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me, I worked at a small resturant cleaning and making salad dressing for four years. What did everyone else do?
Posts: 3493 | Registered: Jul 2001
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1 summer menial labor building a fence for minium wage. 1 summer working as a reasearch assitant for the MechE department at the University of Colorado (reasearching thermal actuators in MEMS)
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I had jobs that insisted we never, ever use the term "yall."
And we walked twenty miles! Each way! Uphill! In the snow! And the dinosaurs would eat my friends walking with me, which is why we travelled in large packs, leaving the fat ones in the back for easy pickings!
I still hear Fat Billy screaming in my dreams...
Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002
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I work at a pet supply store, but half of it is set up with tubs where people can come and wash their dogs and cats (though mostly dogs- the cats don't appreciate it very much). My job is so much fun! Posts: 70 | Registered: Jul 2003
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Hmmmm. High school (during the school year) babysitting/housecleaning. During the summer, retail sales at a neat touristy store (with the old fashioned register where you actually had to be able to count money back.) We sold the usual junk, but I also got to work with all the craftspeople learning how to dip and carve candles, work with leather, make jewelry, and all sorts of other nifty things.
Then life as an intern started with writing and formatting newsletters, grantwriting, fundraising, volunteer coordination, staff directing, family support, community collaboration building . . . and then paid work. Oooohhhhh.
Of course, we haven't touched the volunteer experience which includes working with locked up juveniles and adults, street outreach for the county HIV/AIDs taskforce, literacy tutoring for the school, board of directors for various non-profits.
I think I know why I'm tired alot . . . sigh. Lots of good experience, though - looks great on a resume!
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I worked for three years as a swim aide (although I worked three years previously as one) and one year as a full-fledged swim instructor.
Posts: 873 | Registered: Apr 2003
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There are so many. Here they are in order from the beginning of high school to the end of college. Ten points if you can guess which one was the highest paying.
waitress in a truck stop
intern in Attorney General's office
intern in Ob/Gyn Office
professional stage manager
drama camp counselor
ID checker for activities building (since torn down)
Engineering library asst.
waitress in upscale restaurant owned by the Chinese mafia
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I worked as a gigolo for a few years when money was tight. And not one of the high end ones, either, that get catered to by rich, good looking women who would rather order their meat delivered instead of picking it up at bars and parties. No, I was no Richard Gere. I was forced to service the bottom of the barrel - the old ladies who had just hit it big on the nickel slots at the local Native American casino. They're called One-Armed Bandits, but it seemed like a thousand when one of those dames cornered me. Those gnarled, arthritic hands reaching, clawing at me...I have intimacy problems to this day from that time in my life.
When Nate (T_Smith) was talking about putting on those orange tights for those women, I just wanted to scream at him "No! Don't do it! Can't you see it's not worth it?! Don't you realize what it'll do to you?!"
*sobs quietly in the corner, curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth*
Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sep 2003
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My work history boils down to retail and dishes. Sadly, I miss the dishes. Now I work in a hospital. Better pay. Better benefits. Plenty of dull moments (graveyard shift), but what excitement there is more than makes up for the boredom.
Posts: 1090 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Children's clothing store clerk, assistant to president of the county mental health association, record store clerk (vinyl records, cds didn't exist then ), assistant sales engineer for an electrical equipment supplier, contract programmer.
Posts: 968 | Registered: Sep 2003
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Just figured the truckers would tip higher than the families at the country restaurant, and all the other jobs looked like they wouldn't pay as much as waitressing.
[ December 11, 2003, 01:03 AM: Message edited by: ana kata ]
Posts: 968 | Registered: Sep 2003
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I was a waitress at two different restaurants in high school. My very first job was at an Italian fast food place in Missoula, a 45-mile drive from my house. But such is Montana.
In the summers, I would change irrigation pipe at 6 am and 6 pm every day. Fun, fun! Especially when gophers would climb into the pipes and then you'd hook them up to the water and... well, the sprinkler head on the end would be a little clogged. (eew! babd memories!)
The best, though, was when I'd get to work during July and August picking raspberries. I got paid by the number of flats I brought in filled rather than by the hour, which meant I got to eat as many as I wanted.
