Acquire Basic Skills Relevant To Many Work Fields
Employers in a wide range of fields are inclined to look favorably upon a resume reflecting experience as a camp counselor in so far as you having acquired a general foundation of leadership, team building, and administrative skills - applicable to a wide and general range of workplace environments.
As a camp counselor, you will invariably glean new time management skills (or sharpen your existing ones). Camp staff are charged with the responsibility of monitoring campers in most every facet of their daily routine. At times, kids might view requisites of daily life through a different "lens" than adults; whereby counselors might need to be creative and resourceful in order to insure campers are able to move to and from various activities and programming demands throughout the course of an "action packed" day. Along these lines, counselors are tasked with what might be considered more challenging time management issues vs. an average workplace environment comprised of adults who are theoretically already familiar with said demands.
In a similar light, simply by nature of co-existing in a communal setting involving a wide range of activities and events - you will likely be thrust into situations that involve planning and organization, public speaking, teamwork building, and conflict resolution.
Opportunity For Personal Growth And Reflection
Camp directors will rarely mince words during the hiring process with respect to the nature of the job being demanding, involving long hours, and at times being very exhausting - both physically and emotionally. At the same time, the potential exists to achieve immense satisfaction and fulfillment as a result of having made a difference in young people's lives.
Young adults who embark upon a summer as a camp counselor as their first job often "come out the other end" with a great sense of accomplishment and have found it to have been an opportunity to mature as an individual as well as adopt new attitudes, perspective, and greater sense of direction within their own lives. Upon internalizing one's capacity as a role model, a camp counselor may feel more compelled to maintain a positive outlook and world view throughout other areas of one's life; perhaps creating an impetus for greater self examination to learn about, confront, and resolve issues one may have experienced growing up as a child by way of positive interactions with youth.
Summer camp also presents an opportunity for a counselor to fully immerse oneself in having fun, learning new things, and perhaps being a little "wacky" at times; providing a platform to embody a positive attitude that can easily permeate the larger camp community in a contagious manner.
Go analog. Work in an outdoor environment or natural setting and disconnect from an ever increasing number of electronic devices and virtual connections. Modern life in the digital age has the potential to exact a toll from our psyche as human beings. While internships within an office setting might have their own respective value, the absence of electronic clutter & severing constant contact with the virtual world might serve as an organic stimulant for you to more closely "re-connect" with: people, the natural environment, and most importantly - that special spirit within you as a unique and authentic individual.
Establish and nurture lifelong friendships with co-counselors from a wide variety of backgrounds and locations; who often return summer after summer as part of an evolving network of friends and colleagues.
The seasonal timing of summer camp works out exceptionally well for college and university students - who's school year closely mirrors that of campers who attend grade school; providing a seasonal employment opportunity with very little in the way of conflicting or overlapping demands. Another thing to keep in mind, not all camps entail "roughing it" in tents or minimalist cabins; in fact, there exists a very wide spectrum of facilities and amenities offered to campers and staff.
Take some time and view many of the summer camp jobs listed on the Camp Channel Job Board (above), or read more about summer camp jobs:
Camp Jobs: Differentiating Camp Director Positions
Summer Camp Jobs: What To Expect For Compensation
Late Season Options & Strategies For Finding Summer Camp Jobs
Finding A Summer Camp Job