap is pathetic when there aren’t 3 other girls digging in with you.

You love the family – really, you do – but coming home is hard after doing what you want to do, when you want to do it, for a year. You appreciate all the free meals (that aren’t cafeteria slop) and the family time in front of the TV, but living under your parents’ roof and rules is not easy.

Pretty soon (less than a week, for most) you’re planning summer road trips with your college friends and counting down the days until you can return to school once more.

Oh, honey – we’ve all been there. Who woulda thunk that college students would look forward to the school year and shun the summer breaks?

Here are the ten worst summer jobs… which might just make bankruptcy look like the better option.

1.  Amusement Park Attendant
You make minimum wage to stand in the blazing heat all summer, get lobster-red sunburns, and keep little kids in check as they anxiously await their turn on the water slide you’d sell your soul to go down.  You deal with cranky parents demanding that you speed up the line (which you can’t, for everyone’s safety), and clean up puke when the little brats get sick off of the giant ice cream cone they inhaled right before getting in your line.  Oh, and you have to wear a doofy polo with the theme park’s logo.  PASS.

2.  Landscaping and Construction.
These jobs are grueling no matter what time of year.  But when it’s 90 degrees and there’s no shade in sight, you can really do some damage to your body.  Sure, it pays well, but you’re going to constantly battle UV rays, dehydration, and straight up muscle exhaustion.  If you’ve been relatively inactive sitting at your desk and studying all summer, taking on such a physically exhausting job will be brutal.

3.  Flyering.
I wouldn’t include this if I hadn’t done it before, since most of you probably have no clue what “flyering” is.  One summer, I took a one-day job hanging 1,000 door hangers advertising a new ice cream shop on residential doorknobs.  It paid $250 for the day, so I thought it would be cool.  However, that day was spent walking around on concrete for 9 hours (even in sneakers this gets painful), and being paranoid that residents would come out with a shotgun after I left shit on their doorknobs.  Oh, I tried to wear sunscreen, but missed two strips of skin and wore a racer-back tank top.  My sunburns left scars, which look like wings on my back.  No lie.

4.  Flyering- Part 2.
If you live in a big city, there are plenty of companies looking for promoters to hand out fliers advertising their product.  Again, one of the sh*ttier jobs I’ve done in my life.  You stand for hours in the blazing heat, trying to give people a deal… and they get MAD at you for it.  They could just walk away and say “No thank you,” but these people feel like you’re targeting them.  As a flyer-er, I’ve seen everything from people saying the product I’m promoting sucks (not my problem, just trying to make a deal), to strangers thinking that my handing them a piece of paper means they should immediately tell me their life story.

5.  Ice Cream Scooper.
One of two things will inevitably happen.  One – you build huge forearm muscles scooping ice cream for obnoxious tourists in plaid shorts and fanny packs.  It’s crazy hot and the ice cream melts down your arms, so you retreat in a sticky mess every night.  Plus, you can’t even eat any of the goods.  Two – you CAN eat as much ice cream as you like, but you’re sedentary for the whole summer and can’t fit into your bathing suit two weeks after starting the gig.  Oh, and after a shower, you have SPRINKLES clogging the drain.

6.  Theme Park Mascot.
We’ve all heard the Disney horror stories, right? About the theme park characters who aren’t allowed to take their “heads” off, even if they get so overheated they puke on themselves? Need I say more…

7.  Any office work that is totally unrelated to your future career plan.
Let’s face it: you need the money so you do secretarial work all summer and miss all of the beautiful summer pool parties and beach outings, yet get no career experience out of it.  Settling for a desk job simply blows.

8.  Babysitting.
Like the office gig, you’re going to miss out on a lot of fun outings this summer.  Babysitting as a part-time job isn’t so bad, but if you’ve somehow committed to wrangling the neighborhood brats every day for the summer, when you say “NO” to your BFF’s beach party road trip, it will feel like a dagger through the heart.

