A director with 3 seasons of experience, PhD student Carrie “The Editor” Grant initially heard about opportunities with iD Tech from a member of her graduate school department who had been an iD Tech director in the past. After talking with her colleague about iD Tech, Carrie decided to apply as a director.
Her initial motivation was because she was “a grad student and didn’t have summer funding” and she felt that she would be able to utilize her previous management experience. However, once Carrie got hired and started with iD Tech, she realized this was a summer job that offered much more than just a paycheck.
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Carrie Grant appeared on HuffPost Live in July, 2015.[/caption]
When asked about her favorite parts of the job, Carrie shared she loves the fact that she gets “to spend the summer having a blast with kids, it’s like going to camp yourself.” She has also appreciated being able to work in a context that makes a meaningful impact on kids’ lives. Carrie shares that iD Tech is, for some campers, “the place they fit in where they might not in other contexts.”
In her three summers with iD Tech, Carrie has had the opportunity to direct at several locations including overnight iD Tech Camps location Purdue and day camps held at Columbia, Berkeley Carroll (Alexa Café), and Queens College. Carrie has enjoyed working at both overnight camps and day camps because they provide different types of experiences for the camp staff. At a day camp, she says, it can be a little easier because “it’s nice to go home at the end of the day.” However, at a overnight location one can “get more camp culture and you get closer with the staff.”
When asked what advice she would give to someone who is looking to be a director with iD Tech, Carrie said, “Don’t be afraid to do it. It’s difficult for everyone that first week. But you’ll get into camp and things will fall into place. Don’t fear the responsibility.” She continues, “I was surprised by how much I loved running around all the time. I found it thrilling to manage check-in and parents and kids. I thrive in this type of operations department.”
For Carrie, a simple search for a way to have some summer income during grad school lead to a much more fulfilling experience than she had anticipated. She is looking forward to joining iD Tech for a fourth season in 2016 to continue with the #BestJobEver!
Interested in joining the iD Tech team? View all iD Tech Summer Jobs.