My first job was during my senior year in high school. I was enrolled in a business certificate program and wanted to be a secretary someday, so my teacher recommended me for a part-time job in the school’s Attendance Department. It was just a couple hours after school and I would be working for the Dean of Attendance and her three secretaries. I filed away attendance cards, paperwork, and answered phone calls. I suppose I was the right kid for the job because I was sort of a goody two-shoes and never even ditched school! It was a fairly easy job, I loved getting paid and it felt important to have the trust of the Dean of Attendance. I also loved the fun talks and friendships I developed with the secretaries. But by the end of that year, I realized something, and that was that I didn’t want to be a secretary anymore. My love for typing and helping people made me think that was what I wanted to be, but I realized there is a lot of organizing and repetitive actions that I just didn't find that enjoyable.
During the next few years while attending college, I tried my hand at sales, retail, and even bank telling. Although I was able to do all the jobs well enough, nothing seemed to fit quite right until I got a job as a teacher’s aide in a first grade classroom. Working with teachers to help teach kids was fun and rewarding. I enjoyed being creative and interacting with the kids. Soon after, I also spent a year aiding in the elementary school science lab. I helped the teacher with setting up and cleaning up and took care of all the animals which included a fish, a hamster, a guinea pig, a lizard, a snake, a mouse, and a rat! This was a great experience because later when I became a 5th grade teacher I knew exactly what animal would make the best classroom pet. Surprisingly it was the rat! I remember the kids voted to name him Templeton after the rat in Charlotte’s Web and he was the sweetest and smartest little guy! The kids loved when he would jump up and run around the perimeter of his cage but never ran away. In fact, he would actually come if you called his name! Who knew? I guess I knew because of my part-time job in the lab!
I went into explanation about all this because this self awareness and experience was only attainable to me by having a part time job while going to school. Having the experience of a real world education while getting my education was priceless! It not only confirmed to me what I liked but almost more importantly what I did not like. I felt proud of all the jobs I held and gained great knowledge and insight about myself. For instance I am not a numbers person, so I didn't necessarily enjoy banking but I proved to myself that if I just applied myself, I could do great at any job. When my manager hired me he said I was the first person to pass the math test with one hundred percent accuracy! These types of experiences built up my self esteem and empowered me to take on new challenges even ones I didn't think I could do!
Working part time also helped me manage my time and my money. I was even able to save up enough money so that I could backpack through Europe with my girlfriends after I graduated. There is something so gratifying when you are able to achieve something like that on your own, without asking your parents! So yes, making money is a great reason to get a part-time job but as you see, there is so much more!
With rewarding jobs like lifeguard, swim instructors and swim coaches available at Premier Aquatics, now is the perfect time to apply! Learning how to save lives or teach swimming while making money is a great opportunity to see if this is something you’d like to do as a future career. Emergency and CPR training are also part of the job and can be so useful to have in any career as well as for life in general. Also many employees are using their work experience as a springboard into the medical, teaching or even firefighting job fields! But whether you stay in this type of career or move onto another one, there is so much to be gained at Premier! So if you want to expand your knowledge and experience, gain life saving skills , learn more about yourself and build up your self-esteem, all while having a great time with our awesome staff, come check out our next job fair on Saturday, February 26th from 12:00p.m.- 2:00p.m. at the Aliso Viejo Aquatic Center. We’d love to have you join our team!