During summer break, there is plenty of spare time for activities of your choice. Many people enjoy lounging around and time at home, working on their hobbies, spending time with friends or family, or working a summer job. No matter what your feelings on summer break are, you may be interested in some summer opportunities. Some people already have plans for the summer due to athletic camps, vacations, or anything else. But, if you happen to have free time over the summer and want to spend it doing something productive, there are plenty of options for you.

One option for the summer is getting a job through the City of Portland. City of Portland offers lots of job options for people who are 15 years old or older. Job options include: Aquatics support staff, event ticketing operations staff, recreation employment, etc. Lots of jobs are geared towards childcare which may be off putting to some people, but there are still jobs that are not childcare related. This summer opportunity is a relatively heavy workload so schedule availability and work ethic should be considered before applying. Lots of jobs are for people who are over 18, so it’s important to look carefully at the requirements of each position. Any job through the City of Portland pays $18 or more per hour which is a big plus.

Summer time could be a great opportunity to catch up on academics. There are programs like CHS summer school or Centennial Virtual Academy (CVA) which is a great fit for someone interested in academics in the summer. CHS summer school is an in person program and mainly for those who are behind on credits and would like to catch up, whereas CVA is exclusively online. CVA is also intended for people who are falling behind, but it is possible to take classes through CVA just to get ahead in credits. Both summer school and CVA are free programs, and do not require applications. Of course, summer academics are not to everybody’s taste, but they could serve as a good time consumer.

A less intensive option for filling time in the summer is volunteering. There are lots of volunteering opportunities available such as the Oregon Humane Society, Multnomah county library, the Oregon Food Bank, the Oregon Zoo, OMSI, or the Portland Art Museum. (lots of volunteering opportunities have age limits so read the descriptions of positions carefully). Volunteering is a great way to fill up extra time in the summer while also helping your community. Lots of people are more likely to get paid jobs instead of volunteering which there isn’t any issue with, but there are benefits to volunteering. Volunteering often has a more flexible schedule and fewer hours than a job would. Volunteering is a great way to find out what fields interest you, and what kind of scheduling you are willing to put up with.

Spending the summer working is undoubtedly a challenge to most people, but spending your summer doing something you enjoy is more important than all the work you could get done. Summer break is just as valuable spent recharging after the school year as it is working. Prioritizing your needs is always the most important factor in deciding how you are going to spend your summer break. The worst case scenario is ending up in a program or working a job that you are not happy with, so it’s better not to rush into a job or program.