Which path is right for you? Well both, really. T e early stages of working on snow works are probably all similar. We usually start out teaching beginners and branch out from there. Most of us spend our fi rst few years getting better at more and more things. We learn how to talk to kids and adults. We teach never-evers in the morning, then bump lessons in the afternoon. Weekends we teach busloads; weekdays we teach privates.
THERE’S JOY IN DOING IT ALL T ere’s a joy in being a generalist. You get to work with all sorts of people and solve all manner of problems. T e variety and rapid learning curve are addictively fun. At the same time, you’re building the universal skills of your job, soaking up training and progressing through the ranks of certifi cation. If you’re relatively new to teaching, resist the temptation to
rush through this stage. We all know that crying children will test your patience, and spending a whole day in the beginner area is far from glamorous. But the work you do here will lay the foundation for everything else you do. Be wide-eyed and focus on becoming as versatile as you can. T is will pay dividends through the rest of your career. Once you have a few years of teaching under your belt, it will become clear to you which types of clients and lessons are the best fi t for you. If you love the variety of getting a new type of student at every lineup, there’s no need to change course. And, frankly, given how much the snowsports industry relies on converting beginners to lifelong skiers and snowboarders, veteran instructors who teach children as
well as introductory lessons are often worth their weight in gold. As Ben Roberts describes in the accompanying “Be a Master
of the Trade” segment, you can have a storied career by remaining open to all the possibilities that come your way. Or, as Karin Kirk points out in the ”Do More of What You Do Best” segment, you can also have great success by narrowing things down and pursuing a particular specialty. Of course, some combination of these approaches is also possible, and you can have more than one area of focus.
LOOK FOR THE PERFECT FIT FOR YOU If you’re established in your snowsports career, have you made a conscious choice of your path? Or has a path chosen you? Are you happy with it? Are you taking deliberate steps to develop and refi ne your skills? If you’ve chosen a specifi c course of action, periodically take time to revisit your decisions. Don’t change things constantly, but be sure to refl ect on your decisions and how well they fi t you. As you near the end of the season, now is the ideal time to take stock. If you’re in or approaching the later stage in your teaching career,
how have your decisions worked out? Are there opportunities for fi ne-tuning? Whether as a specialist or a generalist, which focal points are the most rewarding for you and how can you spend more of your time working in those areas? No matter what path you choose, remember that you’re the one in charge. Enjoy its winding road and all the places it takes you. But most of all, never stop learning!
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