Y Talk: A Real Job by Justin Rose

In my life I have had the opportunity to work with many young adults and teenagers and then had the privilege of watching them grow into adults. I have to say that this is probably one of the most rewarding parts of my job in many ways.

In my time with these young people, I also have had the opportunity to employ some of them as counselors for our camping program at the Y. I am always amazed at how much someone can grow in a single summer. I always wonder how much being a counselor for a summer affects them. I wonder if they will ever know how much they have affected their campers during their time with them. As I get to watch these counselors grow into adults and graduate college and start their careers, I often hear something like, “It’s about time they got a real job!” or “I need a real job, I can’t be a camp counselor all my life!”

This reminds me of my current situation in life. I have been in camping for almost 15 years now, so I have heard that sentiment many times. But recently I moved to a new position at the Y and this summer was my first summer, in a long time, away from camp. I don’t know if it was me missing the campfires and s’mores, but I think I thought about camp more than ever this summer. During this summer I could not tell you how many times I heard this idea of me finally having a “real” job. Of course I would laugh and joke and play it off, but the more I heard it the more I thought about it. Did I really have a “real” job now, or did I already have a real job?

Sure, I hear ya. You’re probably saying something like, “C’mon, being a camp counselor is glorified babysitting!” This is where I would say you’re wrong. Being a resident camp counselor might be the most “real” job you ever have. Can you imagine every day having eight campers hanging on your every word, waiting for you to show them the time of their lives? Don’t forget that you will be making sure they are eating enough and staying hydrated. Then you also have to tell them bedtime stories while starting a fire for them to roast marshmallows on, all while applying bug spray. Don’t forget making sure they are wearing the right shoes for the creek today while checking that they all have on sunscreen. Now imagine you are doing all this before you ever graduate college. Pretty intense, right? You know what is even more amazing? Almost every single one of those campers will remember the summer they spent with you for the rest of their lives.

Now that is a real job.

-by Justin Rose, Senior Program Director​