When I was in college I worked summers in New England. One summer I arranged for a job in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, painting houses on the islands. I worked the job for a few weeks, but the man I and another college student worked for was lazy and the work abruptly ended. The other college student was from Boothbay Harbor, so it was no problem for him. I, on the other hand, had spent most of my meager savings getting to Maine from Ohio and paying rent and deposits. Plus, when I arrived, my mountain bike had been irreparably damaged in transit and I had to spend money for a new one. Being that most summer jobs in this popular vacation spot are spoken for months in advance of the summer, I was facing a struggle to not only find new work, but to find it in time to cover my immediate living expenses. (more…)