Nick Steverson, a current Sophomore at Bates College, has been working at the Mays Center for two years now, starting as just a wee Freshman. This has been Nicks first and only job on campus, though he has worked in water parks and a restaurant back home.

Nick decided to apply for the position of Mays Center Monitor because he believed it would expose him to the events being hosted on campus. “I thought it would be a good way to hear about events going on at campus, in particular musical events like VCS, since the Mays Center hosts so many.”

Once Nick filled out his application online and participated in an interview at the Mays Center, he had the job and was ready to work. “I usually work four-six hours a week at the Mays Center, although I pick up extra shifts some weeks. Our day-to-day tasks change depending on whether we’re hosting an event that day or not. If we are, we usually clean the floor and set up for the event. If not, we do one of five blocks of cleaning things like the floor, the back room, the kitchen, or the entrance area. We normally don’t see other workers because only one monitor is there at a time.”

 

When asked if anything particularly funny or interesting has happened while at work, Nick admits that he “once spent two hours trying to figure out how to turn on a spotlight for a performer, only to figure out that the light hadn’t worked all year.” Nick’s favorite part about working in the Mays Center is the access he has to both the concerts the Center hosts as well as the “access to the speaker system, so it can be fun to plug in your music and play it over the loudspeakers while you clean.”

Nick’s job at the Mays Center has helped him develop customer service skills that he believe will be useful throughout the rest of his life.. “You have to communicate well with the people using the Center to make sure that the events go well. I think the skills I’ve gained in communication will help me in whatever field I end up in.” Through this job, Nick has learned something that he was surprised to discover. In fact, Nick has realized that he quite likes “having a few hours a week to do something like cleaning. It’s really good to have something to do to get your mind off of school for a while.”