Summer experience provides life lesson

By Anna Callaghan

Summer jobs are often perceived as the death to summer through a daily grind that comes to an end with the start of a new academic year.

I admit that I had a pessimistic view of my nine to five position at my local zoo and aquarium gift shop; I counted down the days until I could sign my final time card, drive out of the parking lot for the last time and bury my "zoo-niform" in my bottom drawer. I felt liberated as I was freed from the tediousness of retail and the long hours spent surrounded by small, screaming children.

It could, however, have been a lot worse. The only aspect of my job that involved any sort of physical labor was transporting handcarts of stuffed animals and toys. There is nothing more humbling than putting the priorities of a cuddly beluga before anything else.

The job could not be deemed glamorous, but I have to confess that it was relatively amusing.

My idea of a mundane day differs greatly from what would go on at a typical desk job in the sense that there is rarely a trivial task that occurs at a zoo. I get to see all the animals that occupy the zoo every single day I come to work; A new addition this summer was a trio of charismatic camels from Oklahoma that gave rides to hundreds of people a day, usually including myself and other employees. If you are willing to shell out a few extra dollars, you can even go home with photo evidence of your ride.

The staff communicated through radios all set to the same frequency where the daily conversation entertained topics such as the shifting of animals on and off exhibit, missing children and the repeated escape of the arctic fox. The radio contact means that each employee must be well versed in proper etiquette, which I found rather embarrassing; if someone wished to get a hold of me they would say "Gift Shop, Anna" followed by a progression of specific phrases that transport the conversation to another frequency.

I believe the job has provided me with many insights; the importance of remaining pleasant in the face of an unhappy customer and the extreme range of the dynamic between parents and their children. It sounds a little cheesy but I also learned the value of the education that I am receiving, which was to the obvious joy of my parents.

I found that the three months of summer spent making minimum wage was plenty for me, and not something I wanted to continue. I realized the importance of finding a career that I am passionate about and how crucial that particular detail is to my mental health and sanity. I cannot argue that the job served its purpose of replenishing my bank account for the upcoming year and providing another few lines for my resume.

It made me truly appreciate the opportunities that I have here at Santa Clara and if I have the meerkats and lemurs to thank for that, then so be it.