Take this job and love it.We asked you to share your worst summer job stories, and boy did you deliver. You recounted truly horrendous tasks, but also showed those dog days proved to be a valuable training ground for a sunny life and career.

Here, our top five summer job memories and lessons shared by McCombs TODAY readers.

1. Suddenly finance class doesn't sound so tough.

I cleaned out and rehabbed a mothballed grain elevator. Old sour wet grain had to be removed from inside the silos in triple digit heat and the tunnels under the silos had to be patched and cleaned while battling territorial giant rats. I smelled so bad at the end of the day that I had to ride home with the windows down on my old car or the smell would overcome me.

This job reinforced the importance of education and the options provided by education. Manual labor does not bother me, but I knew an education would allow me to have options in life as to employment opportunities. Education qualified me for more than just manual labor options.

2. One man's trash.

I worked as an engineering intern at a satellite office of an oil company. The CEO was coming to visit and had no one to clean up the myriad cigarette butts at the front door. In that case, they decided it was a job for the intern.

I actually think I gained the respect of some people that day. I think you have to have the attitude that no job is too small or beneath you. You're a team, everyone has to pull their weight.

3. Always be prepared.

In the summer prior to the one I spent pushing patients around and mopping blood up off operating room floors, I repaired tennis courts in the 95 degree heat of South Florida. What did I learn....always keep a pair of knee pads handy : )

4. Know your strengths.

I waited tables in college at Applebee’s. In many ways, I can’t imagine a worse job fit for me, which made the experience all the more valuable. I learned how to come out of my shell, keep cool in a crisis and multitask like no other.

5. Sometimes even vacation isn't vacation.

I spent the summer working to get the school ready for the next year. Lesson: Remember and be grateful for all the hard work which happens behind-the-scenes to make everything look great and work. Bonus lesson: Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty!