Customize Your Weekly Pathways Content Summer before sophomore year I spent casually perusing the UMass student job board. I was busy with an internship and food service job in my hometown over the summer, but every few weeks I would open up the list of job openings for the fall and peruse, applying to some I found interesting and hoping that they’d land me somewhere where I’d be able to work maybe ten hours a week to have a small, but steady income while in school–nothing too involved, but enough to save money during the semester. The majority of my applications were for more boring jobs–front desk positions, being an office assistant, or working register at the UMass store. Through this process, there was one job opportunity that caught my eye–being a co-manager at one of the student-run businesses on campus, the Sylvan Snack Bar.
I didn’t know much about the establishment itself and had only visited it once before with some friends to get mozzarella sticks, but I was to live in the building next door which would make it a convenience for me. The idea of working at a co-operative business also really appealed to me–I was interested in holding a role where I would have equal amounts of power and responsibility as my coworkers. In my city, there were a few co-op model cafes and stores, but it was an opportunity that I’d never seen anywhere else. I sent in an application and was later asked for an interview. I guess I must’ve aced it, because less than a week later I got an email saying I was offered the job–I quickly accepted, eager to begin training and attend my first staff meeting.
That first meeting, much like my whole first semester there, was a bit of an overwhelming experience, but one that I learned to grow from. I remember sitting at the table every week, so lost as to how all the returning co-managers knew what to do and say. I was confused, but also impressed. They seemed like a well-oiled machine that I couldn’t imagine myself being confident enough to be a working part of. Over the first few months, I was definitely more passive–nervous to contradict people who had more experience than I was and worried about proposing my own thoughts and plans. However, over time I became more comfortable with myself and less intimidated by the other people I was working with. I grew less afraid of advocating for my ideas and willing to take on important responsibilities–my coworkers trust my ability to pull through and do my share of the work.
I’ve loved working in a collaborative environment and feel extremely lucky to have the opportunity to work at a co-op during college. It can be incredibly stressful at times–trying to balance basically running a business while taking college classes can add up–, but I’ve also learned to keep myself emotionally healthy with a good work-life balance. From orchestrating the Spring Fling concert to writing up catering invoices, I’ve been able to learn so many different skills that I wouldn’t have had the chance to work if I were working at a dining hall or as an office assistant.
Through the job, I’ve become very close to a lot of my coworkers and met some incredible people who I would have otherwise never crossed paths with. It’s wonderful to work in a setting with other people who not only deeply care and are invested in creating something bigger through the group effort. There’s an attitude of eagerness that is basically impossible to find in any other kind of on-campus job, mostly because it’s so much more than just an on-campus job–it’s been a real chance for me to form strong bonds with my peers and push myself to grow.