In college, I wrote for the campus newspaper for a semester, but quit when they wouldn't let me do opinion columns. I was a brat, yes. Then I was humbled by spending a summer as an assistant manager at Quizno's. Fast food is always fun.
Then I was a nanny for a semester, and then I got a job at a flower shop, where I worked as a delivery driver, clerk, part-time designer, and eventually just "hurry! come fix the computer!" girl.
Now I'm an assistant (office gopher) for the French Review and I get to process people's submissions and send them rejection letters. I also grade art history exams for the survey class. It's not bad until you get to exam number 248...
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-paper route -cashier, seater, host, meat carver, and lineserver at a restaurant -College Athletic ticket office -telephone installation/repair technician -sports merchandising office -vender at fireworks, parades, festivals -pizza delivery
i think that's it.
the best and worst was vending. it was really hard work and long hours. but the pay was ridiculous. All cash and varied on how good a seller you were, and the event. On the 4th of july you'd easily work over 24 hours straight and 3 different events in that time. on your feet, walking the whole time, possibly in sweltering hot weather. but it was also easily $1000 cash or more.
pizza delivery was also quite lucrative, and really fun. and frustrating at times, but mostly fun.
Teaching Assistant (Intro to Arch for Freshman) Research Assistant (Donald Judd and Architecture in Marfa) Student Assistant (Print lab at the Architecture building) Freelance Drafter (two projects during the semester) Freelance Graphic / Layout Designer (Three projects over the semester)
Some rendition of those have been done throughout most of my college years. I spent a summer as a landscaper (labor, not designer). Insert several architectural internships in here as well.
In HS, I was line help at a Cici's, and then an unofficial assistant manager for the same Cici's (that lasted about three years.) My senior year in HS, I was a loader for UPS in Dallas.
These jobs ranged from 5.15 an hour up to 12.00 an hour.
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In high school I always teased my friends about how I hadn't sold my soul to "the man" because I didn't have a real job. But I did deliver papers for seven years (obviously not all those years were in high school. I'm not THAT dim). It was awesome, I really loved seeing the sunrise every morning and being the first person to walk through freshly fallen snow. I also got to know all my customers pretty well. Good times. Then, of course, there was the odd job on some local farm. "Get your nose to the ground and your arse in the air and plant those potatoes!"
Then the summer before university I worked at an arts camp and spent most of my time teaching juggling. Such a fantastic experience, maybe the best I’ve ever had. Why am I in science again?
As for university jobs. I spent one term designing and testing pesticide alternatives (all involving pheromones) and another testing pre natal feeding tubes for carcinogenic plasticizer concentration. Then this past summer I worked for the university doing method development for a new lab that's coming in in 2005. I've also had my stints as a biochemistry TA. But the most fun was working for big pharma designing drugs. I'll be back there in January, huzzah! (money makes the world go around, the world go around)
Yes, in case you’re wondering, the only way to go through school is with a decent co-op program. I've actually turned a profit on my education, not to mention 2 years of work experience.
Posts: 3243 | Registered: Apr 2002
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* I worked in a movie theater for over 4 years * College English tutor for 2-3 semesters * Library worker for several semesters * Cashier at Hastings Books, Music, and Videos one summer * Reluctant babysitting, from time to time
Posts: 1990 | Registered: Feb 2001
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When I'm here at school, I basically have a glorified paper route ("distribution" of the student newspaper), but don't laugh--it's one of the highest paid student jobs on campus, per hour. $100 split between myself and my roommate for about 2.5 hours of work is pretty good. And we have a lot of fun as we do it, too.
Temporary type things: Swim instructor for the YMCA backyard pool program--one of my favorite jobs, but only because my co-workers were awesome. Swim instructor/lifeguard for a private gym. Childcare provider for the same gym--this was a great first job, even if the pay was unbelievably crappy. Cashier at Walgreens--*shudder.* Sorta-kinda bartender-type at concert places--wonderful for people-watching, but that's about it. Instructor for The Princeton Review--well, when they finally gave me my money, they paid pretty well. Really, though, the frustration caused by their disorganized offices really makes them a less than worthwhile company to work for. Private tutor/editor--nice.
Posts: 3801 | Registered: Jan 2000
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Do you really want me to go through all my jobs? Okay, fine, I will.
In high school, I washed dishes and cooked at Ponderosa Steak House. I worked there for three years solid. To this day, I have not worked anywhere longer than that, although in a half a year I will have three years at my current job.
In college, I slaved for 9 horrid months in the hellhole that is Brick Oven's dishroom. The work was nonstop, and no matter how fast I got, I could never keep up. The owner refused to let us use hot water for anything but the dish machine. I was soaked from head to toe and smelled of mold at the end of every shift. I think I started going a little crazy there. I would regularly throw plates or bowls at the wall without much forethought, and I started getting the paranoid suspicion that everyone was dumping all their problems on me.
The summer after my freshman year, I worked up at Aspen Grove Family Camp on Mt. Timpanogos as a cook. That was the summer when I met and dated my wife-to-be for the first time, and it was a happy four months.
Then I dragged myself back to Brick Oven and worked in the pizza kitchen for another year. Not as bad as dishwashing, but still incredibly busy and unpleasant.
I finally got a job as a proofreader for F.A.R.M.S. and held a short ceremony in which I threw away my restaurant-working pants for good. Shortly thereafter I got a job as an editor for BYU Independent Study, and paved the way (as I like to think) for Jon Boy's future employment there. I also worked part-time graveyard as a custodian in the HFAC at BYU. I haunted the first floor from 10:30 pm to 2 am Sunday through Thursday.
Then I had to quit at Independent Study because I took a 3 credit semester--it was a job for full time students only. I suffered 2 long weeks at a temp job with a phone survey farm, interrupting people in the middle of sexual intercourse (or so some of them claimed) to conduct surveys about local political candidates. Ugh. In fact, I did well enough that they asked me to stay on, but I flatly refused. I've never seen time move so slowly as when I was sitting there waiting for people to answer their phones.
I got a job at a news clipping agency and managed to work there for two months without knowing what I was doing. At the same time, I got my first technical writing job with NetSchools. Good job, but everyone was laid off after I'd been there four months.
Then followed two jobs at BYU: one as a custodian in the CougarEat (too close to restaurant work for comfort) and another in the book repair department creating and gluing new labels to rebound books. The latter was fairly interesting, but there was not nearly enough work and I ended up doing lots of photocopying.
Then I got another blessed technical writing job with Netopia, or Netopia's Utah branch office, which was doing a silly little HTML editor called netJane for my first year there, and never mentioned it after that. I did a whole host of jobs there, including tech support, document design, web design, editor, trainer, tester, and yes, technical writer. During my employment with Netopia I graduated from BYU with a B.A. in English. If you've actually read this far, say "bleh" in your next post.
And then, two years later, I got my current blessed job as a writer with Nu Skin, and the rest, as they say, is history, albeit fairly short history.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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Ladydove, you can remember how much you got paid for each job? I have no idea what kind of money I made at those early jobs.
I enjoyed working at the movie theater most, for the same reason. I liked working with all those happy people. No tips, but I did get free popcorn. And learned to fully appreciate diet coke. Most of my other jobs seemed to deal with unhappy, sick, or stressed-out people. Especially my current job.
Posts: 1990 | Registered: Feb 2001
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I didn't work in high school (though Lord knows I tried, I had a resume when I was fourteen. )
I always thought the jobs I worked in college were far more valuable than the useless education I was getting, so I put all my time and energy into them.
Freshman: Checked out books at the library. Very fun, met some interesting people, learned about how to deal with coworkers and supervisors.
Sophomore: Started working at the computer help desk taking phone calls. Loved it. Met my current fiance and most of my college friends. That job led to me getting hired as the Apple representative for campus. After about two months of working all three jobs, I quit the library.
Summer: Internship at Apple. Woo!
Junior: Two months into the semester, quit the helpdesk in a fiery storm of mass-emailed resignation letter after many terrible changes in management make it a lousy place to work. Continue with just the Apple rep job.
Senior: Apple starts to get really unreliable with paychecks, so I take another job down the hall from the helpdesk supporting faculty using technology. In the Spring, I'm hired to create a recruitment video for the CS department, so I'm back up to three jobs. Overwhelmed, I quit the new helpdesk job. The Apple rep job ended when I graduated, but the video job drags on and on....
