Day 3: Profile

When Service Manager for the Division of Student Life, Kyle Wells, is asked if this is his dream job, he hesitates for a second and replies, “No. I’m a fucking receptionist right now.”

Having interacted with Wells before, it is obvious that he is joking, at least partially. As Service Manager he does more than simply perform administrative tasks.

Wells, 29, is responsible for managing the UC 5^th floor front desk as well as operating a portion of the housing department.

Prior to becoming a faculty member at USF, Wells was offered a higher paying position in Portland, Oregon as a supervisor at a titanium casting plant. Although the job paid more than what he is currently making, he derives satisfaction from being able to provide service to both undergraduate and graduate students.

 “I wanted something more service focused and not just to build some shit and make some money,” he says.

Another aspect he appreciates about his job is being able to sport any type of hairstyle he wants, he says jokingly.

 With an epic Gandalf-like beard that simply cannot be ignored, it is inevitable for the conversation to veer off course. After being paid a compliment, Wells strokes his beard once and says with a smile, “The last time I shaved was when I interviewed for this job 2 years ago.”

Still, every job has its cons. As the date for housing arrangements approaches, he anticipates having to interact with frustrated parents over the phone concerned that their child is going to have to find a place to live off-campus.

Parents are generally nicer in person because they are “forced to confront the fact that you’re an actual human being,” he says.

Wells, who is also a current graduate student in the Organization and Leadership program, says he can relate to the struggle students face when searching for affordable housing in San Francisco.

With no apartment and no job lined up, he decided to move to San Francisco because it seemed like a progressive city. Luckily, one of the three people he knew in San Francisco had a friend who was looking for a roommate at the time.

The cost of living in this city is so high that it is impossible to find an apartment or house of your own, he says. San Francisco is slowly becoming socioeconomically homogenous. The diversity of the city is essentially disappearing and along with that comes the loss of different viewpoints and opinions, he says.

Wells was born in Japan and raised in Medford, Oregon before studying Philosophy at Seattle University. After college he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and join the Marine Corps.

One of the hardest adjustments he had to make when beginning his job at USF was the culture shift. Having been a Marine for four years, he says, tasks are communicated and performed differently. For example, being punctual does not seem to hold the same value among his peers.

But if there is anything he finds more irritating than tardiness, it’s poor gym etiquette. When asked about his interest in “heavy deadlifts” as posted in his bio on the USF webpage, he seemed to be very passionate about his fitness lifestyle.

Wells says he frequents the gym four times a week at 6:00 a.m. before work to avoid, “stupid gym bro jackassery” and people talking loudly and wasting his time.

He takes pride in staying in shape. When talking about his diet and gym routine, he leans in, takes his cell phone out of his pocket, asks, “Did you see me when I was fat?” and proceeds to show me a picture.

The remainder of the interview was charged with dry humored stories. On the topic of pets, he recalls recently having to euthanize his elderly decrepit cat. And although he likes cats, he was not at all sad about his loss, he says.

“The cat was on the brink of death.”

Possibly noticing the shocked expression on my face, he laughs and says, “I’m kind of a miserable unpleasant person…a little mean spirited.” Still, when coaxed to criticize USF, his positive comments discredit his previous statement.

As for what his dream job actually is, he says, “My dream job is to be independently wealthy…I keep buying lottery tickets so who knows.”