![\"Ned](\"http:\/\/lucynolanbooks.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Ned-250x300.jpg\")
At least her \u201cspecial friend\u201d Ned Nickerson is gainfully employed during the summer. Sometimes he\u2019s a camp counselor. Sometimes he\u2019s an insurance salesman. Should he pursue one these jobs as a career after graduation? <\/p>\nWith Labor Day comes the unofficial end of summer. It\u2019s time for kids to give up their summer jobs and go back to school. Well, except for Nancy Drew. She doesn\u2019t have a summer job to give up. Or a school to go back to, for that matter.<\/p>\n
At least her \u201cspecial friend\u201d Ned Nickerson is gainfully employed during the summer. Sometimes he\u2019s a camp counselor. Sometimes he\u2019s an insurance salesman. Should he pursue one these jobs as a career after graduation? <\/p>\n
Let\u2019s see how they compare.<\/p>\n
Proximity<\/strong> As she shouted and waved the driver braked and the car came to a halt. At the steering wheel was Ned Nickerson, a friend of Nancy’s, who was staying nearby to sell insurance to parents of two college friends. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n So how mobile is a camp counselor? Camps don\u2019t exactly move around, so you can\u2019t expect Ned to always be near Nancy\u2019s mysteries. Or can you? In Password to Larkspur Lane<\/em>, Helen Corning Archer asks Nancy to solve a mystery at her grandparents home on Sylvan Lake.<\/p>\n When Bess heard about the invitation to the Cornings\u2019, she gave a whoop of delight. \u201cGuess what?\u201d she said. \u201cI just finished talking to Dave. He and Burt are going to that very lake as camp counselors. It happened suddenly when three old counselors dropped out. You\u2019ll probably hear from Ned soon.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n OK, let\u2019s call that a tie.<\/p>\n Wardrobe<\/strong> All wore dark blue Bermuda shorts with white shirts bearing the name Camp Hiawatha. \u201cHere we are!\u201d husky, blond Burt Eddleton exclaimed with a grin. \u201cThe world\u2019s greatest camp counselors!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n See, not only are the uniforms sharp, but they make the boys feel like a million bucks. <\/p>\n Time Off<\/strong> In The Clue of the Dancing Puppet<\/em>, Ned and the boys take time off to see Nancy in a play. They fly in from camp. For just a couple of hours. Then fly back to camp. Yep.<\/p>\n So what about selling insurance? How flexible is that job? In The Double Jinx Mystery<\/em>, Nancy asks Ned to spend a few days helping her sleuth.<\/p>\n \u201cGreat. I\u2019m tired of cooking my own meals. I\u2019ll come right away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re sure it won\u2019t interfere with your making an insurance sale?\u201d Nancy questioned.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d he assured her. \u201cI\u2019ve sold enough so far to entitle me to a little vacation.\u201d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Uh-oh. That slacker attitude has me a little worried. Especially since it also shows that Ned might not fully grasp the importance of office politics in advancing a career. In The Crooked Banister<\/em>, Ned, Burt and Dave (who apparently are now all<\/em> selling insurance) blow off an office function, saying \u201cWe\u2019d rather spend it with you girls than go on the company\u2019s picnic.\u201d<\/p>\n When Nancy arrived home she found Ned there, lying on a porch chaise. \u201cLife at summer camp when I was a counselor was never like this insurance work,\u201d he said, getting up. He explained that he had been trying to sell a policy to a couple in River Heights. \u201cThey were hard to get, but I sold \u2018em!\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n So that\u2019s a plus. Ned does indeed earn money selling insurance. <\/p>\n But then again, he immediately spends it all. Going to Turkey with Nancy. On two days\u2019 notice. Because a message in a Turkish rug told them to.
\nObviously Ned needs to be nearby to help Nancy solve mysteries. And selling life insurance does indeed make him very mobile. In The Mystery of the Tolling Bell<\/em>, Nancy is staying in Candleton many hours away from River Heights. She wakes up in a roadside ditch, in a semi-conscious state, and walks off to find a phone. Presently a car comes speeding down the road. <\/p>\n
\nI\u2019m just going to go ahead and give this one to being a camp counselor. In Password to Larkspur Lane<\/em>, Ned and his chums waste no time rowing across the lake to see the girls.<\/p>\n
\nIf Ned\u2019s going to help Nancy solve mysteries, he needs a lot of time off. In general, camp counselors need to stay on-premises. But, then again, Ned sure does leave a lot. <\/p>\n
\nEarning Potential<\/strong>
\nWhatever career path Ned chooses, he\u2019s going to need a large enough salary to support Nancy\u2019s tearoom habit. I honestly don\u2019t know how much camp counselors make, but selling insurance \u2014 even as a part-time summer job \u2014 seems to be rather lucrative. In The Mysterious Mannequin<\/em>, Ned spends the whole book working very hard and makes a sale!<\/p>\n
\n
\nNancy\u2019s Interest<\/strong>
\nSo maybe it all boils down to this. Which job does Nancy show the most interest in? <\/p>\n