The Mind at Work by Mike Rose 3/11

            Throughout the book, The Mind at Work, Mike Rose exposes different job experiences that mask complex, moving environments where the worker is much more than they seem. The first chapter focuses on waitressing and the complex parts that play into the importance of the job. In the beginning of the chapter Rose describes his mom’s experience as a waitress and how she worked well in an intense environment. Rose then describes each aspect of the job including decision making, memorization, selectivity, economic benefits and intelligence. One of the interesting characteristics to me was that of attention selectivity, Rose states, “Attention is described in terms of its selectivity, a focusing on particular aspects of the environment” (14). He used the example of a disgruntled customer and compared it to a regular clanking his cup of coffee, while both are important, as the waitress you need to carefully select who you are going to be able to get to first. This reminded me of my job working at a city skate and ski rental shelter. At times there would be lines wrapping around the building and you would sometimes see the face of someone familiar. In that case they already know your work ethic and are more understanding then the brand-new face waiting for their equipment. Your attention naturally shifts from the familiar face to the new face and you grab their stuff first, while grabbing their equipment you grab the familiar face equipment at the same time, and everyone is happy. However, like waitressing you have to continually keep in mind customer service. If you hand out the wrong size equipment and the person has to come back and ask for a different size that’s strike one. Strike two is if you mess up twice and strike three is if you take so long exchanging their size that the size they need is rented out. You have to constantly be thinking on your feet and converting sizes, memorizing heights and moving people in and out of a line. While reading Rose’s work it made me realize how a job from the outside looking in may seem incredibly easy however, the mind is constantly challenged, and the choices being made are made under the constraint of the customer/coworker.