Have to have it: Vacation Job

For most girls the word vacation conjures up feelings of excitement and happiness. As December approaches and uni comes to a close there’s nothing more satisfying then knowing you have all week to tan at the beach, coupled with maybe a few shifts in your retail/hospo job on the weekend to earn some extra coin. But living that good life can come at a cost when you try to transition into a ‘real job’ aka a job that aligns with your studies.

Vacation jobs are annoying because for most part they last December - February. Peak retail season which inevitably means you end up quitting your retail job for a vacation job. Come February you hope that employer chooses to takes you on or create a position for you, otherwise you finish with no job. But that’s one way to look at it.

Across a wide range of industries you’ll find employers looking for vacationers, an exciting prospect for university students. In my view, it is THE most important job you’ll ever need in your career progression. Lot’s of us have no idea what we want to do with our degree, but having a vacation role is the stepping stones to figuring out that want. I’ll tell you why.

My field of study at university was commerce/accounting, like any accounting student you would hope by the end of your degree you would have a role lined up ideally with a Big 4. For many of my friends that studied commerce they applied for a vacation roles at the Big 4, did the time and come end of vacationer season, most of them had a full-time graduate role with the Big 4 lined up for when they finished uni. They didn’t have to go through the challenging process of reapplying. And that ladies, is one of the biggest advantages of having a vacation role - the opportunity to secure a full time position. Not only that, if you aren’t successful you have a very powerful talking point and experience addition on your resume to take forward.

Having that one experience in your university study field is the key to opening up greater access to jobs. My friend worked for a whole year in a local bookkeeping practice, it wasn’t a big name company, but come vacation season, she was the most employable vacationer - her experience was unmatched.

So whilst it may seem like a unfavourable decision to quit your part time job for a vacation job, be mindful of the opportunity it will provide in the long-term, and it will be the most important job you’ll ever have.