I have never actually had a conventional job. However, I have spent time as a counselor-in-training at diabetes camp. I was not paid for my time at camp, but that does not mean that I gained nothing from that time spent. Although this job is not usually thought of as educational, I learned responsibility, how to focus on my main concern, and how to pick up others slack.
Responsibility is important in jobs where children are concerned. Youngsters are likely to run everywhere they can and mess with everything, even things that they should avoid. Especially in a position like counselor-in-training (CIT), I sometimes feel as if I am only around to watch the campers as their counselor takes a nap. However, part of the training is to check to see if I can handle the pressure of tracking ten or fifteen hyper campers. Last year at diabetes camp, I nearly lost a camper because his counselor was riding horses with half the group, and it was only ten minutes into my first time ever being responsible for a dozen campers. Though my assignments in classes arent quite campers, Ive learned that I need to be responsible for them and make sure I have them all under control from the second I get them, lest one gets away from me when Im not looking.
Focusing was another skill that I learned to use as a CIT. Usually focusing is thought of as something one does to study for a test or to draw a straight line. However, sometimes I ended up focusing on things that I wasnt expecting to devote much attention to. During break times in the cabin, it was easy to get into a conversation with the counselor, only to forget that I was responsible for a group of mischievous campers, always getting into trouble. The trick I learned is to remember that I am the one who is responsible for the situation and to imagine the consequences. It is often easy to procrastinate doing my homework, or to simply become distracted with something else. If I think about my grades, I find that I can bring myself to focus on the work I need to do.
As a CIT I often found myself taking care of tasks that werent mine. Most cabins have one diabetic and one non-diabetic counselor in them, with the diabetic counselor responsible for checking blood sugars and getting insulin doses. The diabetic counselor in my cabin was injured and stayed in his room most of the time. This left me to take care of any problems the campers might have had, because the non-diabetic had only very basic knowledge of the situation. I found myself having to deal with things I myself had no knowledge of. Having been diabetic for less time than several of these campers, I had only common sense and decent judgment at my disposal to solve problems. During labs I often have to do the same thing. Other members of my group will slack off on the tasks we agreed to split up, and I end up doing them just so I can finish.
Being a CIT afforded me many chances to learn skills that are both useful and not normally taught in a classroom setting. I am able to apply these skills in every day situations, such as school, to make my life more pleasant. Responsibility, focus, and being able to branch out are just some of these skills that I picked up from a job that is hardly thought of as educational.