As spring blooms, it stirs the imagination of students who wait eagerly for the final bell that signals time away from academic responsibilities, peer competition, and anxiety about grades. All those worries are replaced by two months of spending time outdoors with friends in the fresh air and sunshine. Summer vacation is a chance to spend time with family and perhaps even earn some cash by taking a summer job.
Unfortunately, these part-time positions often fail to live up to your summertime expectations, turning an otherwise delightful vacation into a horrible experience. Pent-up emotions explode, and even after the passage of time, many people still harbor bad feelings about their awful summer jobs. Plenty of them shared their experiences with American TV host Jimmy Fallon, and we collected 40 of the best. Hopefully, they’ll make you feel better about your job. Enjoy!
Colossal Crowd
Leslie wanted to make good use of the summer by working part-time to save up some dough for school expenses after the break. These jobs don’t require much screening and require only minimal training before a new hire can start.
This short-term job was an opportunity to learn from a new experience and meet new people. However, with half a million people in town for a rowdy event, many of whom were occupying the motel, Leslie had her work cut out for her.
A Smelly Hero
Organization is key when working in a summer camp. Most of the responsibilities are delegated to young staff members who must keep control of a bunch of energetic kids. It’s a chance to be close to nature, but in this scenario, Margot found herself far away from peace and quiet.
In fact, she was forced to become an involuntary hero, rescuing a kid that was found stuck in the toilet. Can you imagine having to pull a kid out of a porta-potty? We don’t want to know what that job smelled like.
A Job for an Adult
Summer jobs are supposed to be fun because they’re relatively easy. It’s more a matter of being present and just doing the repetitive tasks. Complex problem-solving is rarely meant to be a factor. Molly’s aunt thought the time was right for her to learn about the adult world.
It’s hard to deal with strangers, especially if you’re trying to sell them something over the phone. How does a teenager level with various types of personalities with minimal experience in life? We doubt Margot made $8,000 that month!
No Green Thumb
This sounds like the ideal summer job – a part-time position that doesn’t get in the way of other things you plan on doing. Plants don’t demand constant attention, never wail in the middle of the night, and all you have to do is stick to the schedule.
It didn’t help that Tracy has a black thumb instead of a green one. She knew so little about plants that, despite her best efforts, all but 12 of them perished. As the number of plants diminished, so did her earnings that summer.
In the Doldrums
Teenagers don’t mind the heat in the summer. It’s just an added excuse to the corner store for another popsicle, sundae, or soda. Summers are about freedom and movement, and all the heat does is let relationships bloom, inspiring summer love.
None of this was true for Michael who had to sit alone, ostracized like a monk. Nights were bleak and empty, with all the action going on in his imagination as he stared blankly into the darkness.
Misinformed Vegetarian
Young adults eager to hunt for that first job are easily disappointed. Their high expectations are fueled by fiery idealism, but all this energy quickly fizzles when it meets the cold realities of the world. This summer of waitressing was an awakening experience for Emily.
It must have been difficult for her to be at the beck and call of customers who couldn’t even distinguish chicken fingers from vegetarian food. All she could do was smile and hold back her fury as she was hit with silly complaints each day of that summer.
Crabby Apprentice
Hermit crabs could become great pets. They are sociable, despite being secluded inside their shells, and they don’t require much fuss or maintenance. Given how gentle and sweet they are, Kim found the way her employer dealt with them a little heartless.
It sounds like the crabs at this facility weren’t being treated with much kindness. Kim’s boss wanted the dead ones pulled from the tanks and kept in a box for inventory. Unfortunately, she had to deal with this every morning.
Ice Scream
People go on vacation wishing they could live there forever. It’s an escape into a fresh and vibrant new world, and in this case, Myrtle Beach is known for its awesome golf courses and beautiful shoreline.
People go on vacation wishing they could live there forever. It’s an escape into a fresh and vibrant new world, and in this case, Myrtle Beach is known for its awesome golf courses and beautiful shoreline.
Stabbed at Work
Having been a kid once, this Twitter user thought being a nanny would be a walk in the park. It looked like easy money that he could use when school returned. Why not? He was in for quite a shock.
He realized quickly that some kids have been brought up to be incredibly entitled. Who was he in the grand scheme of things to say no to the spoiled child? Before he could answer the question, he had a knife sticking out of his arm.
