In high school and part of college, I was a soccer referee. I officiated games ranging from 6 year olds running around in packs, chasing the ball in circles, to intramural matches between rival fraternities whose pregame routine consisted of shotgunning a few beers instead of stretching. Pretty quickly, I became used to being one of the most disliked people on the field before the match even started. It taught me that you earn the respect of your colleagues and others by doing your job well. If you want players to quit yelling at you, you need to not only make calls correctly, but you need to carry yourself in a manner that demands respect, as well.
It taught me how to remain intensely focused on a task before me, paying attention to the smallest details, even while sprinting down the field while simultaneously having coaches, players, and (of course) parents yelling things at me that I couldn’t help but to smirk at. It helped me develop the skill of remaining level headed in stress and high tension situations. As a referee, if someone is pissed off about a call and starts yelling at you, you can’t escalate the situation by yelling even louder (unless you’re a baseball umpire). The best referees are the ones who take control of the situation of the field without ever becoming the center of attention.
I also had to learn how to work with others, as a team. There are three officials on the field in soccer, and oftentimes, you’re left wondering how they passed the qualification test to even purchase a referee uniform. You have to pick up their slack and do your best to make them look good. Finally, it taught me that at the end of the day, at times it’s okay to put the day behind you. You made a mistake, you learned from it, so don’t spend all night dwelling on it.
Funny isn’t it? We go through so much trouble searching for internships that will help us professionally, yet some of the most valuable experiences we take part in don’t come from anything remotely related to our profession. I think it’s pretty easy to see how my refereeing experience went a long way in preparing me for any business related career.
So now it’s your turn. What odd-job has helped shape you professionally.
Image by Donovan Henneberg-Verity
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Ah, the summer of 2006. I worked for a company where I canvassed in neighborhoods, raising money for causes like Amnesty International and the Sierra Club. Going door to door and asking folks for money in the middle of the day? That taught me a lot.
1) Get good at small talk
2) Remember names
3) Being honest and genuine will always win when trying to connect with people
4) Have an upbeat attitude if you want any kind of a positive result.
5) On hot days, always bring both deodorant and an extra shirt.
I never want to canvas ever again, but boy did I learn a lot. Oh, and also, when someone asks “What's the worst job you've ever had?” I have a great answer, which may have been worth the effort in itself.
Thanks for the post Jackie!
#5 is crucial, haha. One of my buddies sold books door to door for a few summers, and hearing his stories gave me a whole new level of understanding of just how miserable those type jobs can be. Nevertheless, you definitely do learn some skills along the way that can be very valuable.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing, Danny!
Hey now, I never raised my voice in my years of umping baseball. A parent once sprayed Capri Sun on me after ejecting their son for punching (full out closed fist reaching back into the cookie jar SWING) another player.
I was more angered at the waste of such a delicious beverage.
Oh, but it's between umping and being a preschool teacher for about 4 years and team leader for about 2 of those years.
Love this, Jackie.
I used to umpire baseball. It was fun, but high-stress at times because of parents who took things way too seriously. Anyway, I learned about dealing with people, and standing by my “calls”. If there were arguments, I'd say, “Sir/Ma'm, you may be right, but that's not the way I saw it.” (I love that quote). It's actually helped me a great deal working with high schoolers now.
Another AWESOME experience was working in a restaurant off and on for 6 years as a busser, barback, and waiter. I learned about customer service, what goes into running a business, and about dealing with people and their wacky requests/hangups. It was so integral to my professional development as a high schooler.
Parents never cease to amaze me at youth sporting events. I guess it was either Capri Sun or the orange slice (not sure which would be better to have tossed at you). We seem to be seeing a recurring theme here. Valuable experiences come from dealing with angry athletes/spectators, children, and/or drunk/rude people at restaurants. I think at least one of these three should be a prerequisite for most careers.
Thanks for stopping by Colby!
It's interesting how so many in the comments and Twitter have similar stories! That is definitely a good line to use, I always had to hold myself back to avoid giving them super sarcastic responses
Thanks for sharing, Tom!
Love this, Jackie.
I used to umpire baseball. It was fun, but high-stress at times because of parents who took things way too seriously. Anyway, I learned about dealing with people, and standing by my “calls”. If there were arguments, I'd say, “Sir/Ma'm, you may be right, but that's not the way I saw it.” (I love that quote). It's actually helped me a great deal working with high schoolers now.
Another AWESOME experience was working in a restaurant off and on for 6 years as a busser, barback, and waiter. I learned about customer service, what goes into running a business, and about dealing with people and their wacky requests/hangups. It was so integral to my professional development as a high schooler.
Parents never cease to amaze me at youth sporting events. I guess it was either Capri Sun or the orange slice (not sure which would be better to have tossed at you). We seem to be seeing a recurring theme here. Valuable experiences come from dealing with angry athletes/spectators, children, and/or drunk/rude people at restaurants. I think at least one of these three should be a prerequisite for most careers.
Thanks for stopping by Colby!
It's interesting how so many in the comments and Twitter have similar stories! That is definitely a good line to use, I always had to hold myself back to avoid giving them super sarcastic responses
Thanks for sharing, Tom!