HOW TO BE A MASTER OF THE TRADE By Ben Roberts
many years of experience and I was inspired by their talent. Several were generalists; they served a diverse client base and skillfully took on any group or private assignment that came their way. Others were more specialized; one worked almost exclusively with adults looking for extremely disciplined instruction, another spent her winters high on the mountain guiding students of all ages through the most extreme terrain they could safely handle. I knew from watching them that I wanted to be really good at this job, but did that mean being a generalist or fi nding a specialty? During my second season teaching, I asked each of them how they got so good. While their accounts varied, each had consciously decided to develop and maintain the spectrum of skills required for true mastery of teaching snowsports. T e generalists explained that they were happiest and found themselves most in demand when working a little bit with everyone. T e specialists described themselves as happiest when working in their niche; they were less content outside of it. T ese conversations helped me endure the challenges of my fi rst few years teaching and they’ve continued to guide me as I’ve worked as both a generalist and a specialist. Models of career development tend to break pathways into early, middle, and later stages. Understanding the role of the generalist is especially important in the early and middle stages of an instructor’s career as you make decisions about job roles, training opportunities, and the overall direction of your career.
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CERT GOALS OFFER EARLY-CAREER GUIDANCE While each instructor’s path will be diff erent, four seasons of teaching is a typical timeframe for you to grow from a new instructor to a more mature level of skill development. Most instructors can expect to spend their fi rst few seasons working primarily with children in
arly in my career I worked alongside several instructors who were true masters of their trade. T ese men and women had
the beginner zone. While it may be frustrating at times, this makes sense from a business and learning perspective and is as good a place to start as any. From this humble beginning, with hard work, training, and a growing base of experience you will steadily improve and begin working with a wider range of students and types of lessons. During this period, instructors often gain higher levels of
certifi cation and more diverse lesson assignments. T is progression is refl ected in the requirements of PSIA-AASI’s certifi cation standards; it’s no wonder so many instructors use certifi cation goals to guide their skill development. T is increasing level of versatility makes you more valuable to your school, and the combination of work experience and certifi cation make you more marketable when applying for jobs. Instructors at this stage have mastered the
The generalists explained that they were happiest and found themselves most in demand when working a little bit with everyone. The specialists described themselves as happiest when working in their niche; they were less content outside of it.
fundamental skills of their profession. T is early career period is when you begin to get a sense of what aspects of teaching are most (and least) appealing to you. As your career moves to a stage of maturity, you’ll combine this personal understanding with your strong fundamental skills to become either a masterful generalist or perhaps move toward a rewarding future as a specialist.
POSSIBLE PATHS WIDEN AT MID-CAREER Once you’ve gained ownership of the fundamentals of teaching snowsports, you’ll have more options and pathways to consider as you strengthen this foundation. If you like the idea of being a generalist, continue working to become deeply skilled in the fundamental aspects of snowsports instruction. T is pathway involves digging deeper into your experience and understanding of learning styles, technical concepts and movement analysis, equipment design, industry trends, and guest service. You’ll also want to get comfortable working with guests who have a wide range of ages, ability levels, and backgrounds. T is approach may follow an established path, such as adding certifi cations and working toward becoming a school trainer and a divisional educator and examiner. It can be more specifi c to you and your situation and may simply be a matter of working hard to be skilled and in demand as the reliable and go-to instructor for any assignment in your school. If being a specialist is more appealing, continue deepening your
As a generalist, you may teach children in the morning and adult intermediates in the afternoon.
42 | 32 DEGREES • SPRING 2017
fundamental skills while also actively adding and refi ning skills in one or several specialty areas such as coaching racers or park competitors, working with specifi c client groups such as children, fearful adults, or yoga enthusiasts. Leading video sessions and working with bootfi tters are additional potential specialty areas to explore. Both paths off er the rewards of continuing to learn and develop.
CARL FREY, COURTESY OF COLORADO SKI COUNTRY USA
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