Day 3

So today was pretty much the best day ever. The hours were kind of weird, which meant that I didn't get home til nine, but I LOVED it. I actually had so much to say that I spent a whole hour telling Mom about everything that happened. I hope I remember to type everything up!

My hours today were 11 to 8,  give or take the time I spent setting up this morning and cleaning up this evening. We had Focus Groups today, which made the hours a little weird because they scheduled the groups at the convenience of the consumers.

Focus Group is when you get a room full of about 12 people and talk to them about a specific topic. Today's Focus Group demographic were Millennials, or people aged 21- 34. We had 3 groups that lasted an hour and a half each. The first group were single Millennials who live on their own. The second group were young mother Millennials with kids at home, and the third group were Millennials in committed relationships (either married or living with a significant other) but without kids. The variety of people who came in today was so fascinating.

Nancy, my mentor ( I don't think I've mentioned her name before, but it's Nancy and she's awesome.) moderated the groups. She had asked all of the Millennials to do some homework. Basically they had to prepare their life journey through cooking. The way people discussed their journeys was actually really neat. Some people brought in pictures, other people made collages or posters. They could present in whatever way they wanted and it was cool to see how some people interpreted the task.

While they were talking, Nancy would interrupt to ask a question or open a topic up to the rest of the group to weigh on in. These were the questions I thought were the most interesting because you got a feel for the larger demographic through the way that they responded. You could definitely see differences between the groups.

The single Millennials were generally adventurous. They had a real desire to learn more and to develop their skills. I think you could say that the desire to grow and to learn was a constant amongst all of the groups. A love of breakfast for dinner was also pretty popular. Anyone a fan of that? I know I am. And to see the way that some of them really jumped on the idea of eating breakfast for dinner- it was fantastic. One group talked about how easy it is, and another about how it's better for dinner because they don't have time in the morning.

One of my favorite things about today was that we were sitting behind a window that we could see out of, but they couldn't see into. So the consumers were talking to Nancy, but it felt like they were talking to us. Sometimes a person would come in and be really quiet for a while until it was their turn to present and then they would flourish and completely come out of their shell.

The goal for today was to screen a bunch of people to use as Millennial consumers for different products/ ideas McCormick will be coming up with. At the end of each session, Nancy asked the consumers to get into small groups, discuss a common problem and come up with a solution. It was fascinating because some groups came up with some really awesome and insightful ideas.

There were little nuances that appeared in each group that were just so interesting. After each group we discussed the Millennials and the things that jumped out at us. During the sessions, we had this post-it assignment. I'm sure those of you who really know me know how I adore post-its. Post-its = Love.

Melissa, one of our colleagues, set up 3 mega post-its labeled "validations" "aha" and "questions" They were color coded, so during the session, we would write something on a post-it and stick it to the mega post-it as data collection for later. (By later I mean tomorrow, when we are going to process the data that we captured today.)  It was awesome. And you know, I really felt involved today. It was crazy for me to think that these adults actually wanted me to participate! I know, I probably shouldn't be so surprised, but it just really shocked me.

The first time I went up to post a post-it I could feel my face was hot and I was so nervous. I tentatively pressed the sticky side of my post-it to the mega post-it and walked back to my seat, glad that the room was dark so that no one would notice how relieved I was to have broken the ice and jumped into the post-it work. Once I'd done it the first time, I was a post-it writing fiend! I tell ya, I was on a roll.

Another job of mine was to create a diagram of the table when the Millennials sat down. At the beginning of the session, I would draw the table on a big post-it and write all of the names of the Millennials according to where they were sitting at the table. If anyone said something particularly shocking or interesting, I would also write that underneath of their name so we could remember it when discussing them later.

Today really opened my eyes to the possibilities that are open to me in the work place. In my search for a career path over the past few years, I struggled initially until I decided that I wanted to be a writer. I love to write, and I love different languages, so I figured those were good things to go on. But today I decided that I want to interact with people. All of these people had stories, and to allow them to tell their stories was thrilling. I love interacting with people. I need it. I don't want to be stuck in a cubicle all day, or isolated in a room by myself all the time.

That said, I also know that I love to write. Writing needs to be a part of my job because it's something I have a deep passion for. I feel very comfortable with writing, and would love to be able to do that every day. So, can I find a job that will allow me to write, cook, talk with people, travel, and speak multiple languages all at the same time? Probably not. I just don't know what to do.

Today was completely exhilarating and interesting! I found a real excitement watching Millennial trends and questioning why they were doing what they were doing. There is something so...gosh I don't even know the right word....so fantastic about being that person behind the scenes who can listen to customers' opinions and formulate ideas based on what they want. I can't even fully articulate how marvelous it was.

Oh! Also, these Millennials were very inspiring. Being at the beginning of my adult life, I could look at many of their experiences as possibilities for my future food life. Listening to them made me want to cook more often and to be more creative! (And actually I'm already planning on making dinner Saturday night. Stay tuned, maybe I'll post some pictures.)

Although there was no fun food to test today, we were fed a delicious lunch and dinner, and I made friends with the woman who works at the front desk of the T.I.C. building. When Breanne and I came in today, she exclaimed, "The girls are here!" Tell me a greeting like that wouldn't make you want to smile. The people at McCormick are the nicest people ever. Then again, I'd probably be nice too if I worked with food! (But a quick note on our meals- the salad we had for lunch was beautiful and so tasty and really easy to do at home. It had feta cheese, cranberries, caramelized walnuts, and this sweet and slightly tangy dressing. Seriously delicious. I want to remake one at home, now.)

Awesome. Today was awesome. I've run out of positive adjectives at this point. The only problem I'm having now is that I don't know what to do with my life. But, oh well. I mean, I have some time to figure it out. CMU is perfect for me so whatever I do, I'll be getting a great education. What that education is going to be? Maybe a little writing, a little talking....we'll cross that bridge later.

Tomorrow is going to have big shoes to fill after all the fun of today. Luckily I have more Focus Groups to look forward to next Wednesday. I can't wait!  

But for now, I'm off to bed. :)