not really in jest. I’ve come across quite a few Davis interns that think they’re either above doing the average daily tasks, or who think that they should be in charge and manipulate other interns into doing their work. As well as the general “book smart / never worked a day in their lives” syndrome that I’ve noticed comes with graduating from that certain institution.
On the other hand - there have been a few gems from there that I truly digged. Even turned a few of them into some pretty solid friends!
Davis is really trying. They really do emphasize that there are many ways of doing things, how much work winemaking really is, how there’s no substitute for hands on experience, etc. The classes are tough. Certainly, many of them went straight to college and don’t know what work is.
Ugh. I’ve had to deal with a couple employees like that, trying to tell me how things should be done - at the beginning of training! How about I train you, you work for awhile, and then, if you have suggestions for improvement I’ll listen, because we do evolve. The other issue was a couple (entitled) high school students who were conditioned to thinking 90% correct is an ‘A’. Not here, bro.
Anyway, my advise regarding Davis students is they are applying to do real work. If they have a real work background, then they should have an idea what they’re in for and how to behave, and Davis will be a plus. If not, they’ll probably be a pain in the ass.
How many copies of the book did you sell, Mary? (not sure if you are even still around here)
Anyhow, was reading a bit about the helicopter crash in Afghanistan earlier this month, especially since a couple of the young men on board were from the North Coast and one from Napa County.
They had obits for a few of the guys. In one obit, it was mentioned that the Chief Petty Officer had a saying that I thought was apropos for this subject: “There’s [grammar is correct] two ways of doing things: doing them right or doing them again”. If there ever had to be a nutshell bit of wisdom for cellar interns or people in our line of work in general, I suppose that would be it.
I wound up with a great crew last year. Got one guy back for this year, which I am thrilled about, and a couple new folks who have decent experience. Looking forward to another interesting one, as I’m going to guess that it will be very compressed once we get going. Tonnage will be down, though, so capacity may not be much of an issue. All the more reason to minimize mistakes and be very diligent.
Hi Nate! That’s a great saying … ! And that was a tragic loss, so sorry to hear some of the young men are from your area.
I moved a surprising number of books for an ebook in a niche market, especially considering I wrote it more for fun than anything else. I think the review by Eric Arnold really helped move copies - he’s so funny. Plus, a short excerpt will be in the October 2011 Wine Enthusiast.
