After only a few months of working for Bowdoin graduate Richard Pulsifer '62 at his house on Mere Point Road, sophomore McKay Belk knows a whole lot about wooden boat-building. Belk is one of many Bowdoin students going off-campus to find employment, only to return with new skills and unique experiences in the greater community.
Belk said he contacted Pulsifer about a job after he heard about the opportunity from Bowdoin seniors Madelyn Sullivan and William Oppenheim, who have been building boats for Pulsifer since the fall of 2007 and 2008, respectively. Once he had gone through an interview and training process in which he learned how to use various tools, Belk took up his role in the boat-building process.
"Mr. Pulsifer has been building a wooden boat called 'The Pulsifer Hampton' for thirty years," said Belk. "It was once a lobster boat but now it's a leisure boat—though a very 'seaworthy' one."
"I'm assigned tasks without a large margin of error," said Belk. "Wood is a very responsive material, so when you're dealing with antique hand-planers and electric planers, its important to really know what you're doing."
According to Belk, Pulsifer provides students with flexible hours that allow them to adjust their work schedule depending on academics and other interests.
"Depending on my workload and the snowboarding and surfing conditions, I work between zero and eight hours a week," said Belk.
Belk said he is very happy with his current employment, a job that greatly contrasts his previous job with Bowdoin Safe Ride, in which he served as a dispatcher and driver, and worked late, long hours. According to Belk, his current job allows him a nice escape from campus and a great opportunity to learn new skills.
"I can't imagine having another job like this," he said. "I've learned carpentry, I'm deciding my own hours, and I'm working with a great guy for good money. It's a pretty sweet deal."
Like Belk, sophomore Lindsey Mingo heard about her job at Freeport's Banana Republic store from a fellow Bowdoin student and decided to apply for a position this fall.
"I went into the store and filled out an application, then set up an interview date with the store manager," said Mingo. "I didn't have to submit an official resume but many of the questions on the application were about my employment history and about my classes and activities at Bowdoin."
According to Mingo, her responsibilities include making sure everything is organized on the sales floor, helping customers find items, and working in the fitting rooms and at the register. Mingo said she enjoys her job because she "loves interacting with customers, helping them find things and pick out outfits." Mingo also said she appreciates Banana Republic's parent company, GAP Inc., for its environmental consciousness and involvement in charity projects.
Mingo said there are many advantages to working off campus and agreed with Belk that "flexible work hours" and a chance to "escape the Bowdoin Bubble" drew her to the job.
"It's nice to get away and see the general community from a different perspective," said Mingo. "A lot of students from other schools also work there and its nice to get to know them."
Junior Hassan Muhammad has seen both the general and extended community while playing jazz piano at various venues in Brunswick, Bath, Freeport, Portland, Waterville, and even Boston.
"There's a really vibrant jazz scene in New England, and I had to get off the Bowdoin campus to explore it," said Muhammad.
Unlike other students employed off-campus, however, Muhammad sees his performances as opportunities to "cultivate a skill and have fun" instead of as a way to make money.
"The harsh truth about being a musician is that the highest paying gigs are oftentimes the least fun," said Muhammad. "My favorite environments to play in are the spaces where the audience is completely in tune with what I'm playing."
Muhammad said Port City Blue on Portland's Congress Street (where his quartet has played five times) exemplifies this paradox, for though it is his "favorite place to play" for its ambience and audience, it is one of the least profitable venues because all funds received are in the form of tips.
"It's not about the money but the experience," said Muhammad.
While many Bowdoin students are employed in environments that are completely removed from campus, others work off campus in jobs that are connected to the Bowdoin community, such as working for an art professor in a studio or gallery, or walking a professor's dogs.
Emily Neilson '11 found her job babysitting for Special Assistant to the Dean of Students Affairs Meadow Davis while looking through the student digest.
"There are usually a lot of postings for off-campus jobs in the digest," said Neilson, who said she was looking for a "financial supplement" and a way to fill free time while not in season for field hockey or ice hockey.
Neilson said she contacted her employer through e-mail and then went through a "screening process" to ensure that she got along with the children she would be caring for. Neilson said her short commute to work a few times a week is "a nice outlet from school."
In contrast to working on campus, Neilson said "working off campus proves to be good practice in preparing for the real world" because "it's about getting out there, being proactive, and landing a job" without the set framework of Bowdoin's student employment system.
"It kind of gives me a feeling of independence—that I'm doing something, by myself, on my own terms," said Neilson. "I think that's pretty cool, even if I'm just babysitting."