What You Can Do This Summer to Maximise Your Impact

Written June 17 2025

Est. 5-10 minute read

If you’re a student, Summer can be a unique gift!

It’s one of the only times in your year when you can step away from deadlines, revision timetables, and lectures. Although you may have to work to finance yourself throughout your studies, the few short weeks can still offer some extra free time.

Whilst it may be tempting to ‘bedrot’ or ‘doomscroll’ the months of sunshine away, just as with any other life transitions or changes, we can approach our Summer by asking:

“Lord, how can I use this season well?”

At Christians for Impact, we believe that your Summer has the potential to be more than just a break. We can use the Summer to also reflect, engage in community, learn and consider how our God-given gifts might serve others more effectively.

We recommend approaching this time purposefully and intentionally, just as Paul encourages us to in Ephesians 5:15–16:

"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."

Ultimately, as Christians, we are to be thoughtful and intentional stewards of our time and seek to use it wisely for God's purposes. Here’s some inspiration for how to do that below.

1. Find the Right Rhythm

“My thesis is simple: Transformation is possible if we are willing to arrange our lives around the practices, rhythms, and truths that Jesus himself did, which will open our lives to God’s power to change.”

— John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way

We’ve seen that students make the most of their break when they:

  • Build in some structure (even if it’s simple, like daily morning prayer or weekly catch-ups with friends)

  • Allow time for rest. Remember, rest is not wasted time. We must recognise our limits as humans under a God that so genuinely wants to restore us if we would let him. 

  • Set small, achievable goals. For instance, aiming to read 5 books over the Summer, but setting yourself a flexible deadline. 

2. Explore Programmes to Build Your Career Capital

Career capital refers to the abilities and resources you accumulate—whether skills, credentials, connections, or savings—that allow you to do more with your career in the future. You can check out more on this key concept here.

Online courses can be a powerful way to grow your career capital. Whether you're exploring a niche for the first time, or specialising in your subject, short-term programmes can offer a sense of structure to learning,and practical next steps also. 

If you’re feeling motivated, here are some impactful courses that you can enrol in from home:

  • Impact Accelerator Programme: 6 weeks to help you draw up an impact-driven career path. Register your interest here.

  • Hi-Med Career Planning Course: 5 week virtual programme designed for medical students and doctors to explore high-impact career paths. Stay in the loop here.

  • EA Introductory Course: 8 week online course where you’ll meet like-minded people and explore ways to have more impact with your careers and donations. Register here.

  • Self-paced AI Courses with guided discussions (2 hour-12 week courses): AI Alignment, AI Governance, Economics of Transformative AI & AI Safety Operations.

  • IBM SkillsBuild: AI, cybersecurity and data analysis courses.

3. Ground Yourself in Christ-Centred Formation

At Christians For Impact, we believe that Kingdom impact begins with our identity in Christ. By cultivating Christ-like character and values through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we lay the foundation for meaningful impact. We touch more on this in our career guide here. 

Romans 12:2 calls us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, and Summer is the perfect time to build upon spiritual practices that shape Christ-like character. You can read books outside of your degree!

Here are some we love:

These books are rooted in Christ and speak to building habits of stillness and simplicity, even in a busy world. We believe that these are key foundations for anybody seeking to have a Kingdom impact in their careers.

Perhaps you could arrange a book club with your friends, or at Church?

4. Explore Different Approaches to Loving Your Global Neighbour

We think that engaging with Effective Altruism (EA) enables believers to live out the command to love their neighbors.

These books ask EA’s fundamental question—not just how to do good, but how to do the most good. They explore how we can use reason, evidence, and compassion to make a meaningful difference with our time, money, and careers. If you're curious about how to steward your resources wisely and tackle the world’s most pressing problems, these are a great place to explore deeply. 

We recommend:

Don’t agree with everything? That’s okay. One of our projects is the Christian effective altruism movement; we welcome you to engage with our website and content here. 

5. Get Career-Ready

If you’re asking questions like “How does God want me to use my career?” or “Where should I focus my studies?”, we have articles just for you:

Career & Subject-Specific:

Read more like this here.

General Career Advice:

Read more like this here.

Faith & Career Discernment:

For Christians asking what God might be calling them to:

CFI Longreads: Find Your Problem Area

Explore the world’s most pressing needs and find out where YOU can have an outsized impact in your career:

The Best Christian Jobs Guide

Our thorough investigation into, and comparison of 17+ high-impact roles such as medicine, non-profit entrepreneurship and teaching.

6. Listen and Learn

Some of the best inspiration comes from stories. This summer, tune into our top 4 podcast episodes:

ER doctor shares why he started 500k, an organisation which supports 800 church planters in rural India. A must-listen for anyone curious about what really works in global missions.

Economist and When Helping Hurts author shares why good intentions aren’t enough, and how Christians can truly help the poor without causing harm. A great episode for anyone serious about fighting poverty effectively.

Development economist discusses the PEPFAR freeze, what really works in foreign aid, and how Christians can navigate radical generosity without burning out. 

Doctor shares how his faith led him to start 40+ rural health centers in Uganda, and what it means to serve in “healthcare black holes.” A powerful look at cost-effective impact, radical generosity, and living out your calling.

You can find more episodes here - we upload bimonthly!

7. Stay Connected and Grow in Community

Don’t do it alone! Hebrews 10:24–25 tells us about the importance of encouraging one another. Stay plugged into our community that’s serious about impact! 

  • We run retreats 2x a year in the UK and US. Keep an eye out for registration for Summer and Fall by signing up for our newsletter.

  • Workshops and Conferences. Join our Christians for Impact Workshops and Conferences to connect with other students who are serious about living out their faith and making a real difference in the world. Keep in the loop by signing up to our newsletter here. 

  • Subscribe on YouTube and Spotify for our bimonthly podcast releases.

  • Apply for 1-on-1 advising with a Christian career expert— we’d love to talk with you about your next steps.

Summing Up

Summer doesn’t just have to be a season to rush through, or let pass by. It can be a chance to slow down a bit, seek God’s voice, and live more intentionally.

Whether you're reading, resting, learning, or serving, let this summer be a time to set you up well for your future career path.

We're cheering you on!

Want help planning your Summer or your longer-term career plan? Sign up for our free one-on-one impact mentorship here.

To read more about it click here.

Do you have any career uncertainties? Click here to read our article on three big career uncertainties you can trust God with.