Large and in Charge
Ray looked forward to a summer vacation where, after a couple of hours’ work, he could spend more time outdoors fishing, paddling, and enjoying the warm weather. Summer is full of potential adventures, and Ray was interested in all of them – until he met the crabtree bush, that is.
There wasn’t much time for anything else when he was tasked with battling an almighty crabtree bush. They’re beautiful when their flowers bud, but they are tough to uproot, especially when growing in odd directions, armed with thorns, closing in and invading Ray’s summer.
Dead Mouse
Some people can only take so much from the crowd of screaming kids, the constant buzz of arcade games, the jarring music pouring out of the sound system, and everything else that goes with the Chuck E Cheese environment. It’s an unforgiving place for those with softer souls
Poor Kathy had to stand outside for long hours, encouraging unsuspecting people into the place, dressed in layers of heavy foam. Within the hotbox that was the Chuck E costume, she had to wave at passing cars in a job that was barely short of torture in the heat of summer. No wonder things turned out the way they did!
Farewell Sweet Doggo
A pet lover herself, Margaret didn’t mind taking care of her neighbor’s dog while the owners were away. It wasn’t like she’d have to go far, plus she would be paid for sitting around on the porch or watching television.
It only took her a short time to fall in love with the old dog she took care of, with its graying hair and loyal, obedient eyes. This was a countenance she had to bid farewell in two days, breaking her heart and making her fearful of what the owners would think.
Chihuahua Baggage
Chihuahuas are high-maintenance pets that can’t just be left alone in the apartment or they’ll start ruining things. It’s not unusual to see them biting pillows and pulling out the fibers, tearing cushions, and generally making a mess out of boredom and excess energy. The one time they do get tired is when they’re taken out for a walk.
The dog walker didn’t know what to do with all these miniature layabouts and was also mindful of their injury-prone knees. The poor dog walker ended up lugging all of them home, looking like a dog Christmas tree.
Outmaneuvered by Kids
Most kids are smarter than we give them credit for. Unfortunately, Lisa thought it was a wise decision for her to babysit throughout the summer, feeling she could earn some money without much effort. As it turns out, she’d been duped by their innocent faces and beaming smiles.
The moment their parents left, they turned into little monsters and started to make fun of her. They strategized and giggled at their quarry, taking advantage of the place they knew every corner of, and fooling poor Lisa all day.
Bad Pitch
Hilary didn’t have a hard time getting a summer job, especially since it was a role no reasonable adult would take, pushing for new subscribers with a poorly constructed sales pitch. The deal was a ridiculous “buy 60 get 1 free” offer that’s so stingy we’ve never seen anything like it before.
As a teen, Hilary didn’t know better and quickly took the opportunity for a summer job. Sadly, this is the kind of pitch that can only turn out terribly. She received hostile reactions from people who had no desire to be locked into a 60-month contract.
Restaurant Factotum
Jen was excited to start a new job at a local restaurant as it could be a place to meet new friends and build her network. She was open to learning new skills, but little did she know that management wanted their apprentice to jump in and run the show.
Jen was often left on her own to both wait tables and cook the orders. The poor teen tried to manage the situation by coercing people into order the only two things she knew how to prepare. To be fair, it was a decent strategy for a kid who was way out of her depth.
Dubious Termination
This position must have been coveted by many job seekers, knowing it was the type of job that didn’t require anyone to get their hands dirty. Instead, it offered only clerical work, a little chit-chat with walk-in customers, and attending to the phones.
This Twitter user must have made a bad impression on someone. Perhaps they didn’t like all the cute office supplies she displayed on her desk. In any case, she was fired before she’d even had a chance to settle in.
Death Scare
Paul was determined to do whatever it took for him to earn money whenever circumstances allowed. He wanted to support himself and alleviate student debt, so when he got a job offer the summer after his first year at college, he took his chance.
He was about to complete his first shift when he was robbed at gunpoint. All his passion disintegrated before his eyes as this unexpected turn of events tipped the workday upside down. What Paul didn’t reveal is whether he returned to work the next day.
Wrong Camp
This was Kristin-Ann’s chance to teach young people about leadership. It was an opportunity to mold their minds, impart life lessons, foster leadership skills, and demonstrate basic survival skills that could be applied in real-world situations.
