Opportunism in the DJ scene


Opportunism is an assumption that claims that human beings are generally self-interested and that they will take advantage of others and/or circumstances when possible. However, sometimes people don’t act opportunistically while they had the chance to do so. In my ECON490 class we discussed different reasons why this happens, such as good citizenship, unethical behavior and the fact that a lot of people are patient. The reverse, so that someone takes advantages of you, can also happen. In my following example of opportunism this was also the case. Moreover, I could also act opportunistically but I didn’t.

After graduating at high school, I chose to take a gap year instead of going straight to university. My brother, who is two years older than me, did the same two years before and went to Cambridge in England. So I followed his path and lived for 6 months in Cambridge too. The main reason why my brother didn’t go to university after graduating was because of my dad. He pushed him to learn the English language, explore the world and develop himself. Reluctantly he went to Cambridge alone and attended the language school Kaplan, but of course after the first days he knew that he would have the best time of his life. Thus for me the choice was very easy, I wanted to go there too and so did I.

During my first weeks in Cambridge I got in contact with a guy called George. George was a club owner and organized, especially international student, parties at other clubs. I got in contact with him because one of my hobbies is DJ’ing and producing music. When we met he asked me to DJ during a night in his own club and of course I wanted to. The first time that I DJ’ed was on a Tuesday night and George immediately knew that I could DJ quite well so he asked me to DJ more often in the future. And because I found George a good guy, I was happy to DJ more often in his club. Thus I started to DJ every Tuesday and Friday nights in his club and sometimes on Mondays or Thursdays in other clubs where he organized the international student party nights.

I really loved DJ’ing all these nights during my time in Cambridge, however I could have act more opportunistically. For my work as a DJ, George didn’t pay me. This was not a big deal for me, because I wasn’t in Cambridge to work and earn money. At that moment I was fine with just getting some free drinks and free entrance to other clubs. However I had the chance to act opportunism but I didn’t. I could claim more than what I was receiving from him. I could put pressure on him and threaten him to not show up during a night that I usually DJ’ed. He wouldn’t have a direct back up for that and I knew that. Nonetheless I didn’t do that, I didn’t act opportunistically while I had the chance.

            Not only could I have act more opportunistically, I could also stop the reverse of it, thus not letting them take too much advantages of me. I could refuse to DJ at more parties if I didn’t get compensation for example. During the nights when I was DJ’ing, the club was always pretty crowded, especially with international students. I assume that my different music style compared with the standard ‘radio-music’ house DJ’s, was one of the reasons for that. George wanted me to DJ at more international parties in different clubs and this was an honor for me. However, I could refuse that and take the risk of waiting for an offer with more compensation.

And why didn’t I act opportunistically? I think that the main reason is my personality. I am not that person who asks money for his class notes or summaries, and so didn’t I ask money either for my work as a DJ. Besides, once started DJ’ing more frequently without getting paid, I couldn’t just claim out of nowhere that he had to pay me. And again, I wasn’t in Cambridge to work and earn money, I was there to attend a language school and to develop myself. Thus, I was pleased with the free drinks and other privileges. Secondly, I was patient and thought that the good things would come out if I just waited and it kind of did. I received more and more privileges during my time in Cambridge and before I went back to Amsterdam, George got me a very nice present. Another reason was that I didn’t want to take the risk to loose everything in the DJ scene that I had built up. Acting more opportunism could probably lead too less DJ nights for me. In my opinion, the last two reasons can amount to the same thing, which is the main reason: personality. I think that personality plays a big role in the field of opportunism, especially when there is physical contact with the other person. When you see each other at least twice a week, it is hard to act opportunistically all the time.

Looking back at my time in Cambridge, I don’t regret that I didn’t act too opportunistically. I had the best 6 months of my life and one of the reasons for that is the fact that I could DJ in all the clubs. I made a reputation and made many connections in Cambridge. Furthermore, I had so many amazing nights that are unforgettable. I still have contact with George and I’m still grateful to him that he got me into the DJ scene in Cambridge. Even if I received some money for the work as a DJ, it wouldn’t change my time in Cambridge. I know I could act more opportunistically, but if I did it could also be a tipping point what could have led to not such nice memories of my DJ career in Cambridge.

Comments

  1. Professor ArvanSeptember 23, 2017 at 9:05 AM

    Before getting to the substance of your post, have you been in Champaign-Urbana long enough to find out whether there are DJ opportunities here too? Or can you only do that if you are not being a student?

