Living & Working in Great Places

End of the Summer Season

I just read this article about the end of the summer season - "Farewell, summer job season" from Scott Paulsen for the Tribune-Review. I'm not sure if the collective "we" who do these jobs should be offended or not. I know that I've seen the point where people are just "done" doing their summer jobs so there is some truth to this article. However, I hope that everyone out there can find a way to remember why you went to your particular summer jobs in the first place, seek to recall the excitement of April and May, and finish the season strong.

What are your thoughts? Are your employers doing anything to help folks get over the hump? What are your methods for seeing your seasonal job through?

Tags: end of the season, summer jobs, tips and tales

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Permalink Reply by Brenda on August 8, 2009 at 4:05pm: thats what I said to ak, it is very unusual. It's as if the guy was focused solely on the cons and the extreme rare cons of seasonal jobs.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Misty Holley on September 27, 2009 at 8:01am: I am getting sick due to work related stress. I am being abused at work and i must break my contract to keep my self respect and health. Do you have any suggestions for me?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by AlaskaFound on September 27, 2009 at 1:42pm: If you are being abused you need to take corrective action right away. Speak to dept. of labor, or a similar entity in the state that you are in. Write everything down and let people know where this is happening so others do not end up in the same boat.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by jon youngblood on October 3, 2009 at 3:54pm: being one of the last people to leave stehekin this year i am seeing both sides. we have had a lot of people leave over the past couple of weeks. most did a great job over the summer and worked just as hard their last day as they did their first. however we did have a couple of people just quit bc they were just tired of being here. one guy quit with just 4 days left on his contract and basically forfeited $450 bonus bc he was frustrated and burned out. for myself, i am liking things up here this fall. we still have guest visiting and even as i write this i have given a young couple tips on were to go hiking this afternoon with the same enthusiasm. i am still happy to do the work i am supposed to do and i feel a little sad that my time here is almost over for the year. i did however talk to management about next summer and although i haven't made any promises, i will probably be back in stehekin next summer. my only problem is who to work for, the resort, the adventure company, or the nps.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jim Tobin on December 2, 2009 at 7:02pm: Thinking about applying to Stehekin next year. Curious about life in the kitchen, pay and housing. Also is there a place to store my car after I get on the ferry?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by jon youngblood on December 2, 2009 at 8:34pm: well i worked in maintence so i don't know about the kitchen except that if you know what you are doing, those guys seem to be happy, but if you don't those guys were miserable. the pay is decent, i was given a raise right away as soon as management found out i could handle the job and didn't have to be babysat. the housing is very rustic at best. its as comfortable as you make it. basically they have some cabins and they put beds in them, after that it is up to you to keep them clean and comfortable. when i first got there, i lived near the landing in a one room cabin with 2 other fellows. we had an agreement that it was always quiet time at the cabin and we got along real well. after about a month i was able to move away from the landing and up to a duplex cabin about 4 miles away from work. it helped that i had my car there and i got that living space to myself. as far as parking goes its about $80 to park your car for the season at fields point landing. you can have a car shipped up to stehekin on a barge for around $150. my escort cost $120 but they charge by the square foot and escorts are small. the one advantage was i did most of my grocery shopping for the season and filled up my car with food, camping gear, and other stuff to make my stay more comfy, and avoided frieght charges on the ferry.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jim Tobin on December 2, 2009 at 8:56pm: Thanks for all the info. Stehekin is on my short list for next season.; ▶ Reply to This