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After my junior year of high school, I couldn't find a  

summer job

 . So the next summer, when I got an offer at a local fast-food joint, I figured I'd better not let it get away. I signed that W-2 form and spent the summer as a fry-cook.A paycheck is a paycheck, but still, this wasn't exactly my dream job. Isn't there a better way to put some money in my pocket, I thought? Isn't there a way to find summer work that's closer to my interests than making fries?

The good news: jobs that mean more than just a paycheck do exist -- even for students! You just have to start early, dig a little deeper, and use your imagination.

Go Past the Want-Ads
It can't hurt to take a look through the help-wanted ads. You never know when some interesting job at a local summer theater festival or computer expo is going to come along. But to find a really interesting job, chances are you're going to have to strike out on your own.

Here's the secret: some of the best jobs are never advertised. Lots of companies need someone who can help out part-time for a couple of months, but may never get around to doing anything about it. If you happen to call and ask right after they land that big new contract, for instance, you may find yourself a job. Companies may also already have a regular summer job program -- one that's not publicly advertised.

The trick is to persevere, which can boost your chances of being in the right place at the right time. Andrea Garcia, a student at the University of Denver (Denver, CO), found a summer internship in her field -- communications -- after her freshman year.

"Even though the organizations I ended up working for didn't have official internship programs, I just called and asked," she explains.

Although some organizations just said, "sorry," Andrea's ambition eventually paid off. "I was surprised by how helpful people were, and after I showed them that I was really interested in working for them, I got hired for the summer in the public relations office for a museum."

A good place to start is with the major employers in your area. The kinds of jobs that are available often depend on where you live, but many big corporations and organizations have formal summer-job programs. There are also a wide variety of seasonal jobs available at summer camps, national and state parks, Shakespeare and Renaissance festivals, and local art fairs.

Volunteer Work
Don't forget to consider volunteer work or unpaid internships. Some interesting employers -- especially non-profit organizations such as galleries, museums, or summer programs, and sports leagues for kids -- may not have the budget to pay you, but can offer valuable hands-on experience that can help your future job searches. Consider a summer of volunteering as an investment in your future. If necessary, you can always try to take an additional, more conventional summer job to make some money, too.

If you need a little help, flip through the yellow pages, or check a how-to-get-a-job book that's tailored to your area and lists major employers. If you live in a city that has its own local Business paper, pick up a copy (or go on-line to American City Business Journals: www.bizjournals.com/) to see which companies or organizations are in the news.

Once you've compiled a list of potential employers, find out what they have to offer by calling the main number and politely asking if they have a summer job program. If they don't, you've only lost a few minutes of your time. If they do, you've acquired information you can do something with.

Chances are that these summer jobs are not going to be high-profile positions. However, even if you spend the summer making photocopies, you could put yourself in a position to learn from people who do more sophisticated work. Talk to them and ask questions -- familiarize yourself with the field. Of course, there's always the chance you could be given more responsibility once your employer finds out your capabilities and eagerness to learn.

"What's especially neat for high school students right now is that with the job market so tight, they can land positions with greater responsibility than they ever could before," says Tony Lee, editor and general manager of two sites from the Wall Street Journal: http://careers.wsj.com and http://College.wsj.com. "They get to handle real projects, especially if they have technical skills."

Lee also says that these kinds of jobs can pay off well beyond the summer. Potential employers in the future may be impressed by a solid track record.

"It shows that this person has been setting goals for a long time and has been working responsibly," he explains. "It shows that a person is focused on what they want to do."

Honing the Search Even More
If you already have an idea about what field you'd like to work in, you're one step closer to finding a summer job that fits. In addition to scouring the help-wanted ads and calling local companies and organizations, ask your teachers, friends, or family to keep their ears open for any available positions. Networking, says Lee, is still one of the best ways to get a job -- even today, when job search engines are available everywhere online.

To get your foot in the door, be ready to explain your purpose and goals in a sentence or two. Take these "ins," for instance: "I'm interested in journalism and I am looking for the chance to help out around the office of a newspaper," or "I'm interested in the Web design work your company does, and if you need a hand during the summer, I'd be interested to help out any way I can."

Prepare an explanation just in case you're put through to the person who makes hiring decisions. It may, however, be a good idea to simply ask if there is someone you could contact by phone or e-mail to ask some more questions. If you call the company switchboard and ask, "Do you have any summer jobs?" the answer may simply be "No." But, if you ask, "Who can I contact about summer job possibilities?" you may get a valuable contact. You might also be able to express your interests and aspirations better in writing.

If a company or organization has a formal summer job program, the earlier you know about it, the better. It's best to start your research about three to six weeks ahead of time.

Sometimes, the best summer jobs aren't the ones in the paper, but the ones you have to look a little harder for, or the ones that employers can create for you when they realize they're going to be short-handed. The trick is to sound like the kind of person who can help them out.

--Chris Ott is a freelance writer and co-author of How to Get a Job in Denver and Central Colorado (Surrey Books, 1999, $18.95).
--A wealth of job information is available online. Some of the best places to look for summer work are Camp Staff (www.campstaff.com), which lets you search for jobs at summer camps throughout North America, and Summer Jobs (www.summerjobs.com), which lets you search for summer positions by keyword and location.

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