Half of the worksite trip locations were covered in part 1 of this story by Sherilyn Bullanday with help from Hannah Delele. In this article I’ll be covering the remaining locations: Seattle Children’s Theatre, Mckinstry, Seattle Center, and City of Renton. I interviewed a few different people about their experiences at their location and they shared their insightful input.
For the Seattle Children’s Theatre, I interviewed Yafeth Diaz with help and moral support from Lea Hughes.
Q- What interests motivated you to pick this location? What made you want to pick this location?
A- “I wanted opera but it was changed, but it was fun. NO CAP.”
Q- What did you think about the company itself, separate from the job?
A- “Very very extravagant, and unique because of how the people treated us and presented themselves as the people of the theater.”
Q- Do you think it’s a good company to work for?
A- *head nod* “People seemed nice, but personally I wouldn’t.”
Q- What activities did you guys do during the trip?
A- “We saw how the stage was set up, costume design, ad revenue and poster design. We sat down and talked to costume designers, electricians, directors, and advertisements. We went on a tour, saw props, then made posters to represent a movie.”
Q- What did you learn about this line of work and what did you take away from it?
A- “The trip was prompt and I learned that you can get money.”
Q- Did the trip change your perspective prior to this occupation at all?
A- “No, it stayed the same, it wasn’t my first pick.”
Q- Is there anything else you would like to add?
A- “They should’ve given us better food. Overall it was fun! The people were nice. It was nice to see how they ran their shows and how they make their props and designs and I think the posters were very fun.”
Picture of Seattle Children’s Theatre. (Picture credits: parentmap)
For McKinstry, I interviewed Sophina Zebley and she gave her informative input on her experience at this location.
Q- What interests motivated you to pick this location? What made you want to pick this location?
A- “My dad works for Seattle City Light, and he taught me things on electricity, it was fun.”
Q- What did you think about the company itself, separate from the job?
A- “Good environment, everyone seems comfortable with each other and supportive.”
Q- Do you think it’s a good company to work for?
A- “Yes, if you’re interested in that thing, not just about electricity and stuff. Steel work, welding, stuff like that, different options, [including] office jobs.”
Q- What activities did you guys do?
A- “We took a tour around the welding shop, a tour around office work jobs, and the important meeting room.”
Q- What did you learn about this line of work and what did you take away from it?
A- “I learned that both parts of the job can’t make stuff without each other. It’s a good job opportunity.”
Q- Did the trip change your perspective prior to this occupation at all?
A- “Not really.”
Q- Is there anything else you would like to add?
A- “No.”
Picture of McKinstry. (Picture credits: mckinstry.com)
Moving on to Gabriella Jarvis who I interviewed to give her feedback on the Seattle Center.
Q- What interests motivated you to pick this location? What made you want to pick this location?
A- “I took a survey and was assigned.”
Q- What did you think about the company itself, separate from the job?
A- “We went to different places. Mccaw hall which was very organized, the radio station was very nice, they gave us snacks, and then the armory, which was very directional.”
Q- Do you think it’s a good company to work for?
A- “Good entrepreneurship opportunities, event planning, good job to be in if you know what you want to create or be a part of. It’s a good place for event planners, a good place in the city where events are going on.”
Q- What activities did you guys do?
A- “At Mccaw hall we talked about the fixtures in the room and the artists. We talked about jobs and how they are involved in shows at the theater and watched people put up lights. At the KEXP radio station, we walked through the cafe and met two producers that help run the show and mix music and make it flow, then we went into the media room where famous people go. Then at the armory we met the event planner. People talked about what they do.’’
Q- What did you learn about this line of work and what did you take away from it?
A- “Learned there are jobs that I didn’t know were jobs.”
Q- Did the trip change your perspective prior to this occupation at all?
A- “No.”
Q- Is there anything else you would like to add?
“No.”
Picture of Seattle Center Armory. (Picture credits: Atlas Obscura)
Picture of Mccaw hall. (Picture credits: LMN Architects)
My interviews concluded with Tracy Ngo on her experience at City of Renton.
Q- What interests motivated you to pick this location? What made you want to pick this location?
A- “I didn’t pick this location because it was out of my control, but when I went, it wasn’t as bad as I thought.”
Q- What did you think about the company itself, separate from the job?
A- “The “company” or City of Renton was interesting because they cared a lot about the community and put the effort into different activities that make a difference and benefit us citizens.”
Q- Do you think it’s a good company to work for?
A- “I think it’s definitely a great place to work down at the City of Renton because you do so much for the community, and I believe in good karma so whatever you do there will benefit your mental health too.”
Q-What activities did you guys do?
A- “I went on a tour around the area (the theater and Henry Moses Aquatic Center), we played games that asked us questions about Renton’s history, and we had another tour around the community building and saw what opportunities were available to us. They also asked us personally what teenagers would most likely enjoy.”
Q- What did you learn about this line of work and what did you take away from it?
A- “I liked how they seemed very dedicated to their work, and they seemed to have tons of experience, and they told us about their own life and how it’s completely normal to explore different routes before settling into something else. They were very kind and supportive of everything that we said or did.”
Q- Did the trip change your perspective prior to this occupation at all?
A- “It did change my perspective because I didn’t think it would’ve been very fun to explore the city of Renton given that I live in Renton, but the Community Center welcomes us with open arms and they seemed to plan each and every activity with a lot of thought and effort.”
Q- Is there anything else you would like to add?
A- “Something I want to say is that you should think twice before settling into something you could be unsure of (such as a career) because you never know if you’re truly going to enjoy it or not. I think it’s good to experiment with different things rather than to stick with just one thing.”
To conclude this article, I want to say thank you to all the people I interviewed for giving your feedback on your experience. I hope hearing these experiences gives anyone interested in a career in these fields a better understanding of what goes into it and what it has to offer.
