Originally published on September 19, 2016
I spent about two and a half months this summer working as a
ride operator at the local amusement park, Waldameer. This was the last job I
was thinking about getting, after applying to multiple retail locations since
April with no success and originally ignoring the possibility of Waldameer; I
knew I could easily get a job there but the commute was the most off-putting
feature. However, as my application and hiring process took all of a few hours,
I realized this was the best offer I was going to get this summer (and I still
haven’t heard back from any of my retail applications).
Looking back, the season went by quickly. The days all sort
of blurred together. One minute, I was dreading the day because it was a
Saturday and the line for Thunder River was as far as I could see from the
control panel’s chair. The next, it was Monday and three families are all that
is in Kiddieland for the first half hour. And then it was a Friday I had off
and got to eat dinner with my family, fueling up for another “extra-large”
Saturday.
I think the thing that surprised me most was how well I
managed to cope with dealing with people all day. I could still smile at 7:30
and make the same friendly chat as I did at 2:30. There were days a group of
kids ruined my mood when I opened a ride and lasted throughout a whole day but I
somehow could ball it up and still smile and wave at other kids. I was
assertive and calm and did not snap back at guests who snapped and swore at me.
I accepted my responsibility at making sure the ride was in good shape during
the day and keeping people safe (something I never did before). I learned how
to make the most use of my one or two days off in a week, cleaning my room and
the house and doing chores and prioritizing, not necessarily just lazing the
day away (though there was plenty of that too). I got enough sleep every night
and drank enough water every day, two things I have already started to slip on
now that school has started back up again. As much as a job that required me to
deal with countless members of the public for ten hours every day would be the
last thing I want to do with my life, I came out alright on the other side of
this temporary placement. Now I’m back to being a full-time student and that
brings challenges all of its own.
Will I return next summer? Short answer, probably. If I
wanted to get a different job, it might be easier now that I have some actual
experience under my belt (granted, this isn’t really retail or office
experience). Said job’s hours would be during the day and not last more than
twenty hours a week. I would still be dealing with the public and have
responsibilities that are tied to the welfare of a company. But Waldameer is a
different sort of job, a class all its own. It will be there waiting for me in
the summer once I begin to finish up my second year of college. This time I’ll
know what to expect and be ready to meet the season’s challenges head-on.
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