Good morning campers. (Source)

It's 7:00AM. You're standing in the parking lot in khaki shorts, a bright green polo shirt, and a plastered-on smile. The first minivan slams into the parking lot, and two seven-year-olds topple out wrapped in a headlock. Their dad runs up and says he doesn't have time to do the sign-in. You assure him that he legally has to, and in the second it takes to get out the forms, one of the kids sucker-punches you in the knee.

...Oh my goodness, what did you get yourself into?

But before we get too far into it, let's rewind a bit.

First off, is the camp life really the life for you?

Maybe eventually you want to run your own camp? That's a reasonable aspiration, considering the fact that base-level counselors tend to make around $250 a week. Just be aware that the path to camp director is a winding one. Many camp directors have a master's in recreation administration. Once they've completed those two-ish additional years of school (on top of the typical four needed for a bachelor's), they can either work their way up the administrative chain at someone else's camp, or they can try to start their own.

The pirate's life seemed like too much work. (Source)

While this may sound like fun, beware that the financial side of things is tough. You first have to choose the camp's activities. Then you have to find a place for the camp—either renting out a church or leasing backwater land for a summer camp.

You'll then have to set a fair price—most parents won't pay more than a few hundred a week for a camp. You can probably run three month-long sessions, each with a couple hundred kids—so you'll be pulling in a couple hundred thousand. But out of that, deduct the camp counselors' weekly salary (about $250), the camp nurses (around $650), and the pay for cleaning and food staff (similar). You also have to advertise (goodbye $100k) and drop another $50k for insurance/medical/legal costs...and...long story short, it's expensive (source). You're usually just hoping to break even.

So on second thought, maybe you're better off just staying a counselor when you're young and moving on to other fields later.

The Dream

Maybe you're a high school junior or senior. Or maybe you just graduated and you're home for the summer. Or maybe you've just leveled up all your Pokémon and your mom is telling you you really need a better use of your time. Whatever the case, you've got three months to burn, and you need to find a way to make a little extra cash. What to do? What to do?

Wait a second...camp.

You used to love summer camp. The counselors seemed so cool and mature. They showed you how to kayak and how not to squat in the shiny red leaves. Being a counselor must be awesome. What a perfect way to spend your summer, right? You can make a little extra coin and hang out by a lake—what could be better?

The Reality

Prepare for a perspective shift of Shawshankian proportions. Being a camp counselor is hard. Not brain surgeon hard—there are no scalpels (hopefully)—but there's a lot more stress than you'd think.

Basically, you'll be responsible for watching children (usually between five and twelve years old), as they do "camp activities." These activities can include sports, backpacking, arts and crafts, and music—anything safe and fun for kids. You'll also be responsible for supervising the kiddos during lunches and breaks. If you're at a day camp, kids show up in the morning and leave in the afternoon—leaving you to do as you please with the evening. But at a sleepover camp, they stay the night.

Now all of this might not sound too difficult...but keep in mind you're working with children. Young kids have hopes and fears—you know, those silly emotions. They're going to look to you as a mentor, and honestly...you're probably just a couple of years older than they are. You probably won't be thrown to the wolves right away, though. There will be some training.

Training typically takes place a week before camp starts. Your boss— a spunky, earthy hipster in her early thirties—will lay down safety rules, transition times, and probably partner you up with another counselor. You'll also be assigned to supervise certain activities.

But you probably won't be paying too much attention through the whole process, because how hard can it be to supervise soccer, right? Plus, that counselor next to you is really cute....

And then it begins...

So what will your days be like? Well, welcome to the world of unregulated regulation. Every day will be scheduled almost identically, but yet somehow be totally unpredictable. 

Get used to being flexible, because something weird is always bound to happen. Why is that kid using a knitting needle as a toothpick? How is that lunchbox on fire?

We find that it's better to not ask questions you don't want the answers to. (Source)

Already feeling stressed? Don't worry too much—most of the serious safety concerns are handled by the senior staff. Oh...you intend to be part of the senior staff? Okay then, feel free to get your stress on.

It's also important to remember that you're there to help the kids have a good time. It can be tons of fun when kids really like what they're doing, but there will never, ever be a time when every kid likes the activity. It's up to you to sidle over to little Meredith and ask why she refuses to play football. You'll have to assure her that another activity is coming up soon, and it will surely be more to her liking. (Hint: She won't believe you.)

Then 12:00PM rolls around and it's time for lunch. What joy. You peel a moist sandwich out of a baggie, and watch as the kids sort themselves into haphazardly organized rows, making sure that the boys and girls are far apart. Then, suddenly, from somewhere in the farthest row, a solitary meatball arcs up into the sky. Within minutes, the skies are filled with a spiraling, colorful fireworks show of airborne meats. Kids really like to throw food.

Eventually it'll be time for sleep, which the kids won't want to do. But on the upside, nighttime is camp for adults. Remember that cute counselor from earlier?

Eventually you'll get tired, force yourself into the shower, and get ready for yet another day of exciting adventures. What will that next day bring? It'll be more or less the same—scheduled activities, monotony, fun, and occasional blinding moments of surreal horror. Good luck.

The Future

Maybe you can't get enough of camp and decide, "Hey, I'd like to do this as a full-time career." Well...it's a little different being a full-timer. You can usually get a seasonal counseling job with just a good attitude and a great interview, but the openings for full-time counselors are fewer. Most full-time counselors have at least an associate's degree, if not a bachelor's. You'll probably be expected to get certified in CPR or First Aid, too. It'll also help if you're able to teach an activity that's in demand. Scuba lessons, anyone?

But let's be real here; for most people this is merely a means of getting Xbox-money and a little job experience. You probably aren't expecting to be a camp counselor forever. So what can you expect? You'll develop scads of experience in leadership and working with children. Maybe you want to study developmental psychology someday, or be a teacher. This sort of work would be a great start to building up your résumé.

And if nothing else, getting paid to hang out in some of the most beautiful places around the U.S. isn't too bad a deal on its own.

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