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3 signs you should consider turning your summer job into your career

Do you have a keeper?

When you hear “summer job,” you may think of something that’s temporary, but those summer jobs can actually turn into a great, fulfilling lifetime careers.

So, how do you know when you have a keeper?

We spoke to several long-time employees of the YMCA who turned their summer jobs, like lifeguard and camp counselor, into their lifetime careers, like the Executive Director or Youth and Family Director of a YMCA.

Here are three signs you should make your summer gig a long-term thing.

1) Good benefits

Let’s be honest, not every job offers good benefits like healthcare, a retirement fund, bonuses and paid time off, so when you find a job that does, it’s a good thing to hold onto.

2) Future opportunities

While this may start off as your summer job, if you want it to have long-term potential, you need a place that will grow with you. Few people want to work in the same position their whole life.

Opportunities for more responsibilities, promotions and pay increases are important. You want to see that they promote from within and offer you a career path into something you are excited about.

3) The job’s fullfilling

You know the old adage, “If you enjoy what you do, then you’ll never work a day in your life?”

Well, that’s sort of true.

If you find a job fulfilling and rewarding, and if you’re passionate about what you do, that’s a really good sign. At the end of the day, a career is something you are going to do day in and day out, so you need to enjoy it.

To learn more about the opportunities offered at the YMCA, including summer jobs they are currently hiring for, click or tap here.