posted
I have worked many jobs in my life. Some of them were temp jobs. Some were summer jobs. Some were second jobs. Some were second jobs where I got promoted and they became first jobs. Some were awful jobs that did not last very long. However, I've never been fired (but in high school I was once asked not to come back to a job after taking a week off). I challenge anyone to come up with a list that exceeds my jobs list.
WARNING - if anyone decides to include volunteer jobs, it will force me to pull out my second list. Also, different jobs with the same company or the same job more than once does not count.
My jobs:
Nelson Repair Service – inventory clerk (summer) Pizza Inn – waiter, delivery driver Valley View Mall/Sears – new store set-up personnel (week job) Stop-in Convenient Mart – inventory and stocking clerk (week job) Reardan Greenhouse – flower caretaker (summer) Graybill Masonry – brick masons’ helper/mud boy (summer) ARA Food Services – server, caterer, camp dishwasher Mr. Ghatti’s – pizza delivery person (2nd job) Abee Distributers – vacuum cleaner salesperson U.S. Army – specialist, private first class (basic training only) Wal-Mart – stock-person/cart pusher East Tennessee Travel Agency – corporate salesperson Flowers Bakery – seeding machine operator (temp worker) Rittenhouse Paper – paper-splitter operator (temp worker) King Video/Moovies – video store clerk, assistant manager Baptist Children’s Home – residential counselor Movie Starz – video store assistant manager Blockbuster – video store clerk (2nd job) Minnick Educational Center – assistant teacher /bouncer Sam’s Club – cashier, front-end area manager First Team Auto Mall – automobile salesperson, Internet salesperson Hart Motors – automobile salesperson (1 week) Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare – mentor Roanoke County Schools – substitute teacher (2nd job) Franklin County Schools – teacher Dominion Youth Services – residential counselor, after-school counselor EHS – mental health counselor
Only one of these jobs was challenging but it just drove me to the Nut house twice and I will give you a clue, I am not out yet.
Farm hand, Pet food deliver, Army Navy Ranger Surplus Store, Cart boy/ janitor at Giant Foods, Cashier at Magruder’s US Army Combat Engineer made it to SPC in 2 years, was demoted 2 months ago to PFC was deployed to Afghanistan for 15 months 15 March 2007 to 1 June 2008, Professional Hippie Exterminator (more of a hobby) Breeder, Owner, and Handler of show dogs, (my next job/ hobby) Cowboy on my buddies ranch in Walden Colorado as soon as I am out of the army. Veterinarian Assistant once I get my GI bill. Professional Weed grower and smoker.
posted
I don't think I can top your list Phil but I'll list anyways.
Babysitter Day Care assisstant teacher Summer Camp Counselor Stage Crew Nanny Real Estate Broker Assisstant Private Piano Teacher Private Flute Teacher General Music Teacher Wedding Piano player Piano Accompanist
posted
I've done lots of things, but most of them not for money. (This includes writing, but that part of it wasn't my idea.)
I went from a bookstore to college to slopping burgers (at three different places) to the postal job I have now---except that has gone from LSM operator to manual letter thrower to manual flats thrower to FSM operator to DBCS operator.
Party Hostess--49th Street Galleria (and ice cream scooper, pizzaria, Orange Julius, Taco Bell and cotton candymaker, but all on the same paycheck, or my list would be WAY longer)
Worked in the gift shop at Bryce Canyon National Park
Little Caesar's--very short stay
Wendy's--very short stay
Graduate assistant
gave intelligence tests for schools in rural Utah
tutor
special education teacher at a middle school, the department chair of the special education department
adjunct college professor
piano teacher
MOM, which trumps everything, so I win!
Not quite as many as I expected, but still, it's an interesting mix. I'd count writer, but you said it couldn't be anything I'm volunteering for. Any day now, I'll be a professional. Melanie
[This message has been edited by Unwritten (edited August 20, 2009).]
posted
Well, Unwritten, you've inspired me to include my list:
babysitter
grocery store bagger
fortran 4 programming intern
paid to try to learn machine language for a job that didn't work out (had learned basic, sort of, before that)
research assistant in a mechanical engineering department at a university (included doing some work at a bioengineering lab)
registrar's office file clerk at the same university
records and registration clerk at same registrar's office
gathered extracted wisdom teeth from oral surgeons and blasted them with lasers to determine safety margins for using lasers on teeth (part of my master's degree program)
taught 9th grade pre-algebra
taught aerobic dance at a YMCA
taught short story writing and workshop at a high school community education program
writer (as in started selling stories)
writing workshop administrator for Orson Scott Card
taught high school physics for a summer school program at above university
taught home/hospital physical science course at a drug rehabilitation treatment center
started a part-time computer genealogy business that has expanded to some computer tech help on occasion
and, as with so many others, MOM (which I agree, includes so many nonremunerated jobs that it should trump anyone's list, except that I think this topic is for paying jobs)
Professional Pyromaniac, (I like to burn things) Singer in a Rap group in Afghanistan called RCP3 named after my Platoons call sign, And Latin student. (using Rosetta Stone and it is surprising quite easy.)
posted
Well some of my jobs I do for free. Like Professional Pyromaniac, when ever something needs burning I go and burn it.
