It’s the end of the semester, and the beginning of the next comes soon. I work for a major university, and supervise about 20 or so student employees. Since it’s the end of the semester, that means it’s turnover time. Many will stay, term to term, but there are always those that leave. Some graduate, some drop out, some just go to another job for whatever reason. I don’t like to get too involved with them, for both ethics-related CYA reasons, and because I know they’ll be gone before too long (unless they’re crazy like me – I was in my student job for four years straight: early morning custodial); most don’t last more than two terms.

But summer semester is different. Because it’s summer, students don’t take full class loads; thus, they’re able to work a full 40-hour week, if they want. Most don’t work that much, but they do tend to work more hours than during the school year. I tend to get a lot more time with many of them, so we get more a a rapport going. Also, there tends to be fewer workers per shift, so more interaction happens.

Even so, the semester comes to an end. And then these guys leave. Sure, there will be more coming back, and some stay. But over time you get to know folks, even a little. And they always have to go. Some, of course, you can’t wait to see off, for reasons I’m sure you can think of. But others you don’t want to go.

And today, I have two leaving that are in my top five favorite workers, of all the students I’ve had under me. Most people, especially for obviously temporary jobs like this, are just running the clock, doing their jobs enough to not get in trouble. And that’s perfectly fine and understandable – I hire people so things get done, and as long as they get done without trouble I don’t care how anyone feels about it. But these two weren’t like that. You know how some people actually care about their job, genuinely wanting to improve both the job itself and their performance of it? The people that actually think about their work for more than the bare minimum necessary to get their tasks done? These two were like that. And that kind of person is hard to let go of. Even when you have to.

So yah, a bit of melancholy today. Happens three times a year, every year. Always sucks. Then I have to replace these folks. And I hate meeting new people, so this is really unfun for me. Oh, and all the hiring, training, etc. I have to do. Why can’t people structure their lives so it’s more convenient for me?

In other, more fun news, I don’t have to do surgery this month, so I can totally finish Blaugust off right.