Posts: 2220 | Registered: Jun 1999
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1988--First job, cleaning up in a little, locally owned bakery. Paid $3.35 an hour, plus a loaf of bread of my choice every shift (and it was good bread).
1989-1995--Second Job, working in the kitchen of a really slow fast food restaurant. Paid 3.35-5.00 an hr, over the years. This one was really more of a social setting than a job though; I was friends with most of my co-workers, got more friends of mine jobs there, and generally just hung out. It was slow enough that talking, doing homework, etc. was the primary focus. The owner basically kept the place as a tax dodge, I think.
1989--Third Job, working at a much busier fast food place as a jack of all trades type. I cooked, waited tables, mowed the lawn, and was the night janitor. It wasn't any fun at all, and I quit after a couple of months.
From 1990 to 1996, I spent the summers working as a painter, first for the local school district, and then for a series of private companies. The school district paid $5 an hour. The private companies paid $10-12 an hour.
1995--Office assistant for the Pharmaceutical Chemistry department at the University of KS. I basically spent the year filling out purchase orders and dealing with the zany janitor, who worshipped at the shrine of Fingerhut. Paid $6 an hour.
1996--Student assistant in KU's Applied English Center. Paid $6 or $7 an hour.
1996-1997 GTA, teaching mid to high level writing classes for ESL students. Paid by the semseter. I can't remember how much now, but it was significantly more than I'd ever made before.
1997--Did bibliographic leg work for someone working on their PhD. Made ridiculous amounts of money, considering the very little effort involved in the job. Can't remember exactly how much.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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High School (1975-79): Worked mostly at a local nursing home, moving up from laundry department, to kitchen, to housekeeping, and finally a fully certified nurse aide...
Worked one summer as a laborer for a plant nursery -- landscaping for really rich people's homes, laying sod, etc., until I got such a horrible case of poison ivy at the end of the season (was swollen and physical sick with it for two weeks). And, being a redhead, I was sunburned head to toe.. But I loved that job.
Worked various farm jobs for neighbors as needed: baling, loading hay; helping with dairy, etc.
College - worked as reporter, then editor, of a small-town weekly newspaper while studying journalism in college (later changed degree directions). Worked for university newspaper, and for public relations department at the college, primarily as the photographer.
Have had many, many different types of jobs since -- life is interesting and all jobs sound like "something I would like to learn."
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While in high school I worked for my father's carpet cleaning business off and on as a junior technician. Between high school and college I worked as a "Herald Trumpeteer" for Medieval Times. Didn't work while at college. Next summer I went back to Medieaval Times and they hired me on the spot as a Trumpeteer again (they remembered me and said "Cool! We don't have to train you!" Also worked for Motorola in their shipping department, sending newly made cellphones all across the country.
Curently take night classes, so am "in college" again. Since starting at this school 3 years ago I have worked for TransAmerica Bank in their mortgage servicing area, for Marriott in ther "Rewards program" customer service area, and in my current job as a tech support rep.
Posts: 1323 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Let's see I stopped babysitting in junior high because I loathed it so that doesn't count.
Lifguarded for 3 summers was a full fledged Water Saftey instructor for the last one. Tutored for 3 years and an additional summer as a drop by tutor of math and science for the Ventura Community college tutoring center. I loved it, it probably still is my favorite job of all time, and the friendships I made there still exist.
Also while still in high school I worked for a friend of my Dad's reverse engineering lapping slurries. Not a bad job either, though the drive was hideous.
I also had a summer internship with the National Science foundation in Tempe, Arizona working on photosynthetic plants from Antartica.
In college, was a lab researcher for a Chem E prof for 3 years. Did an internship working on an Atomic Force Microscope in Washington STat with the DOE. Tutored the jocks for a semester, before I got fed up with lack of hours. Did more lab research for a Mech E professor.
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Busboy Data Entry for a doctor's office Dishwasher Cook Waiter Host Pizza Delivery Abercrombie and Fitch Club Bouncer at two different clubs Gadzooks UPS unloader Gym membership sales Front Desk at a Gym Personal Trainer for three different companies American Express telephone scapegoat HMDA inputter
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3 summers at BSA summer camp, 1 month at wendy's currently: data entry, data processing, + lab time playing with nanotubes. (I can't believe they pay me for some of this stuff.)
