Gaining business experience as an anthropology major!

What an incredible summer I’ve had! I cannot even begin to describe how truly amazing and valuable my experience as a Branch Manager with Vector Marketing Canada has been. Many students go through school waiting for the years to pass by, looking to gain their meaningful work experience after graduation. How many of these students can say that they have encountered a life-changing experience before they’ve even graduated? Not many, but I can thanks to my management experience. Yes, there is a great opportunity to make a lot of income as a Branch Manager, but I believe that there is something even more valuable than the money to be made, and those are the skills that are gained.

The skills and experience I have gained as a Branch Manager this summer have not only helped me build my capacity and realize what I am capable of, it has also taught me not to place limits on myself. I have become a much, much stronger person after running an office and I’ve undoubtedly built a lot of resilience and gained a great deal of confidence. Starting out as a rep, I was a fairly shy person. I would only speak to people if they approached me first. I am so grateful that this experience has helped me come out of my shell and has helped me develop my communication skills. When I get complimented on my presentation skills by a professor, or even a friend, I without hesitation jump to answer “it’s because of my job”. What a remark to have! How many young people can say that they have gained skills from their job that are so valued and so transferrable that they can help them in any facet of their life? I am a huge proponent of the Branch Manager opportunity.

The skills and experience I have gained are not the only things I have learned from this experience. As an anthropology student, running a business was not what enticed me about this opportunity. I study people and various cultures and I have learned so much from the people I have met this summer. Whether they realize it or not, the people I have worked with this summer have taught me more than I could have imagined. I’ve met people from various parts of the world, allowing me to gain more firsthand insight into their cultures and lives. I’ve learned how to interact with a vast array of personalities, being able to mold my management style to suit each individual’s needs and to help them achieve their personal definitions of success. Having a hand in helping with the growth and development of others has been the most rewarding part of this experience so far and has helped me further increase my interpersonal skills. One of the main reasons I had decided to open up an office is because I wanted to help others, and this experience has allowed me to do exactly that, while allowing me to meet some amazing people, gain such valuable skills, and create some incredible memories that I will never forget.

I was able to build something from the bottom-up and loved my experience while doing it. A "Vector" is a quantity possessing both direction and magnitude…and this experience with Vector can take you to unbelievable places with both outstanding direction and great magnitude!