Alaskan Fishing Charters
Description:
I worked as a deckhand on a deepsea halibut fishing boat in Alaska for two summers during highschool. People payed the charter company to take them on what was usually a ten to twelve hour charter. They got to see some of the beautiful Alaskan scenery and they spent the day fishing and catching their limit. As a deckhand I was responsible for aiding the customers in everything they needed. I would help them bait and drop their lines, I would help them reel if they needed it. I would pull the fish into the boat, kill them, filet them, and prepare them to be shipped to the customers. I also had to help get the equipment ready before a charter and help clean the boat when we finished. I also had to make conversation and with the customers and keep them happy in that way.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
My uncle lives in Alaska and he told me about the opportunities that were available in the fishing town that he was living in. I contacted a few different charter companies and secured a job for the summer.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
There were difficult challenges that I faced. We worked generally seven days a week, and I worked for sometimes fifteen hours a day. It was also some work to secure the job.
What I learned:
I feel like it was a very good learning experience for me. I had to work hard, and I had to work many hours. I also learned to work on my social skills. I met and talked with people from many different places so I had to be a dynamic conversationalist.
River Rafting
Description:
Over the summer my sister worked on the Provo River. She worked for a family that created their own business for floating down the river on rafts. They mostly kept the employees in the family like cousins and brothers. If they were short staffed, they would hire someone else. My sister was hired to take people to float down on rivers. The rafting was 15 dollars a person. It provided the rafters with a raft/tube, a ride to the top of the river, and a river guide.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
Over the summer, my sister took my family down the river. Although the water was still pretty cold there was a lot of people going down the river through this business. My sister talked to the family that created the business and they told her how they had the bus from something previous and weren’t using it so they got the idea from that. They also invested in a bunch of rafts and 16 passenger vans.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
I wasn’t able to directly talk to the family but my sister did and I talked to her about it. She told me that the first summer they started it they had hardly any customers and anyone that wanted to go up there brought their own floating devices to use. They had trouble getting their name out there. But, they also said that because of all the college aged students near by that it kind of spread its own name around, and it took off really fast.
What I learned:
From this experience, I learned that even a simple thing such as driving people up and floating them down the river could be such a great investment. It was amazing to me because there are a lot of travelers and local people that like to float down the river.
Wrangler
Description:
I worked at Tom Sawyer day camp as wrangler. I was under the direction of a head wrangler who was under the director of the camp. My responsibilities were to clean and tack horses in the morning before trail rides along with 6 other employees. I would then take groups of children ranging from ages 6-7 on trail rides for about 5 hours of the day in a local riverbed. During these trail rides it was my responsibility to lead trails while playing games, singing songs to entertain the children for their 45 minute block. If someone where to start a business in children’s day camps, Tom Sawyer day camp is a wonderful example. Before you do start a business like this, it is important to know children psychology and business management. This particular camp has swimming and equestrian lesson, which are staffed by people who are able to do these jobs. There are also many group counselors to lead various age groups, ranging from 3-14 years. It is important to find a convenient location to have a stable for horses, a pool, and a park near each other. It is also important to have vans to take the children to each of these locations. Above all the point of the camp is to provide out door fun for children in a safe manner.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
I found this camp through a woman I do childcare for. I filled out an application I found online and sent it in to the company to be evaluated. They were interested in my application and invited me to a group interview. At this interview I was asked many questions about what I would do in certain scenarios. I gave good advice and I participated a good amount to be positively noticed. I passed this interview and I was asked back for a final interview. I met with the 2 directors of the camp program. We spoke about what I like to do, and how I would contribute to their camp. I was successful in this interview and I was hired for the summer day camp.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
One of the challenges I faced was fitting in with the group of employees that have formed from past summers. For 2 years I struggled to fit into the group. After this amount of time I was able to realize that I need to relate to them and continue to be kind and hardworking.
Another challenge I faced was being quick at tacking. I was slower than the other staff and it was stressful and embarrassing, because they are skilled and I was new and learning. I overcame this by bringing my iPod to work and it helped me to be quicker at tacking 6 horses. What also helped was having a method of tacking in an efficient way.
Thirdly was the challenge of keeping up my energy through out the day. I learned that I needed to bring my water on trail rides as well as making up new trail rides the children have not been on.
What I learned:
I have learned an incredible amount from working at this job. One of the most valuable lessons I learned was how to interact, teach, care for, and have fun with children. One of my most memorable experiences was this past summer was helping a small boy overcome his fear of horses. I walked next to him on his horse the entire trail ride and I talked to him about things he liked to get his mind off his fear of the horse he was on. I held on to the horse and put one hand on his back to show him he was secure. After that trail ride he was slowly weaned off of needing help and he became a confident equestrian. What makes me feel good about my job is that I was able to help a child to overcome one of his greatest fears and he never forgot that I helped him. I have also learned how to interact with people with the opposite personalities of me and how I can get along with them in the work place. This will help me with interacting with future employees and know how to work with them efficiently to make a businsess run properly.