Posts: 1621 | Registered: Oct 2001
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After the first couple of weeks where your back is screaming at you, you're really slow and have no idea what those old guys keep doing at you with their hands but all you know is you really need a break, your back gets used to it and you get impressively fast, and you start to realize the old guys are trying to signal to you that they want you to set up another ten pins, or that they want to buy you a Cherry Coke if you need to rest. (That last one happens at about the time that you stop needing to take a break.)
Plus all the free bowling you want, if you can find a friend to set for you.
It's an amazing feeling when an old lady gives you a twenty dollar tip because her six-foot "daughter" Bertha just hit you with a sixteen pound hot pink ball, and you honestly didn't even notice it happened. (Until you get home and try to take of your pants and notice that your left leg is swollen and purple.)
A pretty tough job, but it can make you into a pretty tough Jane. I loved it. And you should see a good setter set one day. It's awesome. We're faster than the machines.
One summer as a Student Guide at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Two summers as projectionist for the Films in the Forest film festival at the Forest Theater, in Carmel.
Various computing jobs and lessons for people around my town.
Several years, on and off, doing secretarial and clerical work for a pension administration company, owned and operated by a couple of customers of my mom. Lasted into college.
Worked the register at my mom's copy shop on and off the whole time. Also made deliveries for her.
College:
One summer as a typist for a title company.
One summer as a Visitor Presentations intern at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Possibly my favorite job ever.
One summer waiting tables, hosting, and tending bar at my wife's dad's restaurant. Possibly my least favorite job ever, except for the bartending.
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After-school paper route. Sweeping airplane hangars (and other janitorial stuff), changing into an office job at the company. Bakery. Snack bar at the mini-golf course. College dorm food service. Nannying one, then two babies into toddlerhood. Another bakery.
Posts: 335 | Registered: Feb 2001
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-Dishwasher in a seafood restaurant -Painted my parents' house, barn, and fence -Mowed cemeteries, and other misc. tasks working for my town's Dept. of Public Works -Clerk for a chain convenience story (Cumby's!)
1) Sold stuff at a flea market. My parents would go to various estate sales, buy bunches of junk, and bring it to me to sell at the local flea market.
That is where I learned my every useful sales skills.
2) Moved up to the Games Department at a nationwide chain of Amusement parks. I was the guy running the Hoop game, Wack-A-Mole, and Skee-ball.
It was here that I learned bosses can be less professional than employees.
It was only here that I was assaulted on the job. I ran the "Guess Your Weight/Age" game. People paid us $1.00. If I could guess their age or weight, they won a 25 cent prize. If not we kept their money.
One lady wanted me to guess her age.
I guessed.
She slapped me. hard.
I started to apologize, figuring I had guessed too old.
"No" she said. "You guessed right!" She walked off in a huff.
It was here that I learned the truth is painful.
It is also here that I met the woman who would become my wife. My brothers did too. I mean they met thier wives when they also worked there, not that they met my wife. Well, they did meet my wife. You know what I mean.
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I had a paper route, which was no fun at all.
I worked for a catering company, washing dishes at various hotel and restaurant parties.
My personal favorite job was working the evening shift at a grocery store. We would spend about 2 hours actually working, and the other five hours hanging out in the backroom, playing various sports with all sorts of produce.
My current job: Comcast high-speed internet phone tech support. This is the most boring, repetitive job in the world.
I think work sucks, and I would probably never work a day in my life if I didn't have to.
Posts: 1855 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I did a lot of babysitting in high school, but I couldn't get a job until after my senior year (most places required that I be sixteen). I worked one summer at Boston Market, another working as an operator at a call center for Sears (Thank you for calling Sears. How may I direct your call?), another doing two jobs—the Sears operater job again and basically data entry and phone calling for a business publishing company. Last summer I worked at yet another call center, this time doing customer relations for Kinko's. I actually liked working for Kinko's. They treat their customers right, so I didn't have to feel like one of those swindling, evil CR representatives. I could actually feel like I was helping.
And now I'm an editor at Independent Study. *high-fives Jon Boy and afr*
Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
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I shelved books in the University Library while I went to college. I also spent one summer leaching Arsenic out of Lead smelter refuse and another gasifying coal.
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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