Seasonal Jobs- They Make You and Break You

I’ve had two jobs in my life that were not temporary positions. The first was leading gymnastics birthday parties at the gym I trained at in middle school/high school. The second was being a barista at a local coffee shop when I was living back at home for a few months last year. Besides those, every other job that I’ve had came prepackaged with an end date.

Over the past year, I have grown and learned so much about myself and one of the things I’ve learned is that I am significantly more at peace with temporary jobs. I have a million and a half dreams in my heart and I want to pursue every single one of them. Knowing that there are so many different jobs and different places in this world to live, I can’t pick just one and stick to it.

How can you just stick to one thing?! Since college, I’ve been able to be an education and animal care intern at Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida, a resident camp counselor at SeaWorld in San Diego leading marine science career camps, a marine mammal intern at Walt Disney World where I worked with dolphins and manatees, an instructor at an outdoor adventure camp in Colorado called Avid4Adventure, and an outdoor educator all over the state of California with a company called Naturalists at Large. With all my seasonal jobs, I’ve gotten to have so many cool experiences, learn so many amazing things, gain lots different skills, and I’ve been able to call so many different places home. But definitely the best part of seasonal jobs is the incredible community that undoubtably comes with them. I have made some of my best friends in the entire world from the jobs that I’ve worked, just from being able to share so much together in such a short period of time.

But, as much as I absolutely love living the seasonal job life, it’s definitely not a walk in the park. Moving every four to six months is hard. Finding a new place to live is hard (this past season, I just lived in the back of my Ford Escape). Finding a good church that I like in the area is hard. Finding new favorite places around town is hard. Finding weekly places to go dancing is hard. Putting myself out there to meet new people and find a community in a new place is hard. Yall, it’s not an easy lifestyle.

But by far, the hardest part of this nomadic lifestyle is always the goodbyes… When you finally push through all the difficult times, like finding your favorite local coffee shop, finally getting around town without the use of your GPS, or finally finding a community that feels like a family, and then it all just ends… Just like that. You blink, and the past five months of your life are just gone. And this place that you were finally able to call home is something that you just watch disappear in your rear-view mirror. And these people that have completely stolen your heart, you just have to walk away from with tear-streaked eyes and pray that you will stay in contact even when you’re on opposite sides of the country.

No matter how many seasonal jobs I’ve had and how many times my heart has been ripped in half from these goodbyes, I still seek out these opportunities. Not only because I love what I do and I love getting to experience so many different things. But mostly because of the incredible people that I get to call my coworkers and my friends. I have met some of the most amazing people from the jobs that I’ve worked over the past few years. I have become so much more open minded from just listening to everyone’s different stories and seeing life through their eyes. Without even realizing it, the friends that I have made through my seasonal jobs have helped shape me into the person that I am today and have helped me see life through different lenses. I appreciate every single person who has played a role in my story so far, even if it’s just a small part. They have helped me appreciate every single second that I have wherever I am because beautiful moments have a way of slipping through your fingertips in the blink of an eye.

The experiences that I have gained from living on the road and moving around so much have given me an immeasurable amount of self-confidence and have helped me finally do the things I’ve wanted to do for years, but have been too scared to do. I have been able to learn so much about myself and how I want to live my life, never taking a single second for granted and using the time that I have been granted to make those beautiful moments.

But even through the pain, and the tears, and the heartache, I still wouldn’t change a thing. The way that my heart thrives in communities and jobs like this is worth it. The heart wrenching pain is worth it to make the friends and connections and life-long memories that I hold so close to my heart. The places that I have loved and called home and had to say goodbye to are worth it because I know that they will always be there waiting for me when I find my way back to them.

These jobs, these people, these places have impacted me in a way I don’t think I could ever fully do justice to in words. They have given me life and helped me to step out of my comfort zone and see the world. My life has been so full of travel and adventure and excitement and I owe so much of that to my seasonal jobs and the people that I have met through them. I am greatful for this every single day of my life and I hope I can keep this with me wherever life takes me. Now, on to my next adventure!

Do you enjoy reading about all my travels and adventures? Would you like to help my adventures continue by supporting me financially? If you do, then please know, that would mean the world to me! To do this, you can go to my Patreon page to choose which level you would like to support me at! Thanks for your love and support and remember to make every day an adventure!