Olivia Pojar, BA'03, bemoans the failure of her academic discipline to translate easily to skills that are good commodities on the summer job market. "There is nothing out there that is related to what I'm studying at all, because there's no one who says, 'I want somebody who knows a lot about English literature to come and work at my office with me.'"

Anelise Kerr in her Swiss dirndl outfit.

Pojar began to apply for jobs as soon as she was finished with her April exams but quickly found herself facing a serious roadblock: "In Montreal, every job requires that the applicant be bilingual, which I am not," she says. Pojar's problem is not uncommon for many McGill students. On the one hand, her lack of fluent French discouraged her from positions ranging from "a job at the Pita Pit to working as a secretary to doing examination correction at home -- they send you a bunch of exams and you correct them." On the other hand, like most out-of-province students, Pojar must pay rent on her Montreal apartment over the summer. Returning to work at home in Smithers, B.C., is not financially viable. "It's too expensive to fly back home, and I have to pay rent here the entire time if I want to keep my apartment." After weeks of searching, Pojar was relieved to finally find a job at a Tim Hortons doughnut shop.

For some students, the summer job search doesn't go beyond the Roddick Gates. McGill Campus Work Study offers subsidized jobs (one major funding source is the Alumni Association) to students with demonstrated financial need. International students in particular relish work study positions, as their student visas limit them to holding employment on campus. Those who aren't approved for the program must return home to find summer work. Unfortunately, fewer jobs are available during the summer since the absence of most students from campus makes many of the positions, such as assisting in the libraries, temporarily obsolete.

The Computer Help Desk in Burnside Hall is one office that does remain open during the summer. Véronique Dorais, BA'02, has been working there for a year and a half; she'll remain at her post throughout the summer, before she begins her graduate studies at McGill.

	Véronique Dorais working at McGill's Computer Help Desk.

"As a work-study student, I get to sit at the help desk, where people call with email, Internet and general computer problems. It doesn't actually require any sort of specific expertise, you just need to have a general knowledge of Internet usage." Dorais doesn't mind that her job doesn't relate to her academic interests, but rather welcomes it as a chance to widen her area of expertise. "It doesn't relate at all to what I've studied at McGill, which is great. Having computer abilities looks good on my resumé."

In their later years at McGill, some students get lucky and finally get coveted positions in their fields. Dyment is looking forward to his job this summer at a small accounting firm. "I'm going to be working on the website, a little tax, seeing the structure of the accounting firm, hopefully work a little with clients, work with CAs and see what their job is about," he said before he started. "It will be a good working experience to see if I can apply any of my knowledge."

And even those who are not so lucky can see the bright side of their occupations. Dorais sums it up: "Summer jobs aren't always the most pleasurable of experiences, but they serve their purpose; they help us save money to pay for our tuition. We're fortunate that these jobs remain exactly what they are: summer jobs -- not future professions."