The Professional Hippie Exterminator, that’s what I call a community service. If I find hippies I infiltrate their commune, get them to trust me, and then poison their food. All hippies are allergic to meat. I haven’t seen a single hippie who eats any animal product. Hence it’s the most affective poison to kill hippies.
US Army Combat Engineer go to your local recruiting office and sign up. As a SPC I made $1920.90 a month plus $323.87BAS, $656.00 BAH. I don’t know what BAS and BAH are short for but hay its money. As a PFC $1821.13 a month, plus $323.87 BAS, $656.00 BAH.
As a Breeder, Owner, and Handler of show dogs, it depends on the breed, show, and if you are lucky to brake even breeding QUALITY puppies not just a backyard breeder you relay cant live off it.
There is a lot of money in the Weed business.
As a Rap Singer, that was just for fun but, if you e-mail me I can rip you a copy of the songs we recorded in Afghanistan and mail it to you for a small fee.
posted
I forgot to add mom. I get paid, my husband gives me money every week, oh wait that's for groceries.
Posts: 968 | Registered: Jul 2008
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*Janitor - When I was 14 I cleaned school bathrooms. I now have a deep-seated hatred cleaning bathrooms. I'm good at it! I just don't like it. I never applied for this job. My brother said he was going to a different job and his current job needed someone to substitute. I ended up filling in a lot for him until I just took the job over. At 14 I certainly didn't mind the money
*Movie Theatre - My first real job! And my go-to job whenever I moved. I always knew there'd be a theatre that would hire me. I already knew how to pop the popcorn, smile, and upsell people from that $4 small to that $4.75 large! I've worked at 6 different theatres for 3 different chains.
*Gofer - For an alarm company, I basically ran errands, delivered yard sign/window stickers, picked up parts and took them to installers who forgot them...ect.
*Secretary - I had a lot of temp secretary jobs. Between 10 and 15 if I'm not forgetting any. Most only lasted 2 weeks. I had one stint as a Home Loan Processor that lasted 7 months. The day after I got married the boss gave me a $100 gift card as a wedding present from all my co-workers and then let temp agency tell me the next morning that I had been laid off. :P
*Operator - 3 month temp job. I discovered I'm not very good at understanding anyone with any kind of accent. I'm great at handling an emergency happening right in front of me. I'm terrible at handling one over the phone.
*Quality Control - This was supposed to be a 6 month job but I only lasted a week. First, I can't stand ciggy smoke. Everyone there smoked and reeked of it. Two, inspecting drawings of circuit boards all day was BORING. Three, my co-workers would tell me 'These are circuit boards going into airplanes!' and I would think 'Great! It's a good thing you wanted someone with NO experience whatsoever with circuit boards inspecting these plans to make sure they're correct!' No pressure. Really. The anti-static electricity lab coats were pretty cool.
*Graphic Designer - I worked a two-week temp job at a publishing company when they had a bunch of backup. It was the first and last temp job that my agency hooked me up with that had anything to do with what was on my resume. I amused me greatly that they had a 'back-up' of work so bad that they needed a temp graphic designer and yet, one of my co-workers told me to pace myself. Perhaps if he didn't 'pace himself' there would be less back-up? I was proud that I worked through their pile of projects in a week and a half. I'm sure at the time I hoped to make a good impression as an excellent and accurate graphic designer. Now looking back, if I had 'paced myself' maybe I would have been able to stretch out the job a little longer? I've also learned that pacing yourself makes sure that you can predictably get any job done within a certain amount of time. Customers who've never received their finished product before 5 days will never expect their finished product before 5 days. That gives you plenty of time to allow for snags and busy times.
*Website Designer/Programmer - I've had this job on and off for nearly my whole working career. Most of the time I got paid. Sometimes I didn't. Sometimes I'd do a website just for fun. Eventually this lead me to volunteering for a gaming fansite.
