7 Signs You've Been a Camp Counselor

Being a camp counselor is a job like no other. There are few other jobs that give you so much responsibility so quickly in such a fun, immersive community. Everyone leaves camp each summer with stories they can tell for days, and it can be hard to explain these experiences to your friends from home or school. Here are some clear signs that you’ve been a summer camp counselor, and some reasons why camp people are the best people!

1.You Spontaneously Break Into Song “Galileo! Galileo!” Oh, sorry, I was singing while I was writing this. I was just remembering that one time at camp when it was raining and then someone turned on the music in the dining hall and the whole camp started singing Bohemian Rhapsody. It was epic. Sorry, guess you had to be there. But you’ve “been there”, because something like that probably happened at your camp too! And now you’re not afraid to spontaneously break into song like you’re back at camp.

2.You’re Comfortable In New Situations You arrive at a housewarming party. A group of people you’ve never met are playing a game that looks fun! You want to join. Do you…

• A) Run and hide in the corner
• B) Awkwardly watch from afar hoping someone will notice and ask you to play
• C) Feign disinterest but secretly wish you had the nerve to ask to join
• D) Walk up to the group, ask what the game is, and if there is room for one more person

Camp staff are consistently placed in new situations, meeting new people, and trying new things. So when you see something that peaks our interest, you’re generally comfortable joining in!

3.Choreography Both Is And Isn’t Your Specialty The amount of dancing at camp is (amazingly) absurd. And after a million camp talent shows, you’re an expert in impromptu choreography. That doesn’t mean it’s good choreography, but it does mean that you feel compelled to bust it out whenever you hear that song come on at a party.

4.Having A Roommate Doesn’t Phase You If you’ve never had a roommate before, living with someone for the first time can be a difficult transition. But not for you…you’re used to having 12 roommates at camp! In fact, having only 1 roommate seems like a breeze. See, being a camp counselor does prepare you for real world situations! And you’re also a pro at making an amazing chore chart!

5.You’re Always Asked To Lead Group Games When you’ve been a camp counselor, you’ve played a million icebreakers. In fact, you now consider them the most important part of any meeting (and you’re right they are). So when it slips out that you’ve worked at a summer camp, your friends or colleagues casually ask, “Hey do you have a quick game we could play at the beginning of this?” And you reply, “Just one?”

6.You Have Friends From Around The World The Dr. Seuss book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” could have been written about a counselor dreaming of visiting all their friends from camp. And when your friend from home says, “Wouldn’t it be cool to travel to…”, you reply, “Yeah! And I know someone who can host us too!”

7.You’re Resilient When Things Don’t Go According To Plan Camp counselors are professionals at spotting opportunities when the routine plans go awry. That’s because we have so much practice and experience from camp. So when the weather doesn’t cooperate, or someone is sick, or we’re missing equipment, or someone forgot all the snacks, we know how to keep our cool and move forward with a smile.

You’re A Hugger You give your friends a big hug when you reunite at the beginning of camp. You hug them after returning from a day off. You hug them after the first campfire. Last campfire. Because it’s Tuesday. When you win color war. On the last night of camp. You give them a long hug goodbye when you leave camp, and for this reason leaving camp takes like 8 hours. There’s a lot of hugging at camp. And when you return home you find it weird that people don’t hug more!