2L Summer Employment Question Forum

[hanabana]

Hi everyone, I have a difficult decision to make regarding 2L summer employment and would appreciate any comments/suggestions.
I currently work in a solo practitioner office who has hired associates before but currently has no associates. I started work there during my 1L summer. It's a general practice firm, however most of our practice is on matrimonial and construction law. I was offered to stay with the firm for 2L summer, but I am not sure if it's a good idea to stay or if I should try to find another job.
Some information: This current job is paid, $15/hour. I get to draft litigation documents, review & revise contracts/agreements, do legal research, and sometimes observe court appearances. My boss has indicated that when I pass the bar, there is a possibility of hiring me as an associate, but nothing is set in stone obviously...
I am not sure if I should leave this job and seek something else. I am getting difference advice from classmates, many say that I should do something else so that I can expand my resume. However, while looking through other possibilities, I find that a lot of other opportunities are those in small firms as well, and I don't really want to leave my current job for something that provides the exact same learning/working environment. As for my resume, I got into a clinic at school for next semester, so I will have something new to put in then. So should I be concerned about my resume when deciding on my 2L summer job?
So far, I do not have a specific area of law that I'd like to practice in. I have been taking classes in different kinds of areas and find most of them interesting, therefore I don't have a strong preference about what kind of firm to practice in. But I am wondering if keeping my current job for 2L summer will limit my future opportunities, especially after I graduate. Has anyone here worked at the same place throughout law school? And if so, was that a good decision?
Any suggestions or comments are welcome, thank you!

[BeenDidThat]

I think you should definitely see what's out there and fish a bit. If one of these other small firms says they want to hire someone to take on full-time after graduation, that could be a step up from this state of limbo you're in. But if you do stay, I think that, other than the networking aspect, it doesn't hurt you; if anything it may actually help show that you aren't a job-hopper.

[Geist13]

So the solo has hired associates in the past, but currently does not have any? That sounds unstable to me. There's nothing stopping you from shopping around right now; you don't have to decide until you actually receive a second offer for the summer. The decision should be made based on actual offers in hand, and which is better for your career. It shouldn't be based on this current job vs. some hypothetical abstract position of which you don't know any details. However, if you're serious about this, you should have started thinking about it many months ago. There aren't going to be that many options left at this point, particularly options that would last beyond the one summer.