GAINESVILLE, FL — After months of applications to various internships, University of Florida sophomore Emily Perling has ultimately decided to return to Camp Coleman for the summer.
“Working at camp actually looks better on a resume,” said Perling, a computer science major who applied to nine different software companies’ summer internships, three international research programs, and two political campaigns. “When I apply to jobs after college, they’ll see that I’m responsible enough to look after other people’s children for the summer.”
As a third-year staff member, Perling will sleep in a bunk along with 10-year old girls and get three hours of sleep a night and not have WiFi connection for eight weeks. “Yes, I decided to go back to camp after I got my last rejection email, but I knew all along that it was the right thing for me to do,” Perling said. “Employers love to see a consistent resume, and I’ve been going to camp since I was eleven, and working for three summers.” Perling has never held any jobs outside of camp, and has moved each summer from being a lifeguard to a climbing instructor to a bunk counselor.
“Besides, shouldn’t I do what makes me happy? I have the rest of my life to do internships, and I love being at camp.” Perling spent half of last summer in the infirmary pretending to have mono because the 12-year old bunk hated her so much that they put spiders in her bed.
“I guess it’s better than wasting a summer in some boring unpaid internship,” Perling said. She will be making roughly 84 cents an hour, and will spend around $80 on each day off.
“This is what I should be doing. I don’t need to develop an app or staff a campaign to make a difference. I’m engaging the future of the Jewish people, and future employers will know that I am dedicated, creative, flexible, and competent.”
Perling still plans to apply to about three more internships before signing her contract with the camp. Camp Director Michael Glasser was generally ambivalent to the prospect of Perling returning for another summer, anyway.
Feature image via @emilyrickyart
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