By Campbell
Over the past few months, I have been working full-time and living in Wrightsville Beach, NC. Before this year, I had never held a full-time job or even a job for more than 10 hours a week. During the end of my senior year at high school, I saw my favorite tackle shop in North Carolina was looking for employees following the retirement of one of their own. At this time, I was still living in California but immediately reached out eagerly, asking for more details. I waited for a few days for a response and finally got one telling me to send my resume to an email address. Having just finished college applications, I already had my resume in pretty good shape and quickly sent it out along with a two-page cover letter. The letter told of my passion and eagerness to learn new things, especially in the fishing world. A few days later, I got a call from one of the managers. We proceeded to do two interviews over the phone, and both went well. As soon as school ended, I flew to North Carolina to do my final interview at the shop and was lucky enough to be hired. Since early June, I have been working at Intracoastal Angler. I have learned more than I ever could imagine about fishing and even more so about the “real world.” Before this year, I lived in Woodside, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley. Growing up there was very different from most places in the United States, and quite frankly is relatively sheltered. I wanted a challenge and an opportunity to grow as an individual in ways I couldn’t before.
Having been in school since I can remember, I have never had the freedom to venture into the real world by myself. This is why a gap year is a great idea. I get to learn many lessons before going to college and thus will make the most of my time there. The biggest difference I’ve noticed has been my mindset and the way I look at the world. I have been lucky enough to see and interact with all sorts of people through my job. In addition, I have the opportunity to explore my passions, such as fishing, and discover new ones, like photography and videography. I’ve recently begun working on creating a film with local surfers, and I will continue to be posting progress about it here! I’ve been working very hard on my photography skills and have included some of my favorite pictures I’ve taken so far! I have a lot to learn and am very excited to continue to hone my craft.