9.  Housekeeping.
You live in a summer tourist mecca where jobs just sprout over the summer.  EVERYONE’S taking their holiday there, and the restaurant and hotel jobs are flourishing.  Yet, you get stuck as a housekeeper.  Remember that scene from Blue Crush when the surfer girl freaks out over cleaning some drunk football player’s shit out of the bathroom? Yeah, picture that before you agree to be a housekeeper.

10.  Lifeguarding at a Senior’s Center.
You’re not going to have the opp to do mouth-to-mouth on anyone remotely attractive.  And you’re going to get depressed about the inevitable future when you see the wrinkled doing “water sports” in the pool each day.  Yeah… need I even explain that one?

Hey, CC’ers, what jobs are you looking forward to (or NOT looking forward to) this summer? And what are the gigs you passed up on because all the money in the world couldn’t persuade you to punch in every day for three months?

As a college student gearing up for a summer internship or office job, you might not have a very expansive work wardrobe. Maybe your parents footed the bill for a few new professional outfits, but after the first week of work you might start feeling like you’ve run out of things to wear.

One thing you most likely own is  a white blouse, like this one from Gap. This top is so basic, there are a million ways to wear it. The good news? You may already have a couple of the other items in your closet too! Here are three ways to wear a white blouse (Click on the pictures to get all the shopping info!):

1) With a vest – While it’s still chilly, put a sweater vest on over your white blouse. It can be basic (black or grey) if your office is conservative, or add a pop of color (like blue or pink) if you want. Cinch your waist with a skinny belt to make it a little more fashion forward. When it gets warmer (soon, I hope!), pick up a cropped vest and wear it open for a sophisticated, cool look.

2) Under a sheath dress – If you’re worried that a sleeveless dress might be inappropriate for the office, wear a white blouse underneath it!

3. Tucked in – Tucking a white blouse into a high-waisted skirt or pair of pants makes you look effortlessly chic and sophisticated. This is a great look for the weekend, too – pair it with a pair of trouser jeans to do casual without looking sloppy.

For more fashion tips, follow me on Twitter or read my blog!

Whether it’s a summer job, internship, or, if you’re graduating like I am, an entry-level position into a career, finding a job is a top priority.  However, we all know that isn’t as easy as we’d like it to be.  Competition for jobs is higher than ever with the tough job market we’re in, which is why you have to stand out in the sea off all the other job/internship applicants out there.

But before you purchase some sort of ridiculous costume or do the dirty with your interviewer in attempts to stick out in his or her mind, try a few of these more professional ideas:

1.  Network, network, network – You’ve heard it before, and I’m telling you again: networking is one of the most important things you can do when it comes to helping you get a job.  Think you don’t have connections?  Think again.  Reach out to everyone you know–professors, friends, coworkers, your parents–you never know who has info on great job openings. There are also tons of online groups catered to all sorts of fields that set up networking events in cities across the country. Sign up and go to these; you will meet tons of people in your field that can help you out down the road.

2. Utilize your school’s career center – Sometimes universities get job listings that don’t go into public listings.  You may not find anything the first time, but keep checking, because new jobs open up all the time.  Plus, your career center can offer more than just job listings.  Depending on your university, you can get career counseling, have your resume checked, and even do mock interviews.

3. Social networking sites - You may use Facebook to see what everyone was up to for the past 6 minutes, but it offers a lot more, combining the whole idea of networking with the fact that you can find pretty much anything on the internet.  People have found jobs on Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and, of course, the old standby, Craigslist.  Even though these job listings are accessible to a lot more people than those at your university’s career center, don’t underestimate what you might find. But, don’t take the lazy approach to applying either. Thousands of other people will also be vying for these positions, so you must go above and beyond to stand out: research the company, send digital and paper copies of your application, follow up with a thank-you-note, etc.

4.  Make your own website - In such a terrible job market, many people are turning to drastic measures to get noticed by employers.  Making a website with your qualifications (like a resume) is a great way to stand out. It proves you are innovative, savvy, creative, and a whiz on the computer. Plus, it saves the planet; less paper!

5. Network some more – Seriously, it’s that important. Those adults weren’t lying when they said it’s all about who you know. You know how hard it is to sound good on paper, so meeting people in person is 1,000 times more effective than having an impressive resume. Make connections anywhere you can and you will have a major leg-up on your competition.

