Now my writing's a bit rusty, so please bear with me. To begin with, I'd actually started my new job in February of that year. And since the diploma of accounting program (DAP for short) that I had signed up for wouldn't begin until September, I had half a year to settle into my life as a part-time theater worker. Prior to this my resume had consisted mostly of odd jobs for 1-2 day events and only 1 other real part-time job to speak of. This was due in part to me wishing to focus on my studies, but mostly because I was just reluctant to take up employment. The other part-time job I mentioned had only lasted a mere four months, officially because my availability was limited due to my course schedule at the time. But somehow I had a feeling it was due to my inadequacies as a sales person; I just wasn't engaging enough. So when I first started this new job, I was afraid that my withdrawn nature would cost me again. Turns out, my worries were quite unnecessary.
Life as a theater cast member was, for the most part, a pretty pleasant one. Everyone was welcoming and friendly from the get-go (even the managers!), and before I knew it I had formed some great new friendships. As someone who's both shy and introverted, I've always had trouble with making a good first impression, and also making conversation in general. So I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered the people that I worked with actually liked me for just being me; I never had to go out of my way to act more social and force idle chit chat. As a recent graduate, I was one of the older members of the work family, the majority of which consisted of high school and undergraduate students. But given my Asian looks and short stature, most of my coworkers automatically assumed I was around their age, and I wasn't about to needlessly correct their assumption. Of course, the shocking truth eventually came out and everyone reacted accordingly. That is, with initial disbelief and then acceptance.
The not so good part of the job was, as you've probably guessed, the nature of the work itself. When I first applied for the job, I had pictured myself printing, handing out, and/or ripping tickets, the usual work associated with a movie theater. What I had neglected to consider, however, were the other aspects of the industry, such as manning the concession counters or the cleaning of theater houses. Ultimately, I ended up in the concession division for my entire stay there, except for this one instance when I took part in some theater cleaning in the dark during an unexpected power outage. Let me tell you, concession duty is greasy, sweaty work. I've never paid much attention to their operations before as I wasn't a big fan of theater food, but after working there for months, I now have a much better appreciation of what goes on behind the counter. Besides having to handle buttery popcorn, the occasional grumpy guest, and the general rush of trying to help guests in long lineups as fast as possible, concession workers are also the ones who have the latest closing shifts. The clean up work at the end is especially long and tedious, and can make a shift that normally ends at 12:30am to end almost at 1:00am.
The guests themselves were usually a good-natured bunch. One of my managers once told me that people come to the movies to have a good time, so they tend to be in a good mood and are more forgiving than customers in other industries. This theory made sense to me and, after months of experience, I can safely conclude that it's true. All in all, I quite enjoyed my new temporary life, and it gave me hope that things were starting to look up.
Life as a theater cast member was, for the most part, a pretty pleasant one. Everyone was welcoming and friendly from the get-go (even the managers!), and before I knew it I had formed some great new friendships. As someone who's both shy and introverted, I've always had trouble with making a good first impression, and also making conversation in general. So I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered the people that I worked with actually liked me for just being me; I never had to go out of my way to act more social and force idle chit chat. As a recent graduate, I was one of the older members of the work family, the majority of which consisted of high school and undergraduate students. But given my Asian looks and short stature, most of my coworkers automatically assumed I was around their age, and I wasn't about to needlessly correct their assumption. Of course, the shocking truth eventually came out and everyone reacted accordingly. That is, with initial disbelief and then acceptance.
The not so good part of the job was, as you've probably guessed, the nature of the work itself. When I first applied for the job, I had pictured myself printing, handing out, and/or ripping tickets, the usual work associated with a movie theater. What I had neglected to consider, however, were the other aspects of the industry, such as manning the concession counters or the cleaning of theater houses. Ultimately, I ended up in the concession division for my entire stay there, except for this one instance when I took part in some theater cleaning in the dark during an unexpected power outage. Let me tell you, concession duty is greasy, sweaty work. I've never paid much attention to their operations before as I wasn't a big fan of theater food, but after working there for months, I now have a much better appreciation of what goes on behind the counter. Besides having to handle buttery popcorn, the occasional grumpy guest, and the general rush of trying to help guests in long lineups as fast as possible, concession workers are also the ones who have the latest closing shifts. The clean up work at the end is especially long and tedious, and can make a shift that normally ends at 12:30am to end almost at 1:00am.
The guests themselves were usually a good-natured bunch. One of my managers once told me that people come to the movies to have a good time, so they tend to be in a good mood and are more forgiving than customers in other industries. This theory made sense to me and, after months of experience, I can safely conclude that it's true. All in all, I quite enjoyed my new temporary life, and it gave me hope that things were starting to look up.
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