Make the most of your holidays after school

8 ways to stay productive in the summer holidays

1. Do Nothing! You heard me
You have just been through a really challenging year. You have studied more than you thought possible. You have done an assignment on more topics you thought humanly possible and you probably really haven’t had time to ‘breathe’. Well now is the time. Just enjoy the fact that you don’t have to do anything, hand in anything or turn up to anything.

2. Intern. Apply for a professional internship
Hopefully by the time you have finished year 12 you will have some idea of what you want to study and do with your life. Why not try and get some work experience under your belt. If you haven’t worked out what you want to do, work experience is also a great way to see what it is like in an organisation or a particular field. Ask around your local area to see if they would have you volunteer with them for a week. Experience the ins and outs of the type of work you want to get into. It also looks great on your resume!

3. Work. Get a casual job
Now is the perfect time to get a summer job, and if you’re lucky, you might be able to keep your job while you study to have a bit more money during your uni years. Having a casual job not only gives you some spending money but it also teaches you great skills for life. When you finish uni and are looking for a career, work experience and employment will show your future employer that you have work skills, which is highly regarded. It will work in your favour when compared to someone who hasn’t had a casual job throughout their uni years.

4. Volunteer. Volunteer for a charity or help out your local community 
Volunteering is a great way to help people and make a difference in the world. You don’t have to travel overseas to volunteer. Check out your local retirement village or hospital to see what you can do or even take the initiative and do some gardening work for your elderly or struggling neighbours. Once again, volunteer work looks great on your resume and now is the time to start growing your resume.

5. Study. Sign-up for a free online short course
You might be a bit over studying after 13 years of schools and I totally understand. You might however find a short course that really interests you that might help you get a part time job or give you further experience to set your career up. It could be anything from cake decorating, photography, a barista course or even a business administration course.

6. Read. Read books on a variety of topics
For me when I finished studying I couldn’t wait to read a book of my choosing without having to write an essay about it! Go to your local library and hire out whatever books take your fancy, sit in the sun and just read.

7. Inspire. Stay inspired and try something new
You finally have time to do what you want to do. No lingering assignments or study sessions to think about. Try something new and get out and experience life. For me I wanted to try surfing so I spent a lot of my free time with friends going to the beach to attempt to surf. Even just jump on the train and take a trip to the next city and walk around and see a different area you haven’t really explored before.

8. Enjoy. Have fun
Make the most of the few months after school and before uni starts to really just have some fun. If fun for you is playing hours of video games or finally being able to binge watch your favourite TV series, go for it. If fun for you is getting outside and being active, make the most of spring and summer and get out there doing the things you love. This is a perfect time in your life to just have some fun while you don’t have many commitments in your life.