*Site Manager - And now to my current job. My volunteer job at a gaming fansite eventually had me moving up to the paid positions. I've found a job that I absolutely love. Nothing get's boring and I get all my creative juices flowing.
posted
Several of you ladies have included "motherhood" as the trump-all job. In my list, I included the position of residential counselor. I did get paid for this, but it was so inconsequential that it barely surpassed charity. Though that position did not include giving birth (which I consider a totally diffenent issue and would love to discuss painful hospital visits in the future), it would be compared to being a single parent with shared custody of 8-10 children ages 11-18 all with mental health issues and tons of medication that seemed to never work effectively. I did this job for 3 years at one place and 1 year at another.
Here is a calculation of how this should equate to motherhood:
8 children (my average number)+ 1 (paperwork - documenting their daily activities and medication)= 9 Times 4 years = 36 years Times 2 (at least) for all having serious mental health issues (like schizophrenia, emotional disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, bipolar disorder, etc.) = 72 years Divided by 2 (shared "parenthood" - even though most of you had husbands at some point) = 36 years (a wash)
Therefore, that particular job is like raising 2 supposedly neurotypical children up until the age of 18. This does not include the fact that they were all teenagers and that I had never seen them back when they were "cute". This does not include all the fights with kids beating each other up or throwing each other out of closed windows. It does not include threats and attacks on me. It doesn't include the medical and psychiatric visits (about 2-3 a week) for them. And to the favor of all of you mothers out there, it doesn't include my right to quit at any time I wanted, which was priceless.
I also have my own child, and he's still cute at this point in time. Although I'm a father, I can attest that he has not been as taxing to my wife so far, and we do share responsibilities.
[This message has been edited by philocinemas (edited August 22, 2009).]
posted
Impressive list, IB. Were they all at different businesses or comapanies? - that was part of the rules (the various lobster and tatoo jobs seem a little suspect).
Posts: 2003 | Registered: Jul 2008
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posted
You worked in an eggplant? Impressive. I had no idea they grew that large. Pumpkin I would understand, but eggplant? Neat.
I think I've worked seven jobs in my life. I did, however, work four part time jobs at the same time for a period of three months. M-Sat.
* Substitute at a daycare, warehouse worker for a vitamin company(I sorted out any damaged or imperfect vitamins) Cook for a different day care, and Theatre Usher.) I worked from seven in the morning through lunch break until almost eleven every night.
1 - Family restuarant chain - worked here from 16- 22 in every position thinkable, from dishwasher to supervisor to host.
2 - Selling "Directories" - Turned out to be a shady scam tricking people into buying a useless Data CD. Didnt stick around long, and, surprisingly, not my most despecable job.
3 - Call centre - worst job ever, cold calling selling newspapers? blahhhh, lasted a week.
4 - Pay day loans call center - worked as an authenticity officer lol. If any of you poor souls have had to use this disguisting service I was the guy that looked over your information and asked you to send in more and told you you were only okay'd for a fraction of the money you needed. THIS was the most dispicable job I had. These businesses are loan sharks and do nothing but perpetuate a depressing financial cycle for people. They should be ashamed of themselves and I felt like a dirty rat every time i went to work here. Lasted 4 months, I was pretty good at it.
5 - Financial Analyst for a window company - First Big person job right out of college. It sucked, I had no idea wtf I was doing. Stayed there for a little over a year.
6 - Project accountant - What I do know. I crunch numbers for a large construction entity on their paving and construction jobs. Not the most interesting, but its honest work and pays good. Been doing it for just over 3 years now.
posted
Thanks to Devnal, I remembered another job that had been pushed back to the deepest part of my subconscious mind:
I also worked for one week as a telemarketer for AOL Yellow Pages.
In a related "job", which I won't count because I never got paid for it, I "sold" for an independent long distance company called Excel - it ended up being a pyramid scheme.
So that makes 29 jobs (not including different positions within the same company).
posted
Different Jobs. If I listed them, they were different jobs. And, though the Lobster jobs (all but trap builder) were at the same company, they required different training--so, I consider them different.
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posted
Well, the apprenticeship wasn't with a company, but with an artist. Until Joe Kubert's school came along, that's the way it was done. I began an apprenticeship under Jon Bogdanove (who created Steel, the movie they hacked so bad it starred Shaq), and learned tips from various other artists. Eventually, tattooing--which pays much more and is in further demand--stole me away. The instant gratification (praise from the client) sealed the deal. But Jon taught me much. I employ many of the techniques and skillsets he taught me in the tattooing and design process.
Posts: 3687 | Registered: Jan 2007
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posted
The 250 lb. 14 year-old at the school was fat. However, at the group home I had a 250 lb. 14 year-old who was about 5'11'' and had been working out for 2 years.
Oh, and I remembered another job. While I was in college, I worked as a trainer/salesperson at a gym for about 3-4 months.
