{"id":166452,"date":"2026-04-15T12:07:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T12:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/166452\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T12:07:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T12:07:07","slug":"pitt-students-excited-for-summer-break-despite-working-summer-jobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/166452\/","title":{"rendered":"Pitt students excited for summer break despite working summer jobs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With three more weeks until the end of the semester, many students are looking forward to summer break.<\/p>\n<p>The 16-week <a href=\"https:\/\/www.registrar.pitt.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/assets\/PDF\/Academic%20Calendar%202025-2026_Apple.pdf\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">spring semester<\/a> is coming to an end on May 2. Many students will spend their summer vacation working summer jobs, but most are also planning vacations and spending time with family to make the most of their break.<\/p>\n<p>Xavier Pateakos, a first-year statistics major, will study for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.soa.org\/education\/exam-req\/edu-exam-p-detail\/\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Probability Exam<\/a>, a required actuarial exam for certification through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.soa.org\/\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Society of Actuaries<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[SOA] wants you to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coachingactuaries.com\/exam-p\/faq#:~:text=Most%20students%20require,course%20content%20updated%3F\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">study<\/a> 300 hours for it, so I have to work on that,\u201d Pateakos said. \u201cYou\u2019re supposed to study 10 hours for each question, and there\u2019s 30 questions. You usually do it in a matter of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coachingactuaries.com\/exam-p\/faq#:~:text=Most%20students%20spread%20their%20study%20over%20three%20months%2C%20dedicating%20the%20first%20two%20months%20to%20learning%20the%20material%20and%20the%20final%20month%20to%20solving%20practice%20problems.\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">three months<\/a>. I\u2019m taking it July 13.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Outside of studying, Pateakos is looking forward to going back home to Massachusetts and spending time with friends.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost of us from back home went to college, some people are taking a gap year or doing community college, so we\u2019re all on pretty different paths,\u201d Pateakos said. \u201cIt\u2019ll be nice to catch up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ashley Tighe, a junior supply chain management and marketing major, is excited for her vacations to Charleston and the Outer Banks. When she\u2019s not at the beach, Tighe will be a supply chain management intern at <a href=\"https:\/\/uhs.com\/\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Universal Health Services<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI actually just found out that I have to dress business professional every day, so that\u2019s not great, but I\u2019m excited,\u201d Tighe said. \u201cI just wanted to get [an internship]. It\u2019s been <a href=\"https:\/\/resources.twc.edu\/articles\/the-internship-squeeze-why-its-harder-than-ever-and-how-to-get-one\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">really tough<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The current job market is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/04\/06\/business\/job-market-internships-squeeze\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">competitive<\/a>, with unemployment rates of young workers and recent college graduates being at its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorkfed.org\/research\/college-labor-market#--:explore:unemployment\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">highest<\/a> since 2021. Many college students and graduates are facing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/apr\/12\/college-graduates-job-market-ai\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">difficulty<\/a> obtaining entry-level roles due to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/colleenbatchelder\/2026\/01\/05\/the-entry-level-hiring-crisis-is-getting-worse-in-2026\/\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">increasingly demanding<\/a> experience requirements and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/geekgirlrising\/2026\/01\/30\/as-ai-erases-entry-level-jobs-colleges-must-rethink-their-purpose\/\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">rise of AI<\/a> in the workforce.<\/p>\n<p>Jaydon Paradis, a first-year natural gas, renewables and oil engineering major, is grateful for getting a professional job this summer through a co-op with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.covestro.com\/en\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Covestro<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s related to chemical engineering, which isn\u2019t specifically what I\u2019m going into, but it\u2019s close,\u201d Paradis said. \u201cAny internship that I could get as a [first-year] was an internship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Audrey Cupp, a junior accounting and supply chain management major, will work as a program director at a summer camp, where she will manage a team of people and expenses.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve worked there for a while as a counselor, and finding an internship was getting really hard and stressing me out,\u201d Cupp said. \u201cI\u2019m excited because I like working there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah Sloyer, a first-year psychology major, will be working as an EMT in Rochester, New York, this summer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is my first time working for an ambulance,\u201d Sloyer said. \u201cI\u2019m terrified, but it\u2019s going to be so fun, and it pays a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hannah Larimore, a first-year public health major, will work several jobs this summer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI work at a Dick\u2019s Sporting Goods. I\u2019m also house sitting for some people that I know,\u201d Larimore said. \u201cI\u2019m going to hopefully do some service work with a homeless shelter near me [to] get more service hours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ella Lauer, a first-year psychology major, will work at Starbucks and volunteer at a hospital for clinical hours this summer, since she is graduating early.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need to get [my clinical hours finished] within two summers because I\u2019m a sophomore by my credits and I\u2019m graduating in three years,\u201d Lauer said. \u201cI\u2019m going to have to hustle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although Lauer will be working, she\u2019s excited to go back to her hometown.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[I\u2019m looking forward] to not being here,\u201d Lauer said. \u201cI\u2019m really excited, actually \u2014 being outside, tanning, frolicking, being able to cook my own food. I don\u2019t want to be [on campus] anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cupp is excited to not have homework or deadlines because she \u201cneeds free time.\u201d Phoebe Trochimowicz, a first-year teacher education major, is also looking forward to the lack of academic stress and going to the beach.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m excited to have a solid few stress-free months \u2014 no academic stress happening,\u201d Trochimowicz said. \u201cI\u2019m going to go to Avalon Beach a lot with friends.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Charlotte Cavallone, a first-year pre-education major, is also working several jobs \u2014 babysitting, lifeguarding and tutoring. Although her summer will be busy with work, Cavallone is excited to go back home to New Jersey.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love how nature-y it is back home and how I can actually spend time outside and go on walks with my dogs,\u201d Cavallone said. \u201cAs much as I love it here because it\u2019s so different from back home, [I\u2019m looking forward to] seeing my family and getting to spend time at home.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With three more weeks until the end of the semester, many students are looking forward to summer break.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":166453,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[73,75,74,75060,75061,38662],"class_list":{"0":"post-166452","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pittsburgh","8":"tag-pittsburgh","9":"tag-pittsburgh-headlines","10":"tag-pittsburgh-news","11":"tag-summer-break","12":"tag-summer-jobs","13":"tag-vacation"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166452\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}