In the fall, Ben King, a freshman undecided major and quarterback on Eastern’s football team, mops the floor with the opposition.

But in the summer, he mops the floors at his school- literally.

“I’m not really excited because I have to start at 6 a.m.,” said King, whose father works for the school district. “Still, (the job) pays money, and I’m broke right now.”

With the end of the semester only three weeks away, students’ responsibilities will switch from homework to work (or from gridiron to floor tile).

Like the classroom, some students are prepared and others are not.

Some can cruise through the summer (or class) and be fine, while others must diligently work.

Tamiya Mathis, a junior fashion merchandising major, is one of those people who must work during the summer to make ends meet.

“I wouldn’t eat; I guess I wouldn’t survive,” Mathis, an employee at CCAR Industry located on Lincoln Avenue, said. “I’d have no way to pay for college (if I didn’t work).”

Most students had no problem finding a job, as they returned to jobs from the previous summer.

Dan Lynch, a junior history major, will return to his job as a construction worker through the Chicago Labor Union No. 6. Although he admitted to not being excited for his job, he said, “It’s a good job … I like school better than work.”

Another student, Kristy Quick, a junior elementary education major, will return to her job at Citgo Gas Land in Pesotum. Beth Moran, a junior English major, will return to a day camp dealing with special education students.

“It’s a fun job, an interesting one,” she said. “The kids are great and there are always different activities.”

Not everyone has such a stable future.

Heather Selvi, a freshman psychology major, said she doesn’t have a job yet, but will look the day she gets back from school. She said she saw no reason to turn in a job application two or three months in advance over spring break.

But the urgency will rise once finals week ends.

“I have to get a job,” she said, commenting on the future. “No matter what; if I have to work at McDonald’s, I’ll do it.

“I just got to have a job.”

Freshman undecided major Kayla Burke also will look for a job once school ends. Burke said she had worked at Mr. Z’s, a local grocery store, for the last couple years.

“I’m not excited, not necessarily to go back to Mr. Z’s, but to know that I have money in my pockets,” she said.

For students like Burke and Selvi, June, July and August will be used to catch up on the bank account. For Mieko Hayeashida, those months will be used to catch up on old times.

Hayeashia, a junior sports medicine/athletic training major and international student from Japan, said she might look for a part-time job, but was ready for the semester to end.

“I haven’t seen my friends for one year,” she said. “(Charleston) is OK to study, but there’s nothing to do, no shopping.”