Take these tips to heart and good luck in your job search!

There is just so much to do during the week that I need a little pick-me-up (Okay, a Venti pick-me-up) to do it. Like finding a summer job or internship. Or dealing with an annoying roommate, making my very own lip balm, and avoiding the calls of all those boys who can’t seem to get enough of me. (Yes, coffee also makes me extremely lovable.)

But I guess I will try. This weekend, as I attempt to lose my v-card (in video game form) and shop up a storm (because I’m PMSing), I will forgo the coffee. I will probably get a little too cranky for my boyfriend’s liking (and he will probably never want to move in with me), but it’s for my health, right?

Speaking of health… STDs are scary.

You’re so busy with classes (and a rockin’ social life), you can’t seem to get ahead in the finance field.  Sure, summer might be a great time to soak up some sun for those college students who are lucky enough NOT to be struggling with student loans, car payments, credit card bills, etc.  But for a large majority of us, summer is the time to keep working our asses off… and get paid.

If you’re stressing about debt, never fear– summer is just around the corner.  And if you act now, chances are, you can secure a summer job so you’ll be ready to pay for books, bar tabs, and fall semester housing come August.  The question is, where should you look?

1.  Your former part-time high school job.

If you’re going home for the summer, the good news is, you’ll be close to the company you’ve worked at since you were 16.  Sure, it might not be the most glam way to spend the summer months, but desperate times call for desperate measures.  Maybe you were counting down the days until you could quit pre-college, but you’ve had some time off, and a few more months might not kill you.

Did you quit because you had to leave for college? Guess what- they probably had a whole rush of high school seniors do the same.  It doesn’t hurt to contact your old boss and ask if any shifts are available for the summer.  They’re inclined to say “yes” because they won’t have to pay to train you, and you can start at your old salary- or higher- without having to go through minimum-wage training.

2.  Tourist traps.

Plenty of places that are in summer vacay hot spots only hire for the summer, so you’re more apt to get hired here than a place that’s looking for a long term commitment and are put off by your May-August availability.  Beachside resorts and restaurants, cruise lines, and theme parks are all about hiring for the summer, and many of them will pay for housing because most of their employees are summer temps.  Bonus? You’ll be working with other college students on a summer hiatus- think the underground party that Baby crashes in Dirty Dancing or Lea Remini’s breakthrough role as Stacy in Saved by the Bell.

3.  Summer Camp

Obviously, they only hire for the summer, and college students have an advantage here.  Whatever your skills are, in this day and age, there’s a camp for just that.  Nutrition major? Try “fat camp” (or whatever the PC term is for that these days). Starving actor? Theater camp’s the way to go.  Sports freak? Basketball camp.  Total nerd? Try programs like math camp or youth science camp (I once participated in a program called KAST- Kids Are Scientists Too! Yes, the exclamation point was part of the title, and I learned how make ice cream in a plastic bag there – don’t ask questions).  Even if you don’t have a specialization yet, you may be able to apply as a general camp counselor, and you won’t have to worry about breaking a contract at the end of the season.

4.  Summer Stock.

For all of you liberal and fine arts majors, check it out!  Summer Stock is the best part of the year for many regional theater companies, but you don’t have to be an actor to appreciate it.  Theaters may be looking to fill their Summerstock positions with assistants in marketing, finance, production (read: carpentry), education, or management.  If you have  love for the arts, you’ll have a decent chance of getting an interview. And Summerstock participants are totally prone to partying.

5.  Paid internships.

This is a great time to do an internship, gain experience, and potentially make some cash.  It’s great for your resume, so it’s a good idea to look into companies close to where you’ll be staying this summer, as well as gigs that might be beneficial to list on your resume in the future.  You might not make as much money as you would waiting tables at Jimmy’s Crab Shack all summer, but it’s something.

6.  The internet.

Who knows what other companies are hiring?  Check out summerjobs.com, snagajob.com, coolworks.com, and, of course, craigslist.  Just see what comes up.  Your bank account, your credit report, and your parents will thank you when you can make timely payments next fall without asking for help.