Even if your job-hunting endeavours seem to be floating towards a messy looking creek and you’ve mislaid your paddle, you can’t spend 100% of your spare time fretting and fussing. Obviously, 90% probably wouldn’t hurt, but it’s certainly worthwhile, even essential, to give yourself some opportunity to re-charge and/or take some time to try something new. You’re young, enjoy yourself! Below are a selection of cheerful diversions for the Summer months – beats Facebook, right?
Festivals
What? Oh come on, there’s ruddy hundreds of them these days. It’s sort of a student right of passage to spend three days boozing away in a field, bracing yourself for the inevitable tropical monsoon, tent burglary and porta-loo misery (Glastonbury, Reading/Leeds, T in the Park). Still, if you prefer to bask slightly more salubrious circumstances there are plenty of day tickets (or indeed day events) up and down the country to keep you amused. Oh, and it’s not just rock music that’s well represented (Global Gathering, Creamfields).
How? Try Spoonfed’s festivals page for a comprehensive list, up-to-date coverage, and festival tips.
Travel
What? Get out the country, man, and like, find yourself. Or something. Yes yes, we all know that everyone who takes a year out before university ends up exactly like this, but once you’ve started Uni then a Summer abroad can be a very worthy, enlightening experience. Some work (Camp America, Teach Abroad), but there’s just as much reward in working to earn some money and taking a couple of weeks on the Costa Del Sol, or even storing up the beer tokens for somewhere a little livelier.
How? Try Projects Abroad or Real Gap Experience for a variety of summer projects abroad, or the usual suspects for holiday deals.
Try Something New
What? Familiarity can breed contempt, especially if that familiarity is with your computer screen and brick-wall job sites. To freshen things up a bit there’s a raft of things you can try and ongoing projects you can start without having to leave our fair isle – skydiving, marathons, hot air ballooning, surfing. Plus, picking one and completing it for charity will not only give you that warm, fuzzy feeling usually acquired after 90 minutes at the pub, but will also allow you to set up one of those torturously irritating Facebook groups. Hurrah!
How? Loads of weird and wonderful things to try at Red Letter Days, whilst this is a good place to host your sponsorship.
Get Some Work Experience
What? This might not exactly sound like ‘time off’, but it could actually be the most challenging and enjoyable thing you do with your time. Depending on who you can find to employ you, there may be riches, responsibility and career prospects to be found, but regardless – you’ll certainly learn something about where you want to end up. Hated the RBS summer placement? Time well spent – back to the drawing board.
How? Where else to start but FreelanceStudents, then Graduate Job Websites – The Lowdown.
Socially Interact
What? Leave Facebook for a few days. Misplace your iphone/blackberry. Talk, smile, engage – preferably with fellow human beings. You’ll feel better for it.
How? This clever little app should get you going.
Do you have any other suggestions? If so we’d love to hear them, so please leave a comment below!
