I was eager to get to work when I was younger. Something about making my own money and the independence that came along with it drove me to want to get a job when I was finally legal to work.

But not all summer jobs are created equal and some have perks that are hard to pass up.

It was the summer of 2001. I had a family member working at Dorothy Cox's Chocolates. They were looking for help in the actual factory in the back of the store, cleaning and packaging. This was actually the "sweet" gig. It had the perk of plenty of yummy treats.

As you probably know, it's a family-owned business so it was tough to know who was the actual boss, but they were fair and fun to work for. That was a great summer. At the time, the minimum wage was five bucks and change so taking home a hundred dollar check was a pretty big deal.

Once school started up again I had to quit but was already looking for where I could work next, especially since the next summer I could get a job wherever since I would have my driver's license.

I got another tasty job working at the Friendly's in Fairhaven. What started as just scooping ice cream led to waiting tables. I remember being the only waiter on and running around like crazy but leaving the restaurant with over $400 on a Friday night. I spent it within a few days, as one would at 16 years old. That job was the most fun. When you have a team helping you and you're running around staying busy and meeting people, it can make it seem a lot less like actual work.

Then came my senior year of high school. I kept my job at Friendly's but also got my internship at Fun 107, which by the summer after my senior year ended becoming a part-time job in the promotions department. As you can imagine, this was the best job. Clearly I liked it as it's almost 20 years later and I'm still working in the same field.

Once I was in college the retail jobs came in. Retail had to be the toughest. Long hours, holidays, low pay, and a crummy discount.

I'm glad I got all that experience under my belt. It helped me decided what I really wanted to do for a career.

What is the worst summer job you had? What is one that you wish you had?

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