When we think of our favorite celebrities, gigantic mansions, amazing closets and fantastic vacations come to mind. Sometimes it feels like they’ve been churning out hit movies and chart-topping singles since they were born. We usually forget that they were once regular people, too. They had to pay the rent on time and probably asked Mom and Dad for some cash once in a while.

Until fame and fortune came knocking at their door, celebrities had to pick up odd jobs too, just like everyone else. Last week we shared with you our dream summer jobs, now take a look at these…well…less enticing positions once held by our fave celebs.

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Since you were probably inspired by these celebrities’ old jobs (who doesn’t grow up dreaming of being a banana?), check out our awesome giveaway  and let us know your perfect summer job!

Ariana Romero is a student at Syracuse University. That would probably explain why she once had a load of laundry filled solely  with orange tee shirts. She watches too much television and reads too much entertainment news than is probably healthy. Follow her on Twitter @ArianaRomero17.

We know that college students are always looking for ways to save money. Especially at this time of year, when the semester is coming to a close and your bank account is sinking closer and closer to $0! Keep reading to find out how YOU can win a $200 PRIZE PACK with everything you need to get through spring in style from our friends at ReadyU. ReadyU is a great resource for college students. Looking for advice on college life outside the classroom, like how to deal with a bad roommate, or how to clean your room for your parents’ surprise visit? ReadyU has got you covered! And now you have the chance to have your favorite “How Not-To” moment immortalized in film.

Visit the ReadyU Facebook page now to enter your most memorable “funny fail” – like the time you tripped on the way to class and landed smack on you face in front of your crush, or the time you fell asleep in class, only to wake up and realize class let our 15 minutes ago.
Summer is so close that we can almost taste it, which means a much-needed break from school, and most likely, a summer job or internship. Check out ReadyU’s awesome tips for landing that coveted internship now before springtime is over.

All college students know that summer jobs can be awesome, but they can also be less than glamorous. While we’re looking forward to making a little extra money during the break, we can’t help but dream about the amazing summer jobs we wish we had. Here are our top 10 dream summer jobs.

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Now that you know all about our dream summer jobs, we want to hear yours! Our friends at ReadyU are giving away an awesome prize pack of spring essentials worth $200. So what do you have to do to get all the spring season products you could possibly ever need? Just leave a comment telling us what YOUR dream summer job would be. Don’t be afraid to get creative!

Four months is a lot of time to spend doing nothing, which is why more often than not college students find themselves with a lap full of summer resolutions. Now we’re in the last month of summer and some of us, no doubt, have given up on forgotten about those promises we made to ourselves, but it’s not too late to get back on the horse. Here’s a few ways you can still achieve those summer resolutions.

1. Getting a head-start on classes

Okay, maybe you were getting a little ahead of yourself when you bought all your textbooks early and vowed to have at least the first couple chapters read by the end of the summer. Now you have an unhappy stack of overpriced textbooks that are being used as a doorstop. Luckily, there’s still a way to get ahead of the game without even cracking open a textbook. Email the professors of the courses you’re taking and ask for last year’s syllabus. It’s easy for a prof to just attach the file to an email, and then you can use the syllabus to plan an effective study schedule so you’ll be prepared for classes even if you haven’t forced yourself through fifty pages of molecular biology.

2. Sculpting a rocking beach body

Those late nights studying for exams while chugging a red bull and grabbing fast food in-between study breaks has caught up with you, and you know it. After a month of grueling exercise, and turning your nose up at anything without a leafy green vegetable, you’re hungry, barely closer to your goal than before, and ready to give up. While you may not be able to suddenly sculpt ripped abs, you can still look good on the beach for the last bit of summer. Embrace the body you have, and focus on highlighting your best assets. And if you’re still worried about some newly adopted belly fat, then find a one-piece with ruching around the middle. The texture is cute and different, so it will make you stand out in the right way while keeping you comfortable.

3. Curling up with some books, for fun this time!

So, you’ve never been a big ‘reader’ per say, but this summer you decided to forgo magazines and see if there’s any merit to the ‘books are always better than book adaptations’ theory. Just when you’ve sat down with your book, a friend invites you to a BBQ and reading about boy wizard and his best mates in school falls on the back burner. You may not have time to read seven books, but you always have time for one. If you’ve picked a book series, delve into a stand-alone book by the same author. If you only get to read one book, take the time to learn a bit more about it—quality is better than quantity anyway. It’s not uncommon to find articles about author inspiration on the internet, and it can really enhance your perception of a novel when you know more about it than what you’ve read on the page.