    I thought your penultimate paragraph was quite rich with ideas about why one wouldn't act opportunistically. I especially liked the one about that down the road opportunities with being a DJ might be foregone if you were to act opportunistically in the moment. When you do the next Excel homework, I expect you'll find some parallel with that idea idea.

    It occurred to me after reading your piece whether you did your Cambridge visit before the British opted for Brexit. I assume that's true since it was right after high school for you. So I wonder if things are different now and whether you'd have gotten the same reception this past year.

    Another bit you might elaborate on is whether for others being a DJ is a job, or if it is a hobby like it is for you. I'm no expert on visa status, but I'd guess that if you are here on a student visa, that limits how much you can work. So I wonder if your arrangement with George was something of a work around for that or if what I'm asking mattered.

    The last thing you might elaborate on is your building a reputation in Cambridge. Does that have value for you, whether you go back there or not? I can imagine it was of value while you were doing the DJing, but not after.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. John Hicks Econ 490 fall 2017September 30, 2017 at 2:09 PM

      Around Champaign-Urbana there aren't really clubs; most of the nightlife are bars. Besides, with my J-1 Visa I'm also not allowed to work here, thus the DJ opportunities are not big. But I hope to meet some fellow DJ students, which can maybe help me into DJ'ing at some parties or events... we will see.

      When I lived in Cambridge there was no Brexit yet. I still know some people who live in Cambridge and they told me that after the voting day for Brexit, the amount of language students in Cambridge has decreased significant. It is also harder for certain citizens from certain countries to attend a language school in the UK, because their country has a bad reputation or is economically failing. During my stay in the UK I didn't need a Visa and I was allowed to work, because this was still possible because of free traffic and work opportunities in the Eurozone.

      The reputation valued me more during the time there, but still has a value to me. Especially when I talk to my friends which I made in Cambridge, we talk about the good memories and good experiences in Cambridge. My little brother went to Cambridge too and I visited him twice and also met George and other DJ's again. So whenever I come back there I still have contacts, which is great.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gift exchange is everywhere

The ability to work together in a team is very important. Not only is this the case during high school, university and work, but also just with daily life activities. I believe that no one can live his or her life without any help of others. It is in our nature that we have to depend on others to get certain things done and gain from it. Of course we make our own choices but most of the time others have influence on it. Working in a team requires helping each other because every person differs. This often leads to gift exchange as in the meaning of exchange of knowledge. One might have better skills in one area than another and by helping each other you can learn from each other. My own experiences with team production started when I was young. I have two siblings; one older brother and one younger brother, and we are raised with the vision to always help each other if needed. A memorable moment was the help of my brother in order to hide my teat. At a certain age, my parents...
Read more

Illinibucks options

As a new student to the UIUC I’m not really familiar with the things that are allocated to students on a first come first serve basis or on priority basis. However, I can still think about some things on campus where students could use Illinibucks, which would move the student to the head of the line. This would be registering for classes, dorm housing allocation and making an appointment in McKinley. I believe that Illinibucks would be most used for registering for classes if it would be introduced, mainly because certain classes are really high demanded. I got accepted to the university after the registering for the fall semester was opened, so when I had the chance to register for classes a lot of them were already full. If I could use Illinibucks I would spend them on the registering of classes, so that I could register for another course that I wanted to follow. Luckily ECON490 has a lot of options and that’s why I’m registered for four ECON490 classes. If this wasn’t the cas...
Read more

Decisions for the future

Filling your resume is assumed to be more and more important than before. Students are not only focused on getting a high GPA, but also trying to involve in organizations, having work and abroad experiences, and more. I believe that our current decisions as students are important for the future, however more roads lead to Rome. Thus, the decisions we make aren’t guarantees for a perfect job in the future. In my previous post about opportunism in the DJ scene, I’ve mentioned that I went to Cambridge because of my brother and dad. My father believes that taking a gap year after high school is an opportunity to live abroad, learn a language and to develop yourself. So after high school I went to Cambridge for 6 months and 2 months to California – Santa Barbara and San Diego - where I attended the language school Kaplan. I’ve achieved the Cambridge Advance Exam (CAE), made contacts all over the world and developed myself. This decision was also made with an eye toward the future, beca...
Read more