Good part-time summer jobs for students

Nathan Turoff, Features Editor
June 2, 2022

For students not taking courses, finding things to do over the summer might feel like quite a hassle. One thing any and all students should do is get a job, which allows them to get a basic income and gets them off their parents’ couch to do something productive.

Here are some of the best part-time jobs for students stuck at home over the summer:

Instacart Shopper

Pandemic aside, there are still a lot of groceries getting delivered to people’s homes, especially the elderly. As an Instacart shopper, you can set your own hours, deciding where and when you work. It easily has the most flexible scheduling of any of these jobs.

bagged purchases from the Kroger grocery store
In this June 15, 2017, file photo, bagged purchases from the Kroger grocery store in Flowood, Miss., sit inside this shopping cart. Kroger is teaming up with Instacart on a new delivery service that can get grocery items to customers in as few as 30 minutes. The announcement comes at a time when many people are having groceries delivered for convenience and want their items to arrive quickly. Kroger Co. said Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021 that the service, called Kroger Delivery Now, will offer 25,000 items and reach up to 50 million homes. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File) (AP)

One of the downsides is that, much like being an Uber driver, you must have a car. In addition, current gas prices are the highest they’ve been in a while. While the cost of gas might be daunting to an Instacart shopper, if you plan your schedule and jobs strategically, you’ll still be making a bit of income.

Lifeguard

The ocean surrounds Florida on three out of four sides. Whether at the beach or at a pool, lifeguards are always in high demand during Florida summers. Being a lifeguard is a great way to get some fresh air and Vitamin D.

Rows of freshly painted lifeguard chairs dry in the sun in Belmar N.J., on Tuesday, May 17, 2022.
Rows of freshly painted lifeguard chairs dry in the sun in Belmar N.J., on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. Winter and spring storms caused erosion that will prevent several Jersey Shore beaches from being ready for Memorial Day weekend, but the vast majority of the state’s beaches, including Belmar’s, came through the off-season in good condition. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry) (AP)

Potential lifeguards must be good swimmers, and they also may have to pass a lifeguard test, but it’s well worth it.

Retail Worker

Retail is still a great place for part-time jobs. There are plenty of stores all over the state that are always hiring, and retail is probably the most secure and reliable source of income on this list.

A hiring sign is in front of a Target store
A hiring sign is in front of a Target store in Manchester, Conn., Nov. 39, 2021. Workers at Target stores and distribution centers in places like New York, where competition for finding and hiring staff is the fiercest, could see starting wages as high as $24 an hour this year. The Minneapolis-based discount retailer said Monday, Feb. 28, 2022 that it will adopt minimum wages that range from $15 to $24 an hour, with the highest pay going to hires in the most competitive markets. It currently pays a universal starting wage of $15 an hour. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey) (AP)

Many places are enticing potential employees with high wages. While working retail is simple, it’s effective. Some retail jobs reportedly also offer tuition reimbursement

Restaurant Staff

Working at a restaurant, like retail, is kind of broad. There are plenty of jobs offered in a restaurant setting including cooks, hosts, and servers. Restaurants have jobs for people who don’t like interacting with customers or jobs for workers with good people skills. For the latter, it can be very financially lucrative.

 A sign advertises for help The Goldenrod, a popular restaurant and candy shop, Wednesday, June 1, 2022, in York Beach, Maine. The business is looking to hire 30 to 40 more workers in addition to the 70 or so it now employs. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) (AP)

Restaurant jobs are probably the most commonly stressful jobs on this list, but with tips at play, serving at restaurants can still earn you a lot of money.

Healthcare Worker

It’s not stereotypical to say Florida has a lot of older people living in it. Florida’s reputation as the retirement state has merit, as Florida has the second-highest senior population of any state in the U.S. and the second-highest percentage of seniors relative to the total population, preceded by California and Maine, respectively.

a CVS pharmacy sign at a store
In this May 15, 2017, photo, shows a CVS pharmacy sign at a store in Hialeah, Fla. Drugstore chain CVS and online travel website Priceline are among the many companies reporting quarterly earnings this week. The Labor Department releases data on the number of job openings in September on Tuesday, Nov. 5 (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File) (AP)

With a high population and significant elderly demographic, healthcare jobs like pharmacies and retirement homes are plentiful. Jobs like these often offer a very calm and relaxed environment. These jobs also have the added benefit of putting their workers on higher priority to get any and all COVID booster shots.

These are just a few of the many jobs students should look into over the summer to help build up finances, add to resumes, and open opportunities further down the line.

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