In the days of childhood, summer was a warm and sunny time, jam-packed with fun-filled days of running crazy around the neighborhood and spending lazy hours by the pool or in the sandbox.

To college students, summer takes on a new definition: Work.

While some might say we should be grateful that we still have a summer vacation, it’s hard to see that perspective when you are stuck behind a desk on a beautiful summer day.

Having a “real” job this summer made me realize fast that the “real world” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and that these really might be the best days of our lives.

Cheesy, huh? But it just may be the truth. Working eight, nine, sometimes 10 hours a day seemed like a great idea when the summer began. Just think about all the money a person can make working that much!

But then reality set in. Getting up every morning to go to work isn’t nearly as much fun as staying out late with friends. Or if like in my case, you worked the night shift, you begin to forget what your friends look like altogether. Not to mention your family.

Work had its upsides of course. Who doesn’t like getting a nice big paycheck every couple of weeks? Even if most of that money goes straight to the bank, it still is nice to have a steady income without the strings that seem to come already attached to it at school.

And for a while it was fun to pretend that my newspaper internship was a real job, that I was a real grown-up and that someday soon I would be moving out of my parent’s house.

In some ways, all of those pretend things were true: my job was like a real job, except I left after three months, I did feel more adult going to work everyday and I moved out from Mom and Dad’s a week ago.

The difference is, I came back to school. And, boy, am I glad I had that opportunity.

A summer in the real world helped me realize what a great place this is. No matter how much we may all whine and complain about the lack of things to do and places to go, there’s no place like school to help you realize how easy our lives still are. I don’t have to worry about half the things my parents do. Life, with all its uncertainties, is never boring when I’m at Eastern. I am surrounded by friends, classes and lots of interesting people.

Every spring, I can’t wait to leave. But at the end of the summer, I sure am glad to come back.

Have a great semester, and have fun.