Working for "The Man"

My whole life I was lead to believe that work is a horrible place. I watched as people in my life seem more stressed out about work then they were concerned about enjoying life. So, I did it. I went out and got a job I knew I'd dislike. My first six months of training were inside a two foot area where I had to greet people hello and pack their groceries as friendly and efficiently as possible. I was then moved to the produce department of the supermarket, where I put fruit on shelves and looked forward to the occasional food fight in the back room. Don't get me wrong, the people I worked with were friendly and the company was very generous to it's employees. But still, I felt like every time I walked through the doors I was just going through the motions-- Locker Room, Hair Check, Does my breath smell okay? How long til' lunch break?-- You get the point.

I knew there had to be more out there, a job I'd really enjoy. I mean how many times have you heard the saying "Do what you love and never work a day in your life". I heard it all the time growing up, and after a year off of school I decided to live out my dreams. I sat down and thought about what made me happiest in life; snowboarding. Then I searched for schools that had snowboarding as part of their curriculum. It was the thing that made me happiest, so I wanted to find a job where I could make it part of my every day life. After a lot of research I decided Colorado Mountain College would be my number one choice. After all, it is the only school in the country that offers a degree in Ski and Snowboard Business. When I first presented the idea to my family they were kind of shocked. There was the money aspect-- "how will you afford it?", and the whole distance thing--"You'll never be home for holidays". Plus there was the fact that it's such a specified program, but after seeing how passionate I was about doing this they came around and understood. So I packed my bags and headed out.

Since I've been here I've learned how to properly fit people for ski and snowboard boots, how to tune and wax a board, I've learned the basics in selling, shop management, and how to design and market a snowboard.

One of the classes I am taking this semester is Work Experience. Basically, you take the skills you've learned in the classroom and have to use them in real life. You can get any internship that is ski and snowboard related. To help knock off some of my hours I decided to go to the SIA (Snowsport Industries America) Show in Las Vegas. I interned for Grenade, and it was one of the best weeks of my life. After all, how bad can your job be when "The Man" you are working for is Danny Kass?

It was a long drive there, but temperature rose the closer we got to sin city. I love the snow but I have to admit, the warm weather was a nice break from the Colorado winter. We arrived a day early so I went out and explored the strip, visiting everything from the M&M Factory to the ESPN Sports Zone. I met up with some friends from school as they arrived and we spent the rest of the evening exploring the city. I went to bed rather early because I knew it was going to be an early morning and had no idea what I'd be doing for Grenade.

The first day of work was incredibly hectic. We got there in the morning and our booth was bare. There was a little office room and a ton of boxes, everything was a mess. As interns, it was our job to start sorting it out. We spent the day hanging up outerwear, setting up the clothing line and running around trying to find forgotten necessities like scissors and sharpies. It wasn't necessarily a fun day but it was rewarding seeing the booth all set up, knowing we were responsible for it.

The rest of the week I was responsible for helping the Reps out with product demonstrations. Part of this included making sure the buyers were as comfortable as possible by seating them, getting them something to drink, and giving them a buyer's guide. Once the demonstrations started I would hand the reps the gear they needed to present and take it back when they were done showing off it's features. I also helped out with appointment check-ins and anything else the reps needed throughout the week.

When I got some free time I walked around the show to check out the new line for 2009. It was awesome talking to people who truly spend every day doing what they love. When they aren't out riding they are designing products for riders, or out selling it. The most encouraging thing was meeting people who were graduates from the Ski and Snowboard Business Program. It didn't take much effort to find them working for companies. All you had to do was mention that you were going to school in Steamboat and they popped out of the woodwork. Even one of the reps from Grenade graduated from the program when it first started up almost 20 years ago. It was really refreshing to see where this degree can take me.