First week at a new job!
While this is my third post-college job to add to a resume full of part time jobs before, during and after college, there are still some unsettled feelings associated with a brand new job in a brand new role. I thought I’d use my project this week to look for a little inspiration and happened upon this book.
My first real paying job was as a swim instructor, starting the summer before my freshman year of college and extending for two summers after that. My qualifications were that I could stand in four feet of water, I knew the basics of swimming and I owned a one piece bathing suit (or was at least willing to buy one). I ended up with the job because I went to watch my little sister at her lesson and I’m about 90% certain my mom asked the woman at the front desk if they were hiring, which was definitely met with resistance from my end.
What could have been the most annoying job in the world turned into a wonderful few summers. Granted, there are plenty of issues with putting pretty unqualified and largely uninterested teenagers into a pool with a bunch of kids and zero lifeguard training, but I took a lot of pride in seeing the kids advance. I was fortunate to work with many students with special needs and learned a lot about patience. I learned that three minutes of mopping is worse than seven minutes of window cleaning, but that if you play your cards right, together they can equal a half hour of pay. I learned that I liked it as a summer job but that I never wanted to be full time there, even with the best coworkers I could have asked for.
Eventually, swim lessons would give way to park ranging which would in turn give way to a total loss of summer jobs. Above most else, the essay format of this book lends itself to frequent reminders that sometimes big things come out of seemingly little ones. Some names at the end of the stories were recognizable while others were not, but all seemed to have taken some lesson from that first job with them into whatever successes they enjoyed later on in life. A former ice cream scooper has a whole ice cream enterprise now- it’s incredible to see that path.
Beyond that, the book shows that most things are fairly surmountable- be the circumstances personal, professional or otherwise. It’s a quick read and has more than these few good lessons.
You’ll like this if: you’re looking for some professional perspective and advice.
Happy reading!
carlyreads 