After working at Holiday Harbor marina on Lake Shasta in California, I've become more versed several areas: customer service, boats, and dock etiquette. While these are useful tools for "the real world" I think I extracted something more valuable from my past two summers of employment.
1) I observed drunk people stumbling their way down the dock; chuckling to myself as they tripped over the same nail as the person before them.
2) I helped foreigners navigate their way through the lake, which was difficult when they didn't speak English.
3) I began to predict what people were going to rent before they asked about boat availability. These predictions, though somewhat stereotypical, came about after careful observation of races and their particular renting trends. I think being observant enough to predict what a group of people are going to rent is a skill that can be useful in the advertising world.
[[For example, most Saudi Arabians walked down the dock with their entire family, ranging from the babies to the grandfathers with the canes, and I knew they would try to rent a fishing boat. Most came from the bay area, most didn't know how to swim, and most wanted the boat for a total of 30 minutes. (We have a two hour minimum.) Most, upon requesting a fishing boat, would try to barter with me on the price.]]
I like observing people and trends. Watching mannerisms and becoming accustomed to people's patterns makes me more observant of myself.
No comments:
Post a Comment