by Peter Stern

Created on: April 15, 2010   Last Updated: April 23, 2010

There are quite a few summer positions that may qualify as being the worst of summer jobs.

In hot weather the last sort of work you want to do is manual labor.  One of the worst jobs is digging ditches in the hot summer sun, sweating profusely all day long and trying to hydrate so that you don't get heat exhaustion.

Loading and unloading trucks is another tough job when the trucks can heat up to 180 degrees and you have to be inside all day long, dripping in sweat.

Another difficult job is tarring a roof or hanging shingles.  On a hot summer's day there is no protection from the sun and wind and you must stay very focused not to lose your footing or to dehydrate.

Working in an assembly line also is a terrible summer job, when after packing cartons all day long and stacking one on-top of the other in rows across and jamming all the boxes tightly up and down, you can't wait to drink a cold beer to forget about your day.

Installing satellite dishes also is a tough job to do in the summer.  The sun is beating down on you and it is boiling hot.  If that isn't bad enough, all the metal pieces get fiery hot and you can't touch them without burning yourself.  You can try to wear gloves, but you cannot easily fit the pieces together.

You may think that building and installing an outdoor above ground swimming pool may be a fun thing to do, but it is one of the worst jobs during the extreme heat of the summer.  You have to dig a deep hole and then make sure it is level before you set in the foundation.  It is tedious work and the metal hardware, nuts and bolts get very hot to the touch.  Building swimming pools every day during the summer is not that much fun.

Another jobs that is one of the worst of summer jobs is selling ice cream on the beach.  You are carrying a refrigerated box filled with ice cream and popsicles and after a while it feels like it weighs a ton.  After walking a few blocks, you have to put down the box and sit on it a while to rest.  The sun is beating down on you all the time.  Throughout the day you are walking on soft sand which has a lot of give and it's hard to walk through.  By the end of the day your skin is like leather from the sun and wind and you lost 10 to 15 lbs. of water from dehydrating.

So, my advice to all of you is NOT to accept any of the above jobs unless you want your summer to be extremely grueling.  These are some of the worst summer jobs you can take.  If you do want to work outside during the summer, be a lifeguard or work at a theme park.  Those jobs can be the most fun.

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