4. Snagging some summer employment

We’ve all been there, you went from place to place with your resume and no one seemed to be hiring, or if they were hiring they weren’t hiring you. Sometimes even when there are a lot of openings, employers are reluctant to take on someone only available for the summer who also plans to take several week-long vacations. While you may have missed the chance to be work at that ice cream shop a block from your house, you can still make some cash before school starts. Often the last month of summer is host to small community carnivals and weekend street festivities which all require both staff and volunteers. Since these are short-term events they can take on short-term staff, and even working a few hours for a couple of days can give you enough cash for a last hurrah before school starts.3.

5. Starting something new

Maybe you told yourself that this summer you would finally start that street fashion blog, or maybe you vowed to learn enough Spanish to charm that guy in your “Español Intermedio” class who knows way too much Spanish to be taking the course. You started off strong, but somewhere between June ‘welcome back’ parties and July long weekend celebrations you strayed from your goals. The first step is to re-inspire yourself — maybe look at a few popular fashion blogs, or watch a Spanish movie. Then set aside an hour during the week when come hail storms or high winds, you will work on your goal. I find that when you really enjoy doing something you’ll find yourself slowly devoting extra time beyond the hour you set aside to work on it.

It’s pretty easy to get into a slump and find yourself laying on the couch watching Big Brother while the days fly by, but you always have time to get up and do something. During the school year sometimes even a month can seem like an eternity, and we’ve all still got a good chuck of eternity left to do things.

We’ve survived another year of  8 A.M. lectures and caffeine addiction. Our drunken immunity has been tested like never before. What is our reward? For most of us, a summer job. And for many of us, a summer job in retail.

I’ve had my fair share of retail gigs and, let me tell you, they’re not all rainbows and awesome discounts. Nope, most of the time, they’re just folding, counting and really bitter customers… with a pretty great discount. If you find yourself behind the register this summer and want to make it out alive, keep these key things in mind:

1. Keep your peace of mind.
I’ve had more crap summer jobs than I can count and I don’t think I made more than 50 cents over minimum wage at any of them. Some money is always better than none, but don’t forget to put a premium on your peace of mind. So many nights I would come home and be totally exhausted from rude people and domineering bosses, but I would keep myself awake for 2 or 3 more hours wondering if I had balanced my register or entered the security code correctly before I locked up. Take it from someone who learned it the hard way: forget about it. This isn’t your career, it’s your summer job. Focus on it  from 9 to 5 and the second that glass door locks behind you, use your time to enjoy your summer.

2. Set a budget for using the employee discount.
Whether or not its written explicitly in your employee handbook, most retail stores will allow some extra perks to employees and their family members. To you it’s only a measly 10%, but to an employer it adds up. I remember working at a convenience store one summer where I made all the neighborhood kids pay every last cent for their candy bars. Unbeknownst to me, my male co-worker on the other shift was handing out free cigarettes to hot chicks who would show off their ta-tas. Even in a classier, structured environment, moderation is still key. If you abuse your privileges, you can be sure that they will start to disappear. And why waste them on others when you can use ‘em for yourself, am I right?

3. Know when to take a break.
I remember one afternoon, 15 minutes into my shift, I experienced the worst-case scenario for retail. I had a customer screaming at me on the phone and a merchant in front of the counter demanding a check from me that I was not authorized to sign. As if that wasn’t enough, my register went haywire and started shooting out receipt paper like silly string. I took one deep breath, focused really hard, and fixed everything in 5 minutes. The small queue of people that had formed at my register cheered good-naturedly. In the next available minute, I vacuumed the floor. It wasn’t really a “break” but it did give me a moment to clear my head, cool down, and center myself. Even if you can’t run outside, kick your feet up and suck down a much needed Diet Coke after disaster strikes, doing something mindless has a wonderful calming effect.

4. Be glad they’re not your boyfriend/mother/sister.
Men, women, young, old – ignorance seems to know no bounds. Time will be flying, the store will be quiet, and suddenly that one loudmouth who thinks their sh*t is cream will come in and make life hell for you — just because they can. No matter what, service with a smile should still reign supreme; it’s just good business. To keep my spirits up after these terribly depressing people leave, though, I’ll think of my nasty customers’ spouses, or parents, or kids. No matter how rude they may be to me, I pity the poor people that actually have to live with them.

