School Side Gigs

REI

It was an absolute pleasure working at a store I spent so many hours being a customer. I was able to share my experience with products I have tested in the field with the Boy Scouts. I wasn't just another salesperson repeating what was on the back of the label, I was able to talk about what I enjoyed or disliked about the product.

REI also offered many events and classes I took part in. The most enjoyable were the Mountaineering Courses in which I learned how to handle myself on the side of a snow covered mountain. I also attended many volunteering events with my coworkers and put a lot of time into helping out the local parks.

I worked at REI during my Sophomore year of college. With around 16-20 hours a week I struck a good balance between supporting myself and focusing on school. Unfortunately, I had to leave REI with expectation of a jam packed Spring Semester. I do return to the store occasionally to chat with my former coworkers.

CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION

I worked at the California Energy Commission the summer before my sophomore year of college. I was tasked with reviewing applications for the New Solar Homes Partnership (N.S.H.P.). It was a rewarding summer job that not only allowed me to see the intricacies of California's push for renewable energies, but it was also a first real introduction to a normal 8-5 work week.

My daily tasks included:

Ensuring applications submitted to the program were complete

Calculating solar panel's effectiveness with relation to its position

Communicating with solar providers who received the benefits

Learning the process of connecting the homes to the electric grid

I want to thank my supervisors for taking the time out of their day to teach me things beyond the scope of my job.

If you would like to contact my supervisor for this job please let me know.