That makes 30 jobs (not including different positions within the same companies).
posted
OK, I am sure I will not beat anyone, but it's an interesting exercise... Looks like the arc is from self-employment to...well.. self-employment....LOL
1. babysitter (self employed) 2. hostess (some random coffee shop in Las Vegas) 3. hostess (Grand Canyon, South rim) 4. phone answerer, Nevada National Guard office 5. J.Rich Sports (sales) 6. Oklahoma National Guard SP4, clerk-typist 7. Some weird Mexican Restaurant in Norman Okla (waitron) 8. The Mont, Norman Ok (waitron) 9. Copper Kettle, Norman OK, (waitron) 10. Liberty Drug Bar, Norman OK, (cocktail waitron--meant I had to smack drunks) 11. The Street Restaurant, Norman OK (cook, waitron and then manager) 12. Univ Of OK, Dept of Chem- lab assistant, research assistant, instructor 13. Univ of Wisconsin Dept of Vet Science, Post Doc 14. Applied Biosystems (18 yrs and tooo many jobs to mention....) 15. lesliedow.com (self-employed)
posted
LAJD-You have a Ph.D in Chemistry, so do I.
I am going for the least number of jobs.
1. Babysitting 2. Swimming pool cashier 3. Clerk at sports store 4. File clerk at doctor's office 5. Tutor 6. Clerk at hallmark 7. Teaching Assistant (undergrad) 8. Research Assistant (undergrad) 9. Grad school-TA and RA 10. Post-doc 11. Adjunct professor at community college 12. Adjunct professor at University
Wow, I am amazed at all the jobs I have had.
[This message has been edited by MAP (edited September 01, 2009).]
quote:Wow. I wasn't trying to beat you. I was just surprised (once I actually listed them) how many I'd had.
Sorry, IB - I just got a little competitive there - I haven't won anything for a while. Don't worry though, I don't have any plans of looking for a new job. Nevertheless, it amazes me that I'm still coming up with jobs I had forgotten all about.
I wonder if I should include when I was 10 and sold christmas cards and novelties for one of those companies that used to advertise on the back pages of comic books...
1. Concessions/Usher/Ticket Booth at the local movie theatre (Does this count as one or three? 2. The Fun Tunnel- Arcade 3. Contracted Tutor 4. Freelance Tutor (I count this because they were in two different places for different subjects. 5. Pants Presser- Dry Cleaners (I had this job for four hours) 6. Waiter 7. Petsitter (Do this regularly enough to call it a job) 8. Usher at the local community college 9. Drive-Thru Bank Teller 10. Contracted Writer- A company that produces and distributes dinner murder mystery game kits 11. Babysitter (When I was younger) 12. Governor's School for the Arts Counselor
So I have a total of 12 or 14, depending on how you count number one. I'd say count it as one, so my total's 12.
Hi MAP, Yes, I do...however it's not *real* chemistry..its what they used to give to Mol Bio people who snuck into the chemistry dept to study Biochem....8)
and I mostly managed software engineers, anyway. 8)
quote:Hi MAP, Yes, I do...however it's not *real* chemistry..its what they used to give to Mol Bio people who snuck into the chemistry dept to study Biochem
Lol, well I studied biochemistry too and I am well acquainted with you sneaky Mol Bio people. So in my book it is a *real* chemistry degree.
posted
I limited this list to jobs that had tax implications, one way or the other, because the other list wasn't very manageable. It's a pretty ecclectic list for someone turning 29 next week: (I've commented some of the more radical changes for your entertainment)
1. Property Maintenance (sweeping & light gardening) - I was 11, I'm pretty sure having a kid sweep up the parking lot adjoining a bar was a bad judgment call, but I liked having pocket money. 2. Office Assistant 3. Data Entry 4. Receptionist 5. Security Guard (private parties & raves) 6. Undercover Shopper - I sucked at this job, see below. 7. Cashier 8. Web Design 9. Used Car Sales - This is when I learned I hate sales. 10. Pizza Delivery Driver 11. Movie Theater: Usher, Box Office Cashier - Got fired for 'gross insubordination'. I wish I had that write-up still. 12. UPS: Truck Loader - Lost 30 lbs in the first six weeks! 13. Sandwich Engineer - Gained em right back 14. US Army: Cryptologic Linguist 15. Bouncer 16. Barback 17. Associate Producer for late night radio show - Got cancelled when the host decided to show his privates on his personal website linked to the CBS site. 18. Advertising Sales Manager 19. ESL Instructor K-5 - Prolly my favorite 'job' to date, never felt like work. 20. File Clerk 21. Liquor Store Clerk (1 night) 22. WalMart: Door Greeter 23. VA: Emergency Telephone Operator - Quiet town, I'm "working" right now. *lol*
[This message has been edited by lbdavid98 (edited September 17, 2009).]
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