5. Wear comfortable shoes.
This may be the best piece of advice I can give you. After all, Ginger Rogers was the only woman who could glide through her days backwards in high heels. Without fail, the days I left my house wearing the shiny red pumps that matched my favorite skirt so well were the days I was climbing latters in the stock room, dusting off displays, and taking out trash. While looking good will make you feel good, being comfortable helps, too. Never underestimate the power of ballet flats!

I wish you the best of luck as you begin your battles. No mater how posh your store is or how nice your bosses are, the bell that rings when your door opens will give you a gag reflex by August. The way your wallet bulges, though (well, assuming you don’t abuse that discount), is sure to make you smile when you’re back on campus, soaking up your first Thirsty Thursday.

However, sometimes I actually pay attention to outside advice on what I should “Write a top ten about.” So I can write the Weekly Ten about it. Or rather, why their ideas are miserable. Below are some of the suggestions I’ve gotten. Honestly, I wish I could make this up.

10. “Top 10 Best Calculator Words”
“You know like if you type in 1134 it spells hell when you flip it upside down. That’s funny, right?”
No. No it’s not. Also, I doubt that you can make any more than 5.

9. “Top 10 Best Footwear”
Wait, really? Best brands? Best type of shoe? Flats, high heels? I don’t even understand this one.

8. “Top 10 Reasons Why I’m Not Upset I Don’t Live in Somalia”
Double negative and unappealing to the CollegeCandy demographic, for the most part. Also, I’m not touching other countries ever again.

7. “Top 10 ‘Guy Movies’ That Girls Like Too!”
I don’t know what exactly a “guy movie” entails and judging by the title itself, I wouldn’t expect anything less than scathing “you’re being stereotypical!” comments full hatred and internet rage.

6. “Top 10 Awesome Summer Jobs”
Let’s be serious, the only thing good about working in the summer is the clothing discount. But really, there’s nothing that’s good about slaving in retail or an office while all your friends are at the beach. Next!

5. “Top 10 Worst Sexual Experiences”
Oh, please. I would never exploit my exes/flings like that. Plus, I’m saving all of that content for my book anyway.

4. “Top 10 Best Cocktails”
Really, you want me to write ‘shot of Patron’ 10 times in a row?

3. “Top 10 Reasons Why You Will Never Be as Charming as That Southern Gentleman on YouTube Who’s Dog Poops in the Ocean.”
I have no words. I think my friend was being facetious, but I can never tell with her.

2. “Top 10 Reasons Why I Loooove Taylor Lautner”
This would be great if I actually saw New Moon, cared about the Twilight “saga” in any form or could even come up with any reason other than his dreamy abs.

1. “Top 10 Reasons Why Canada Sucks”
The last time I ever take a suggestion from anyone. Thanks Mike!

Got any suggestions for the Weekly 10 that don’t suck? Maybe some that do? Leave them in the comments and I’ll credit you in my next post if one really strikes a chord in the spot where my heart is supposed to be.

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.

I’m writing this letter with sadness in my heart and hot fudge in my hair. I’ve spent the last two months scooping your ice cream and ringing up orders and now its time for me to go home. But even though I must leave, I wanted to spend a few final moments reflecting on our time together.

Like remember all those times when you came in with your Blackberry in one hand, your Bugaboo stroller in the other, and you didn’t even look up from your phone to place your order? I always respected you for your determination to complete your conversation, even if it sometimes meant you couldn’t make eye contact with me.

Or haha, I’m cracking up about that time I gave you two cents in change and you held your hand out waiting for it so you could put it back in your Prada wallet, which you shoved into your Fendi bag instead of the tip jar. That was a great time.

Oh wait, an even better memory is the time you got your toddler an ice cream cone and the precocious little thing dumped it all on the floor and, instead of offering to help pick it up, you demanded a a new ice cream at no extra charge. And even though there was a line in front of you, I admired you for teaching your child resilience by cutting the entire line so your baby could have their second ice cream immediately.