Instead of sharing valuable lessons with the eager young kids on their summer break, Kristin found herself in a situation where her own problem-solving skills were tested. It was a summer camp that had to be endured instead of enjoyed.
Clear the Bases
Ben’s job acceptance at the baseball complex seemed incredibly exciting to his buddies. He was basically part of the team in their eyes, but in reality, Ben was cleaning up their refuse, including bodily functions produced by pre-game nerves and general excessiveness.
Ben didn’t get cheered on in the baseball stadium’s bathrooms and found it hard to brag about his job, despite how cool it sounded. For Ben, baseball was responsible for his worst summer ever. We wonder if he still loves the sport.
The Trials and Tribulations of a Desk Clerk
Clients invariably walk into offices expecting to be warmly greeted and assisted with all their needs. This is especially true at hospitals where, behind one of those closed doors, a loved one might lay ill. This is why working on the frontlines in a medical facility can be quite demanding.
Hospital staff need to be sensitive to what people might be going through. This required Kaitlyn to smile, even after being sick herself, and to greet clients with enthusiasm, despite her physical condition. Of course, we wouldn’t have been able to do it either!
Communication Barrier
Insulation work can be done on your own, but is best handled by professionals because it can get laborious and must be done strategically. If overdone, instead of preventing moisture from coming into the house, it could act as a wick.
Any job can be twice as hard to complete when those involved can’t communicate with each other. We’re assuming translation apps weren’t around when Trinity had her awful summer job installing insulation!
Another Explosion on the Way
Walking dogs can be a pleasant way to earn money, and it doesn’t require any special skills. Just stroll around the park, enjoy the bright summer sky where birds fly in echelons, breathe in the fresh air, enjoy the sunshine, and follow the dog’s wagging tail.
Beck should have proactively asked about the dog’s underlying conditions. She was an old dog, after all, owned by an old lady who’s likely to be forgetful of almost anything.
Burning Down the House
Colleen was unaware that metals, being high conductors of electricity, shouldn’t be put inside microwaves. This speaks volumes of what other basic things she didn’t know while working at a pharmacy one summer.
The rapidly bouncing electrons destroyed the microwave, and instead of earning money, the expenses incurred by this mistake were deducted from her pay. Poor Colleen also had to live with being the girl who didn’t know you can’t put metal in a microwave.
Dinner at the Cinema
When she took a job at her local cinema, Samantha Smith was in for a surprise. Once the lights are turned off, the semi-darkness and flickering screen invite people to do strange things.
While most people are happy to bring popcorn, soda, ice creams, and maybe some candy into the cinema with them, one patron decided a whole rotisserie chicken would be a good snack. While it sounds odd, we bet many cinema workers have seen worse things left behind after movie screenings!
One Hot Summer
Kaylee found herself in a terrible situation that should have been corrected by city officials. It’s no joke standing behind a sizzling barbeque grill the whole day, smoke billowing up in the ceiling like oppressive clouds, and being slapped from time to time by oil jumping from the fryers.
This wasn’t the healthy and positive environment Kaylee expected from her first summer job. It must have been hell to have gone through all that in the already scorching heat of those long summer days.
The Micromanager
General managers have branch managers below them and supervisors farther down the line for a reason. GMs are there to direct teams based on how they see the bigger picture, not to encumber the whole corporate umbrella by putting everyone under the microscope.
Majeed must have felt stifled. Always being under the GM’s gaze restricted his ability to feel comfortable at work and do his job well. It built an atmosphere of distrust and centralized dependency. Lesson learned – no one likes being micromanaged.
Punch Cap’n Crunch
Wearing a massive mascot is a heavy responsibility, and you have to look jolly to customers the whole time, dancing and conforming to every customer’s whim. As we learned earlier, those costumes are also uncomfortably hot inside. They’re a recipe for disaster.
Patty was tormented over the summer, randomly punched for no reason, even though she was giving out free samples. It couldn’t have hurt her physically with all that cushioning, but it did hurt her heart.
Photocopy Blunder
Some things are easier said than done, like being an efficient photocopy clerk throughout the summer. First of all, standing for eight hours like a security guard with no handgun isn’t a glamorous assignment, and your legs must start aching a few hours into the day.
It can be confusing when you have a massive queue of work to do but you only need to copy specific pages. This Twitter user didn’t keep their job long as they spent their days copying the wrong documents!
