Good Morning Green Panda Readers. Today is the last Tuesday of February and in 2 days March will begin.  I know it’s only still the beginning of 2012 but it feels like it is passing by very quickly.  Soon March will begin and before we know it April will be here, our semester will be over, and then we will have to start making plans for the summer.  When we are young adults how we chose to spend our summer can have a big impact on our lives, our education, as well as our professional career.

Choosing to Work During The Summer

Whether we work full time, accept an internship, or work only part time during the summer choosing to enter the workforce can be very valuable for students.  Working full time can help us save money and pay for our living expenses, tuition, and other personal costs during the school year.

Accepting an internship in our field of study can help us gain valuable experience in the workforce.  This will be very impressive on our resume for potential employers when we are searching for a job after graduation.  Working part time is the best of both worlds, it allows us to earn some extra income during the summer and it also gives us the freedom of some personal time.

Wanting to Travel During The Summer

Many students love to travel during the summer. I agree that our college years are the best time to travel because after graduation we may enter the workforce full time and then we may be limited to only two weeks of vacation.

Travelling during the summer allows us to gain independence, learn social skills, and experience new things.  Learning to live life on our own can be a very valuable experience because it will help us adjust to life without our parents if we decide to move out after graduation.  If we can afford to do so I definitely think that travelling is a good way to spend the summer.

Stay in School During The Summer

Taking classes and staying in school during the summer can help us graduate sooner.  I absolutely loved taking classes during the summer because the summer semester is a lot shorter than the fall or winter semester.  The sooner we graduate, the sooner we can search for a job and the sooner we can start working full time.

If we don’t feel like sitting in a classroom all summer long we can take online courses.  The class sizes of courses in the summer semester are usually smaller than the class sizes during the regular school year.  Therefore we can have more one on one time with our professors to get guidance and assistance.

Just Taking The Summer Off

As we grow older and start to have more responsibilities in our young adult lives we may long for the days when summer meant time off from everything.  Our hot summer days were spent at the beach and spending time with our friends.  We didn’t have to wake up to an alarm clock and we didn’t have a fixed schedule.

I know that I definitely wish that I turn back the clock to those good old days.  But now that I am a young professional unfortunately that is not an option.  If you are a college student this may still be an option for you.  It is definitely not the most productive way to spend our summer, but it may be the most exciting way to spend our summer months.

What are your plans for the summer?

Photo by Paalia

Tahnya Kristina

Tahnya Kristina

Tahnya is 30 years old and lives in Montreal Quebec. She graduated in 2005 from Concordia University, and she currently works for a major International Financial Institution. She recently launched http://www.mediamadam.ca/. You can follow her on Twitter @TahnyaP.