I know this letter is supposed to be full of good times and laughs but I really need to take this moment to apologize for asking you to repeat your order twice. It was completely my fault that after working an eight-hour shift; I couldn’t remember exactly which yogurt you wanted in which size after you rattled them off to me. So I totally appreciate that after I asked you to repeat the order, you spoke incredibly slowly as if I had the IQ of a sugar cone.

But back to the good times. Like remember that one time you had a last-minute impromptu birthday party in the store and you totally forget to tell anyone that worked there? That was a great surprise and it was even more fun when you spent the entire time complaining because we couldn’t give you personal attention. Our ice-cream-scooper-party-

planner-waitress-nanny was out that day and I have to thank for your understanding.

And it was totally reasonable that you didn’t leave any kind of tip. The eye contact we made when I was on my hands and knees wiping slices of melting ice cream cake off the floor was tip enough.

I really hope your son had a wonderful birthday because the celebration continued long after you left. We got to get the broom, the mop, and every other cleaning product out in order to clean up after your party. I wish more parents had your appreciation of suspense and gratitude. I knew that when you said, “your store is completely disorganized and unable to put on a party,” you really meant thank you.

Even though I’m having a wonderful time writing this letter, I really must get back to my internship. Internship? you might say. Yes, the days when I wasn’t scooping ice cream and pouring skim milk into your coffee, I was interning. I know, its crazy to think that underneath that ice-cream stained shirt, was a college student who was just working in the store for a little extra money.

You are probably wondering how I could be a college student and still have messed up your change that one time. But don’t feel bad. After all, once I put on that highly attractive ice cream uniform I only existed to listen to you complain about your frozen yogurt melting too fast. Ice cream melting when its hot out. It’s completely my fault and I take full responsibility. I only hope that one day, twenty years from now, when those precious little babies you brought into the store are working their summer jobs, wherever that might be, someone treats them with the same respect you gave me.

P.S. I might have underestimated the calories in the frozen yogurt. Whoops.

Yeah, I’m talking about the Real World.

I’m far from a career counselor, but I have picked up a lot of helpful tips along the way. Since it’s sometimes hard to know where to start when looking for a job or internship, let me offer a few things that I know to be helpful:

• Work those connections. Connections, connections, connections. Have I made my point clear yet? CONNECTIONS! If you know somebody whose friend knows somebody whose brother knows somebody… well, what are you waiting for?! There’s only two degrees of separation between you and that person, and nobody else is going to do the legwork for you. It’s an unfortunate fact of life that a ton of industries are based on connections, and at some places it can be impossible to get your foot in the door unless you physically plant it there. Talk to people, ask questions, and be proactive. Networking is far more important than you think.

• Be professional. This seems like a no-brainer, right? I mean, everyone knows you don’t show up for a job interview in faded jeans and a crop top. But being professional goes far beyond the obvious—you’ll be a cut above the rest if you show up a few minutes early, take notes, seek out information by yourself, and send thank-you’s. Being professional also means being prepared—anticipate questions before they’re asked and think about your answers, follow up promptly, and bring examples or evidence of things that show you’re cut out for the opportunity.

• Don’t rule anything out. If your dream job is to be a fashion designer but instead you have a chance to be a retail clerk at Old Navy, just pause before you scream, “NO!” You gotta start somewhere, and often it’s not exactly where you dreamed it might be. If you can at least land a job or internship in your preferred industry, it will give you an opportunity to meet others who like the same things you like, and some of those people might know other people, and suddenly your odds of getting out of Old Navy after a year or so and landing an internship in a Marc Jacobs boutique are skyrocketing. Keep an open mind, and you’ll go far.

Those are three nuggets of wisdom that have worked especially well for me, but I know there are tons of others. CC girls, what’s worked well for you? Got any special tips you want to share with the group?

So, I realize that a lot my peers have a strange fixation with this thing called “the summer hook up”. As my friend and co-blogger Sol so eloquently, (actually she just corrected me, it was belligerently) put it;

Solgurl88: IT’S THE SAME THING AS HOOKING UP IN THE WINTER

Solgurl88: how come people never say

Solgurl88: ‘winter hookup!’(?)

I added that question mark in there for ya, buddy. But poor AIM grammar aside, I have to agree with her. A hook up is a hook up, why the classification?

Well, I suppose for people who vacation in a foreign country, or somewhere other than where they normally reside, the ‘summer hook up’ symbolizes the opportunity for a no-strings attached ‘relationship’ of sorts. (Those people are not to be confused with me, I am doomed to work endless summer jobs with either all females or no attractive co-workers for all college eternity.)

