As the economy dwindles and jobs become increasingly scarce, many students find refuge in the confines of office desks and fast food fryers worldwide.
But others, like kinesiology senior Taylor Faulk, are breaking away from the monotony of the traditional 9-to-5.
A contribution to many customers’ favorite scenic view, Faulk works as a bartender and waitress for local eatery Twin Peaks, as well as a model for many of the bar’s local campaigns.
When Faulk strolls into the “ultimate man cave” each week, clad in her khaki shorts and plaid shirt, she said she knows there is no place she would rather work.
“It spoils me,” Faulk said. “I love the playful, relaxed atmosphere.”
The self-proclaimed “flirtationist” said she enjoys the clientele the bar attracts, as she is more comfortable with mature crowds. She said establishing loyalties with her customers is important and she is confident in her ability to do so.
As a student preparing to enter the professional work force, Faulk said her job provides an ideal forum for networking. In her time as a waitress, she said she has been offered numerous opportunities in both modeling and kinesiology.
“I met one of the owners of a baseball company,” she said. “I told him I was in kinesiology, and he told me to call him when I graduate.”
The base pay for Twin Peaks’ waitstaff is $2.37 an hour, but Faulk said an average day’s work could result in more than $250 in tips.
Though money is a rewarding aspect of her job, Faulk said she mostly enjoys working alongside an enthusiastic staff. She said she never expects a dull moment at work.
Daniel Barousse, international business alumnus, shared those sentiments about his job of more than seven years at local skate store Rukus Board Shop.
“I’ve never had to wake up and say ‘Bummer, I have to go to work today,’” he said.
After several years of skating around the shop, Barousse said he was offered a job at age 17. The owner guided and mentored him, teaching him how to turn his passion for skating into a career.
The now 23-year-old works for Electric Volcom as a clothing sales representative and part-time for Rukus as a merchandiser and manager of the store’s skate team, all jobs that appease his affinity for skateboarding.
Barousse said his job at Volcom requires him to travel across the country and present some of the company’s newest skate-inspired apparel to possible vendors. While the position is more fashion-oriented, he said he enjoys the challenge.
“I have to try to keep up in what’s trendy in fashion,” he said “I have to know what’s cool, not now, but in six months.”
Even if Barousse never becomes a millionaire, he said he would be happy to work in any facet of the skateboard industry for the remainder of his career. He said his passion for skating is the sole reason he came to the University and completed college.
“I’m very blessed to have picked up a skateboard,” he said. “It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
Psychology sophomore Elaine Martin quickly made her decision to become a zip line instructor at Tiki Zip Line after she experienced the thrill of gliding through the air for the first time.
After completing the certification process, Martin said she had developed a passion for the exhilarating sport. And even after becoming an instructor, she said the adrenaline rush of being suspended up to 90 feet above ground never gets old.
One of her favorite parts of the job is seeing people overcome their fears of heights. She said most people are afraid of the activity at first, but by the end of day, no one wants to leave.
“It’s very fun,” she said. “You get to meet a lot of people from different backgrounds and of different ages.”
Even though instructors have a serious responsibility of ensuring customer safety, Martin said her managers do a good job of maintaining a laid-back atmosphere for its employees and customers. She said it’s easy to forget she’s at work.
Martin said instructors are paid $12 an hour plus tips, but the biggest perk of the job is being outdoors and meeting new, interesting people.
“You can do it as a job, but if you’re not passionate about it, then you need to not have it, “ she said.
