Description
In June 2013, on a muggy day, I texted my friends a photo of a bright blue shirt with “STAFF” printed on the back. The bright blue shirt was the eponymous shift of counselors at Pioneer Trails Day Camp, the place where I spent my summers since 2003. Amidst responses of “congrats” from my friends a new thought crept in – “what do I actually do with a job?” I had witness almost every adult in my life work in some capacity yet had never stopped to consider what the day to day experience is.
The above scene was my introduction to holding a job at the age of 16. One never forgets their first job and mine was Equipment Manager at Pioneer Trails Day Camp.
Responsibilities
- Organize all materials and operational needs for a day camp of 500 children
- Coordinate with specialists to ensure activities were prepared for 15 age groups
- Repair equipment as necessary
- Interact daily with campers as a substitute counselor
- Partner with food safety staff at Caldwell University to coordinate lunch dispensing
- Created a cataloging system still in use today
Lessons Learned
- Make yourself useful
- Lists and routine will save your life
- Do exactly what you say you will do and what you are told to do