But what I’ve found from my friends is that these relationships end up with every string securely in place. Or so they think until both parties return home and continue on with how their life was before meeting the other.

Perhaps I am cynical and jealous. Let me rephrase, I know I am cynical and jealous of those who can form any kind of lasting connection. But why, if these famed “summer romances” mean so much that the involved parties, can they not keep it going, or better yet duplicate a lasting relationship on campus? Is it the thought that you’re not bound to seeing this person day in and day out for the rest of their college lives that lifts some weight and lends a catalyst to the forming of true affection for one another?

Or is it just that we assign immense sentimental properties to this time of year and secretly hope we’ll end up like Sandra Dee and Danny Zuko?

If the answer is the latter, then I don’t know whether to rejoice because there is still some sense of romanticism left in the female mentality, or dismay because it means we’re all ready to trade in our cardigans for some hooker clothes if it means doing the love shack with John Travolta.

I warned you. I’m a jaded and bitter girl. I still love Grease, so I guess I’ll compromise and just start categorizing and expecting my hookups from all four of the seasons.

“I can’t wait to start my winter hook up jacket collection.”

Sounds good to me; free stuff and appeasing Sol’s cause to give equal hook up rights to every time of the year. Everyone goes home happy, all the time. Except for maybe the freezing boys who lend me their coats.

Not long ago, 1 p.m. was an acceptable hour for me to drag myself out of bed. My roommate would often upstage my extreme sleeping habits by dozing into the late afternoon. We would shudder collectively at the thought of waking up at the extreme early morning hour of 10 a.m.

However, as soon as the summer began and I moved back to a land free of all nighters in the study lounge, loud parties across the hall, and most importantly, the incessant overbearing stress of school, I began to wake up at 7 a.m. on a daily basis for my internship and job.

I’m not going to pretend it was easy. The first few days the morning sun burned my eyes and I had to physically throw myself out of bed. I cursed myself for having responsibilities and stumbled around my house like a wounded animal. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

Despite this rocky start, it wasn’t long before I began to recognize the many benefits of rising at a decent hour:

Breakfast: Let’s get real. Breakfast food is some of the best stuff out there. Bagels, pancakes, cereal, fruit- it doesn’t get much better than that. Having time to actually eat it is a precious opportunity. Not only is breakfast food delicious, it’s part of a nutritionally balanced diet.

Beating Traffic: If you’ve ever commuted anywhere between the hours of 8 and 10 a.m. you know that driving on any major highway near your house is equivalent to being in the fiery pits of hell. If you’re not lucky enough to be jetting to work at the alarming speed of 5 mph, you’re vehicle is probably in “Park”. Leaving a bit earlier will give you a head start, allowing you to avoid some of the disgruntled commuters who are willing to maneuver their vehicles in any way possible to make it to work on time.

Making Use of Public Transportation: Taking public transportation is a pain in the ass. You need to find a place to park at the bus/train stop, make sure you have tickets, and get to the stop/station in time to do all of this nonsense. Waking up early ensures that you’ll have a parking space, and most likely one of the best seats on the bus or train. Who wants to sit next to that overweight businessman who falls asleep on your shoulder anyway?

Not Looking Like a Mess: You know that girl who runs into the office with her clothes falling off and unkempt hair, looking like she slept in an alleyway last night? That was me. Sadly, I always had slept at home the night before, I just never had enough time to get myself together in the morning. An extra fifteen minutes can do wonders for one’s appearance. Go ahead- straighten your hair, pick out matching shoes- you have enough time!

Avoiding “Haste Makes Waste” Mistakes: You know they’ve happened. Your mind is consumed with getting out of the house, so you forget to walk the dog or leave your cell phone in its charger. They’re not a big deal, but when Spike leaves a few presents on your bed or your car breaks down and you desperately need a tow truck, they can leave a damper on your day. When your mind is clear mistakes like these happen less often.

Decreasing Stress: It’s summer. Seriously, who wants to deal with even a minuscule dose of avoidable stress? Rushing in the morning makes you sweaty. It makes your heart beat fast. It makes you lose things, break things, forget things, and feel tense. Give yourself time. Reserve these feelings for when they are absolutely unavoidable.