*Originally written by Taylor Castillo who quit
On Saturday, June 10 I walked across a stage and accepted my Bachelors Degree in Public Relations. This sounds like a major accomplishment and one of the most exciting time in one’s life, and it is. But it’s also one of the scariest transitions to make. For the last 18 of the 22 years that I have been alive, I have been in school and completing assignments in exchange for a grade. Now everything I do will reflect what I have worked for and will emulate the countless lessons I learned while in a classroom. For once in my life, I have no idea what is next. As terrifying as that is, it also reminds me that I can do anything.
One of the amazing things about working at a pub is the diverse conversations you can have with complete strangers. I have been at Iron Horse for about a year now and I have had some of the most eye opening conversations with travelers, parents, co-workers and regulars. Whether they know my life story or not, they are always honest and upfront with me.
*Sappy paragraph warning
Living in a small town while in college and working in a pub has made me realize that I see my regulars more than my own family. To be honest, most of them know more about my life right now than my own mother! Whether they’re just nice to us so they can get their beer refilled faster or not, I can tell that they genuinely care about the IHB servers and I couldn’t be more thankful for them. So to my favorite regulars (you know who you are) THANK YOU! You make my hard days better and on my good days you make me realize why I love my job so much.
If I had a dollar for every time I was asked the question, “What’s your plan after graduation?” or some variation of the question, I could probably pay off my students loans! (Maybe I should start charging people). Honestly, if I wasn’t working at IHB I would have absolutely no idea what I’d be doing now. Luckily, IHB has a thousand different opportunities to become more than just a “bar keep” and they encourage everyone to dabble in other departments.
I wasn’t too sure what the premise of this blog post would be, but it’s starting to become an appreciation post about my job and the people I interact with while I’m there. I truly feel lucky to work at a company where you don’t feel stuck in one position and where co-workers and customers ask you questions about your life because they actually care about your future or even how your day has been.
So to answer your question, whether you’re asking or not, I plan on staying at IHB for (at least) another year and growing within the indie beer industry. I want to become more involved in other areas of the company and dedicate more time to learning new things about what everyone else does outside of [ the pub ].
Some people may question why I am choosing to stay in Ellensburg another year, but it’s very likely that those people have never lived in Ellensburg before. There’s more to this town than people give it credit for and I am forever grateful for the experiences it has given me and the people it has introduced me to. Again, I apologize for the over the top sentiment, but I just graduated and I’m emotional so deal with it.
Cheers.
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