Gen Z and Millennials aren’t just filling their free time with vacations and road trips this summer—some are taking on a second or even third job during the warmer months.

Faced with inflation and inadequate wages, many Americans resort to side hustles and additional jobs to make ends meet.

Other young people in their twenties and thirties say they take on second jobs or seasonal jobs for fun, seeing it as a way to earn money doing something they enjoy or to top up their savings account with some extra spending money.

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Anna Laquintano spent 12 summers selling frozen custard and Italian ice at Rita’s in Rockledge, Pennsylvania.

Laquintano, 28, started working there at the age of 16 alongside her older sister to pass the time when she wasn’t at school.

Now she works full-time as a marketing coordinator at American Heritage Federal Credit Union in Philadelphia—but from June to September she’s also at Rita’s three nights a week, running the store from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

“I love that the job provides an additional source of income, but it’s more than that,” Laquintano tells CNBC Make It. “Rita’s has been a part of me for so long that I could never imagine giving it up… it’s more than a job, it’s where I grew up.”

She adds that some of her fondest memories are from her time at the store, even on nights when the line stretched around the corner for hours.

“I’ve met some of my best friends here, and it’s also given my siblings and I another opportunity to spend more time together,” says Laquintano, who works at Rita’s with her younger brother, Andrew, who is home from college for the summer.

Some weeks are harder than others, but Laquintano says she avoids burnout by keeping her weekends completely work-free — and isn’t afraid to tell her bosses at Rita when she needs a break.

“Some weeks I’m exhausted and might only work one shift, other weeks I want to do four, but I try not to overexert myself,” she says. “Lots of caffeine helps with that.” Rita’s, where she works, is open from February to October, so she also works shifts in the fall and spring.

Shift managers at Rita’s make an average of $19 an hour, according to Glassdoor. Laquintano says she’s using her extra income to move out of her parents’ house and hopefully buy a home in the next year.

In recent summers, Pat Fullerton became a regular at Bird & Betty’s, a popular waterfront bar and restaurant in Beach Haven, New Jersey. He spent so much time and money there that he thought, “Why not get paid to be there?”

This is his second summer working as a waiter at Bird & Betty’s, a part-time job he does in addition to his full-time job as an account manager at a software development company.

As a child, he spent most summers on Long Beach Island, an 18-mile strip of land off the coast of New Jersey where Beach Haven is located. Fullerton says Bird & Betty’s has always been one of his favorite places on the island to eat dinner or go dancing.

Between June and September, the 29-year-old spends 40 hours a week on his sales job, after which he works in the restaurant three evenings a week from 5 p.m. to midnight.

Although Fullerton lives in Hoboken, New Jersey, about a two-hour drive from the restaurant, his sales job is 100% remote, so he lives and works at his aunt’s beach house on the island half the week — usually Thursday through Sunday.

“It’s such a great job and has quickly become something I look forward to after work and on weekends,” says Fullerton. “Everyone is happier at the beach, it’s such a relaxed atmosphere. I get to watch the sunset over the water from the roof of the restaurant and it gets me in extra steps.”

As a remote worker, Fullerton says working at Bird & Betty’s also gives him a much-needed social outlet. “There are days when I can’t see anyone in person, but on the evenings I’m at the restaurant, I get to see the friends I work with and chat with the customers. Oddly enough, working longer hours has helped me feel happier and more relaxed.”

He expects to have earned between $6,000 and $8,000 by the end of the summer, depending on tips and extra shifts he takes on. Fullerton says the money will go directly toward the wedding he and his fiancée are planning.

Krystal Alvarado has the summer off, but for the past six weeks she has been working deep in the woods of Central Texas.

She says it was the highlight of her summer.

Alvarado, 25, is a family services coordinator for the Hidalgo County Head Start Program and works with low-income students in school districts across South Texas.

But between June and August, when schools are closed, she works as a counselor at Kickapoo Kamp for Girls in Kerrville, Texas. She is paid nearly $1,500 for this six-week assignment.

Five years ago, Alvarado spent her first summer as a counselor at Kickapoo, when she was still a student and had more free time between semesters. Alvarado says this is the first summer since 2019 that her schedule allowed her to return to her beloved overnight camp.

“It was so random, I saw an advert for it on Facebook and applied because I love working with children,” she recalls. “But the camp is a magical place, I’ve been making plans to come back ever since.”

She works with girls ages seven to 15. Together they take archery and swimming lessons, host dance parties, make s’mores around the campfire and take other outdoor outings.

“I love my job, but it can affect my mental health because the families I work with are going through so much and I can only help them so much,” Alvarado says. “Working at Kickapoo, I feel like I can make a positive impact on these young girls’ lives and help them create beautiful memories. It’s a nice balance.”

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