I've been out of school for a few years. Since I graduated, I've learned all sorts of things I wish I knew while I was in school. I want to give you a set of guidelines for summer jobs, so you get paid what you're worth (and not worked to the bone for some unappreciative jerk of a boss.)

1. Do not settle for anything less than $15-$30 an hour. Paid by the hour.

Frankly, I'm disgusted with the low-wages some college students are willing to work for in the summer. When I met my girlfriend, she was folding clothes for Jasmine Sola for $8.50 an hour! And she didn't even have an option for commission (although I strongly caution against taking commission-based summer jobs anyway...)

In fact, while we're on the subject - I know plenty of college students who take some sales position during the summer. Their boss promises that they'll make a ton of money at the job. And the kid goes home, bragging to his friends how he'll be an overnight millionaire because his boss said so. Then, at the end of the summer, the savvy college student takes his total earnings and divides it by the hours he worked... only to find that he was earning a pitiful $13 an hour!!! (Your reading the voice of experience here.)

And don't even get me started on restaurant jobs - there's a reason why most waitresses smoke a pack of cigarettes a day! Not that they can afford the habit, but....

Bottom Line: Don't work for commission. Don't work for tips. Don't do sales. Period. Yes, everyone knows some guy or some girl who made a killing one summer. But those people are probably 1% of the people who work those jobs. The vast majority of people end up bitter, stressed and broke before we quit those jobs.

The only exception I would make is if your summer job is directly building your entry to the career path you want to enter. Then, and only then, would I advise working something that pays less than $15-$30 an hour.

2. Surf craigslist.com. Daily.

Craigslist is your best friend - it is far superior to Monster.com, CareerBuilder and all the others for finding easy, high paying part time jobs. Search it far and wide and you'll be pleasantly surprised with what's out there in your city.

3. Trust your instincts, Luke.

If you go into a job and you get a bad vibe, walk away. WALK AWAY. It seems like common sense, but I've met enough people who don't. So keep this in mind...

Click Here for More Tips On How to Get the Highest Paying, Easiest Summer Jobs

Erick Broderick is the author of Scraping By. The book can be found at http://www.scrapingbysmart.com

http://www.ScrapingBySmart.com. Erick's goal is to give people choice and power over how much money they make without risk.

In his book, Erick cautions against taking jobs that pay by commission, sales or tips, since they result in making your weekly paycheck a gamble. Contrary to most internet marketers, Erick shows people how they can get easy, high paying part time jobs that pay by the hour. This gives people a chance to have choice over when and how they work, without stress or worry about money or being over-worked.

Erick also shows a variety of ways to save money on everything from cheap groceries to cheap electronics. Erick has said, "If I can teach you to save $5 a day, you're saving an extra $1825 every year."

It is Erick's goal to truly help his customers. He readily encourages his customers to participate in his forum, e-mail questions and comment on his blogs.