Anyone else having a hard time finding a job this summer?

I was planning on doing a course this summer but ended up dropping it so i didnt bother applying during the school year...now i regret it.

Nope I haven't. As soon as exams were over I worked @ Wonderland till I started at my co-op position @ Systemgroup Inc.

I'm in the same boat as you =/ was going to take summer school but decided i wanted to stay in toronto the week before May so i've started searching since.

I've applied at couple of place but haven't heard back yet and am still searching. If you're still looking for a part-time job I heard tim hortons is hiring a lot right now.

want a job in the research area :(

Originally Posted by kwyhan

want a job in the research area :(

It's important to make strong connections with professors in research areas you are interested in. Show them how you are interested in the field of research and hopefully you'll be able to land a job or at the very least a volunteer position.

Generally lower years will not get paying jobs because of their lack of experience. They may however land a volunteer position. Some students do learn valuable lab skills in second year courses (I believe biochem has a 2nd year lab course) while others learn them in third year (My program has a 3rd year lab course). Having these skills can help you in better securing a research job.

There are also 3rd year research projects which can lead into having a summer research job. Sometimes the professor will have you tackle the beginning part of a larger project, or even a middle part of a larger project. Once you've completed your research project, you could ask for a paid position to further your research during the summer.

Don't give up after a few applications or wait on them. I know it may not be ideal, as some of the positions you applied to are "better," but to better your chances, you literally have to apply to 50-100 positions, maybe more, until you get lucky!

I applied to several at McWork, nothing. Threw in resume to friend to give to boss as recommendation to work at student center for food, nothing. I did network to get a research assistant job but as of now no pay, 1 summer term.

I gave up on a job a long time ago... Never seems to work for me...

Lol...

You guys have no idea how many jobs I applied to to get the one I currently am at...

All I can say is, even if you are qualified, chances are they just want people with previous exp, which makes it really hard to find a coop position... but that doesnt mean you should give up.

I know the chem and physics departments have a program for first year students to get lab positions in the summer. It's how I got my current job. You have to be going into that second year program, though. I had to sign a form saying I was going into Chem II. It's really great, they place you with a graduate student to help them with their research. It's only been a week and I've learned so much!

I am having trouble finding something that could be vaguely related to a co-op and i expected to get a lot more hours from my minimum wage job. time to apply to alberta!

Originally Posted by Snowman

time to apply to alberta!

I think that's a great idea ! More opportunities outside of Ontario.

Sometimes I think that I want a job, but then I realize I don't really, I just want money. How can I solve this dilemma?

Originally Posted by Twelve Chars

Sometimes I think that I want a job, but then I realize I don't really, I just want money. How can I solve this dilemma?

Rob a bank? Sell drugs?

Sell drugs to a bank. There, perfect.