Summer Job Review

Yesterday was my last day at Watts.

A bunch of the people I'd gotten to know got me a card (two, actually) and a small parting gift. They got me a bell and light for my bicycle, which made me laugh. I have been meaning to buy both of those things, and I'm always talking about how much I like to ride my bike so it was nice that they were able to get me something meaningful and useful.

I'll miss the people more than the job, and a lot of them were sad to see me go and I've been asked repeatedly if I'll be coming back next summer. They'd really like me to (as all of my past employers seem to want) but I'm ready for bigger and better things. In order to entice me back again, I'd need these things: the assurance that I'd be getting computer experience, a design based position, and a pay raise. I'm doubting that they can provide me with even one of those things.

I was contemplating the past few months when I was waiting for my bus this afternoon. This job kept my mind occupied more than any other that I've had. I put in extra hours of my own accord, going in to get the job done on time and done well. The time I spent drafting was my favorite part, and they knew that, but I didn't get to do as much of it as I'd have liked to. The time I spent calculating bids for projects was tedious and I hated it, but I got paid, gained the ability to accurately estimate the cost of a project by looking at it, and got to become more familiar with plants that are commonly used in landscapes. The time I spent watering plants was also pretty enjoyable. Being outside was nice, and I spent most of the time alone which gave me plenty of hours to think about whatever I wanted without being bothered. However, it still irks me that most of my time was spent doing that. I'm more intelligent than being a water girl, and I could have been of more value to them by doing other things (placing bids which get us jobs worth tens of thousands of dollars, for example).

My boss was very patient and never rude to me, ever. I became more comfortable with him after he showed that he did, in fact, have a sense of humor, and in the end I really enjoyed working for him. The owner reminded me of how not to treat employees under times of stress. He talked to me and others as if we were children on several occasions and blew minor inconveniences out of proportion, which negatively affected everyone in the office. The labor crew gave me even more reasons to love being a university student (working as a laborer forever simply because you don't like school seems awful to me), and also reminded me that even people who have nearly no intelligence can be relatable and worth having meaningful conversations with (yay snobery).

In the end, this job will look good on a resume` and I'll have gotten many good portfolio pieces out of it, but I've learned all I can from them and am ready to move on and keep learning.

All in all, a positive experience I think.