Like a Stalker
People tend to be sarcastic when asked dumb questions. It’s an instinctive reaction to queries that we feel are inconsequential or nonsensical. Anita was hired to knock on strangers’ doors to ask them questions like, “what’s your occupation, and how much do you earn in a month?”
This is serious work, believe it or not. We need to collect detailed data as it can be the basis for future planning and research. Anita just hated the fact that it made her seem like a stalker.
Big Brother
Company employees find it hard to breathe when they are heavily monitored. It’s too reminiscent of George Orwell’s dystopian novel, with an imaginary eye hovering above the workplace. With his boss checking on him every five minutes, Billy couldn’t concentrate on his work.
It didn’t feel like a fun summer job at all. It was worse than being within the restrictive walls of his school. Indeed, when they’re not in the classroom, most school kids aren’t even monitored this closely!
A Fireworks Display
There have been numerous reports about fires breaking out in firework factories and shops over the years, which isn’t surprising when you consider the risks involved, but these accidents are avoidable. It only goes to show that some people never really learn from past mistakes.
The question is, what was an employee of a firework stand doing playing with a lighter? Surely this would have been a prohibited item. We’re not surprised to hear that both employees were fired.
Got It Licked
No special skills required, nor height or other formal qualifications needed – this was a summer job Tam knew she would lick. In her mind, it was a task she could do for the whole summer without a single error. After all, you couldn’t make a mistake licking a stamp, even if you wanted to.
However, the boss disagreed and must have whipped out a sample stamp against her curved tongue to show her the professional way of doing it. Imagine getting criticized for your stamp licking skills.
Camp Infestation
Being at summer camp is an experience that takes you back to good childhood memories – being away from home and your parents, out in nature, learning survival skills with friends. The only difference is, as a counselor, you have kids looking up to you.
Head lice are also busiest during the summer, able to reproduce more rapidly in the warm weather. They jump from one kid to another, barely visible, and in this case, they gave Amy something more than just innocent summer fun.
Going the Extra Mile
New to the conditions governing employer-employee relationships, some teens are easily taken advantage of by management. They are too shy to say no, and so they work outside their official job description.
Just how far beyond his regular work Ryan was led to perform would be laughable if we didn’t sympathize with his horrid situation. It is crazy for a teenage lawnmower operator to be digging up rotten graves when it most certainly wasn’t in their job description.
Unpredictable Kids
It would be nice to work at the library, even just over one summer. The peace and quiet would be a delight, and it would be a valuable experience for book lovers. To be surrounded by so many literary classics would be heaven.
Chelsea panicked at the sight of a kid munching a library card, and who knows what else. She was in charge, but what was she supposed to do with that slobbery library card? In the end, she just had to deal with it.
Complex Beer Mixture
Parents should advise their teens when it comes to summer job applications. Just a little guidance would do. They should know that certain workplaces are dangerous, such as construction sites, and in this case, the local liquor store.
It’s a place that’s prone to trouble, with unruly drunks, sneaky shoplifters, and minors wielding faking IDs. It’s a place that feeds on people’s vices, as demonstrated by this guy who mistook the staff room for the bathroom.
Traumatized by Music
Myrtle Beach is a top tourist destination, featuring a stunning coastline and a boardwalk frequented by food lovers. No one who’s visited could forget their nights on the beach spent listening to the waves break in pure bliss.
From this list, we have discovered that Myrtle Beach does seem to have one flaw – the tourists who come to visit. Poor Katina now has PTSD thanks to the awful experience she had working in this seemingly idyllic spot.
Right on the Mark
In the midst of this pandemic, who knows what particles could be carried by the wind? The more people there are around you, the higher the risk of getting ill. Though pathogens are microscopic, Mary got hit with a very tangible dose of them.
This has got to be the worst scenario on the list so far. Public water parks are a playground not just for humans but for many types of bacteria. The pools are contaminated daily with all sorts of bodily excretions.
The Happiest Place on Earth
We don’t intend to be discouraging in any way, but this story reveals that even the happiest place on Earth can be a dismal setting for a summer job. If you can’t be happy working at Disneyland, where can you be happy?
Disneyland ranks high among the best employers out there, so it’s not far-fetched to say that working there is a dream come true for many people. Still, it seems Disney employees have to be vigilant if they want to protect themselves from wet burritos.