A Look Back at Popular Summer Jobs Through the Years
Work hard, play hard ... all summer long.
Schools out for the summer — and if you're old enough, you remember what that meant: It's time to get a summer job. No matter where you're from, chances are you worked one of these seasonal jobs. Despite all the summer fun we're having these days, it's nice to reminisce about the adventures you had back at your old summer gigs.
While some summer jobs are still thriving (we'll always need summer camp counselors and a slice of fresh pizza), others will certainly send you on a trip down memory lane (remember candy stripers and newspaper delivery boys?) For a healthy dose of nostalgia, check out these old summer jobs — you may just see your old co-workers.
1930s
Lifeguards at Brighton Beach in 1935 were assessed in morning meetings before heading to their posts.
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1940s
Being a server at drive-in restaurants was the job for teenagers during 1945.
1950s
It's unclear whether these teen boys could actually drive these cars, but they used all their effort to fix them up. Car washing was also a classic teen job back in the day.
1950s
One camp skill girls wanted to learn? Knitting. Here, a counselor showed them how it's done.
1950s
Three camp counselor teens led a cheer on the basketball court while working at Kutsher's Hotel and Country Club in the Catskills in 1950.
1950s
A young man earned a little pocket cash working as an amateur magician in the summer of 1954.
1960s
While some were out having fun in the sun, others opted to volunteer as a candy striper at their local hospital.
1960s
One teenager spent the summer of 1966 earning some extra money by mowing lawns.
1960s
Some young teens looking to make some cash in the summer of 1968 had to bust out the gardening shears and trim the hedges.
1970s
A young girl received an award for her hard work as a junior clerk at the U.S.D.A. during the summer of 1971.
1970s
A group of teenage girls spent the summer of '73 keeping a local park clean and well-groomed as rangers.
1970s
A high school student dressed in an old military uniform guards a fort as part of his job in the summer of 1976.
1970s
One of the most coveted (not to mention, exclusive) summer jobs is working as a Wimbledon ball kid. Here, a ball boy returned John McEnroe's racket to him after he took a tumble.
1980s
A 15-year-old spent the summer of 1988 mastering the fine art of pizza making.
1980s
One high schooler landed a gig operating a carousel during the summer of 1988.
1990s
A teenager in the L.A. area earned his paychecks in the summer of 1997 by doing road work, which involved stenciling the streets.
2000s
A college student worked the register at L.L. Bean in the summer of 2001.
2000s
A girl in 2004 kept it traditional by spending her summer operating a lemonade stand on a pier.
2000s
The summer of 2004 was all about selling shades by the seashore for one New England teen.
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