Summer 2020 started early this year for many students across the country with the switch to online school. It was no different for me. This switch created a lot of free time that wasn’t being taken up by traveling and hanging out with friends, like any typical summer. To fill this idle time I looked to a place where I knew I would be doing something productive while still having an enjoyable social outlet, and a plus was that I would be making good money. Here are three reasons why working through a pandemic benefited me:

1.My Social Outlet

I started work at a cafe near where I live as soon as COVID guidelines allowed it. I was doing something I loved, making and drinking coffee all while having pleasant interactions with interesting people who needed normalcy just as much as me. It was important to me not to let the pandemic alter my life unnecessarily-to me this meant doing everything I wanted to do, but responsibly.

2.Staying Up-to-date On COVID Guidelines

Working ensured that I knew the most up-to-date guidelines and protocols surrounding COVID. I was required to wear a mask at all times when interacting with a customer, wiping down surfaces was no joke either- anything a customer touched had to be disinfected, and if it couldn’t it was thrown away. This was all good practice for going out in public and it made me appreciate the efforts of those doing me a service.

3. Keeping Me Busy and On My Feet

Without having the accountability of being somewhere every morning, bright and early, I think my summer would have been wasted away. I worked 7-hour shifts, with little downtime, but if I hadn’t there is no doubt I would have been at home being less than productive. 

I know working isn’t for everyone, and some have other means of staying busy, but for me, it has taught me many valuable lessons and made me acknowledge hard-working people. Hopefully, this can inspire someone to get out there and make use of their free time or encourage going to work in this “new normal.”