The First Job

In the summer of 2018, I was hired as a Summer Fun Leader through the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Parks and Recreation. A Summer Fun Program requires responsible leaders to oversee and carry out the program’s purpose: allowing the kids to have a safe, fun summer experience. Inherently, there is a standard of quality to uphold when it comes to caretaking children, and this is amplified immensely when there are children of different ages, backgrounds, interests, and personalities. It is the role of the Summer Fun Leaders and staff to organize this chaos and ensure a professionally coordinated environment at all times.

This job provided groundbreaking personal growth opportunities for me as it was in a field of work completely foreign to me - I had never gone to a Summer Fun program in my youth, and I would suddenly be placed in a leadership position to lead, engage with, and take responsibility for over 100 youths ranging from kindergarten children to young adults (who volunteered as junior leaders). Qualities that this job necessitated daily included proficient leadership abilities, co-operative skills, critical decision-making, adaptability to situations on the fly, resourcefulness, and creativity.

Dynamic challenges were faced every day; for example, an itinerary for the day’s activities had to be planned at the start of each day based on the rotation of the children’s groups (separated by age) and anchor events in the program, while sweeping adjustments would have to be made on the spot in the event of weather changes and other unforeseen circumstances. The kind of flexibility demanded by these situations required expertise in Summer Fun programs, best met by years of experience with them. As I was not already equipped with this knowledge, I had to make up for it as best I could by turning to all available resources: seeking guidance from experienced coworkers, networking with friends and acquaintances for ideas, and committing hours of research outside of work hours to prepare myself as much as possible. These efforts afforded me the knowledge to be adaptable, plan cooperatively and dynamically with fellow leaders, instruct junior leaders and manage large groups, and make moment-to-moment choices for the entire program of kids, allowing me to be an effective and professional leader.

Overall, my first job as a Summer Fun Leader burgeoned in me many necessary skills to succeed in career and the world, and it gave me the opportunity to find the inner resolve so that I could become the leader of my own life moving forward.