— Continued from Amanda’s One Week Job Summary – Part 1 of 3 —–
Week 5 – Event Planning: Vancouver, BC
Whoa boy! Week 5 took me by storm. After a week of my yogic stretching and breathing, Event Planning caught me a bit off-guard.
The Team getting ready for the event!
Gut Reaction: Always been interested in Event Planning, but didn’t really know what to expect. Kind of worried…
Lessons Learned: It’s a lot of work! Karen at Reframe Marketing helped me out as much as she could, but in the end, the success/failure of the event was up to me. It was confusing at first, as I didn’t really know what kind of an event I was going to do, and who I was going to do it for. I was given freedom, but had no idea what to do with that freedom!
I learned the importance of delegation and trusting in your team – all of whom showed up on time and rarin’ to go the day of our Pop-Up Event in Vancouver! I also learned to take responsibilities on one at a time. Easier said than done, but it does keep you from losing track of your original goal.
Job Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction: I need WAAAY more experience in this field! I was completely overwhelmed and panicked most of the time (although I hid this pretty well apparently) even though we created an insanely simple event. I’m a quick learner, but not as quick as I needed to be in this case.
Future Projections: This week tired me out – and made me rethink being an Event Planner in ‘real-life’. It’s a lot of stress, and I’m not sure I want to place myself in a high-stress environment at this point in my life.
Week 6 – Helicopter Pilot: Squamish, BC
Squamish is one of the most beautiful towns I have ever had the privilege of visiting. The mountains, the ocean, the sky – hiking, mountain biking, kite-surfing…wowzah.
Stu checkin' the props
Gut Reaction: Flying is awesome. Therefore, being a helicopter pilot must be one of the coolest jobs in the world! Hello Britannia Beach Heli Tours!
Lessons Learned: Patience is a virtue, right Stu?! With a few mechanical tune-ups and some 400 forest fires working to slow us down, a good chunk of Week 6 was spent waiting and crossing our fingers. Marketing was also a big focus during this week, as the company is still fairly small. A good sign, I suppose, is that I got a huge kick out of brainstorming new and groovy ways to improve the exposure of the business. Maybe there is hope for me to be involved in event planning/marketing after all…?
As for the flying part – it was amazing. This job, by far, has THE BEST COMMUTE out of any job I experienced. 1500 feet in the air. Over the mountains. Over the ocean. Whew. To be a pilot you have to be adaptable, and in the case of this business, know how to deal with the mechanics of the machine, understand weather patterns, have customer service skills, and some marketing know-how.
Job Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction: Waiting was hard. It’s all part of the tourism-industry game, but it was hard. I do admit though, that it was pretty exciting to see customers get ready for their first ever helicopter ride! They were happy, which made me happy. Especially when we hosted a summer camp of 3-4 year olds…cutest lil’ pilots ever.
Future Projections: Probably won’t be a pilot. But I would LOVE to work for a company like this – one just starting out, that I could help grow. Perhaps even work as a photographer from 1500 feet up?! GET ME TO ZEE CHOPPER!
Top o' the Chief
*AUTHOR’S NOTE*
After Week 6, I’m going to completely honest with you: I got the point. I figured out what I like to call my ‘Moral-Of-The-Story,’ which is simply this: Don’t stay in a job you don’t like. Ground-breaking, hey? Yeah…I know.
By this point in the summer I was completely exhausted from traveling, changing lives every week, all the new, and all my internal discussion. I understood what had brought me to this point: my previous job hadn’t been fulfilling and I was curious about other careers. Why hadn’t I explored other options on my own already? Why was I so lazy? Why was I looking to impress others, when I really just needed to satisfy myself?
I spoke to a few friends about their take on the OWJ Project, and got some very honest answers. Most people were quick to shout out their praise and encouragement, but a few others were a bit more scrutinizing with their assessments. Who was actually reading my blog? Who actually cared what happened? No employer was ever going to pay me to ‘find myself’… True story.
I could have stopped the program right here and felt like I’d done enough. I’d read Sean’s book, and felt that the next couple weeks would just be more of the same. I would figure out the basic ideas and motions of whatever job I was doing, and then be done. Not enough time to dig in and actually get dirty. A part of me thinks that to truly benefit, one needs a solid two weeks or even up to a month in a job before you can even start to understand the depth of it. One week is enough to taste, and maybe smell – but nowhere near enough time to fully see or touch the real inner-workings of how a job can become a career.
But don’t caste me as being ungrateful in any sense, as that couldn’t be farther from the truth. It was life working itself out, and questioning it is part of the experience. I still had two weeks left, and they were going to be great…
Week 7 – Painter: Calgary, AB
Well-used brushes
Gut Reaction: I was looking forward to getting dirty, and making ART!
Lessons Learned: Dean Stanton teaches that art doesn’t have to be learned, individual, or high-brow. Art can be teamwork, collaboration, and silly. Art should be accessible!
Job Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction: I had a great time – painting, helping out with a kids camp, priming, tracing, etc. The trick with art is (taa-daa): marketing. I guess my Event Planning week is going to come in handy more than I realized…;)
Dean outlining his latest masterpiece
Future Projections: Painting isn’t really my strong point, but the lessons learned regarding the business side will come in handy if I get into any sort of small business myself. Photography lends itself to a similar model, and I could see myself doing something like this with that kind of art. As far as Dean’s artwork goes, this guy obviously loves what he does, and really enjoys making art accessible to a larger community. If memory serves, I think he mentioned that he was booked up until spring of 2011…awesome.
Week 8 – PR/Communications: Calgary, AB
Gut Reaction: That it would be great to see Cassandra from the TELUS World of Science, and learn what the heck to do with my Communications Degree!
In a year, this frame will house a Science Centre…
Lessons Learned: Internal Communication is just as important as External Communication. Brainstorming exercises are not only fun, but can help to build both professional and personal relationships. Everyone who works for a company, works on the same TEAM. Having an end goal helps productivity. If you don’t know what you’re working for, what are you doing? In the end I also realized that if you believe what you’re doing makes a difference, your job becomes that much more meaningful.
Job Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction: I saw so many parts of the Science Centre that I couldn’t help but be amazed. I felt very involved in the brainstorming sessions, was active as a Discovery Team Leader, and saw how insanely busy Cassandra was as she filled her role on the Communications team. Definitely satisfied.
Future Projections: Talking to Cassandra made me more aware of what a Communications career entails, and she gave me resources to further educate myself in the industry. I really enjoyed the social networking aspect, and the networking opportunities. It’s fun to be around other people and work together. With a little more education I could see myself in this role for sure.
*CLICK HERE for Part 3 of 3 – Amanda’s Realizations or: What am I going to do now?!*