Or sometimes, hardly working for your money.
I’ve had a decent number of jobs. I’ve been working regularly since I was around 12 or 13 years old. I like to go after things hard. Growing up, we didn’t have much money. Lots of people say that, and I realize that we weren’t poor compared to other countries standards, but we were pretty poor for United States standards. I made a decision early on that I was going to do whatever it took to not be poor. It’s led me into some really good places and also into some not so good places.
I thought it might be interesting to list the jobs I’ve had in my short life and also see what jobs some of you readers have had.
Here’s my list of things I’ve done to make a living:
- When I was 6, I created a few snack boxes that went into mechanic shops. I totally lost money.
- Worked with my dad for H. Dennert Distributing (Miller Beer) doing special events work. Ran beer kegs back and fourth, and worked on beer equipment during events like The Taste of Cincinnati, Oktoberfest, etc.. (12 -17 years old)
- Sports Service - Helped out as a porter at Riverfront Stadium (13 yrs old)
- Vinoklet Winery - picked grapes when I was 14, $.50 per 5 gallon bucket filled. I remember one day when my friend Eric and I worked for about 10 or 12 hours and only made about $20.
- Vinoklet Winery - worked at the restaurant part of the winery a server/buser/dishwasher/food prep when I was 15.
- Ritz Camera (16 yrs old) - Worked close to 40 hours a week developing photos and selling cameras.
- Shot photos of people at the zoo and then tried to sell them those stupid see-through plastic key chains deals with the picture inside. We developed the film in a secret room behind the bathroom.
- Gadzooks Clothing store - Added this to my Ritz Camera job during the summer (2 jobs at 16 yrs old)
- Journey Shoe store for a few months leading up to Christmas (17 yrs old)
- Pete’s Photoworld - Employee, Assistant Manager, Store Manager across 4 different locations - Selling Cameras, managing employees, etc.. (18-21 yrs old)
- Taught photography classes after work to groups of 10-20 people.
- Shot wedding photography on the side for several years.
- Went to work for Wet Pets installing custom aquarium systems (long story) and working on large saltwater systems in businesses and homes. Drove a service truck most of the day. (21-23 yrs old)
- Hired on as a full time pastor with Vineyard Westside Church at 24 years old and I’ve been doing that for the last few years.
- Helped start up a Hobby Store with my friends and worked part time during busy seasons.
I KNOW I’M FORGETTING THINGS!!
I’ve made money selling pogs, candy, and baseball cards when I was in school.
I’ve been paid for cooking, catering, photography, officiating weddings, landscaping, designing things, etc…you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do right?
When I look back on everything I’ve done in paying positions, I have to say that being a pastor is by far the most difficult thing ever. It actually seems to be getting harder…but the non-monetary rewards are getting much, much greater.
I’m interested to hear what some of your jobs have been along the journey…
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Babysitting - started at age 13 and still doing it now at 33.
First job after highschool - I was an assembler at a drywall tool manufacturing company. Totally from God as this is where I met my husband! (Age 18 - 21)
Second job - Receptionist with a freight forwarding company. I LOVED this job but had to leave due to stress. (Age 21 - 24).
Third job - Assistant inventory manager for a Greenhouse. Again, had to leave due to stress (I guess working 16 hour days wore me out). I was there for only 4 months.
Fourth job and by far my favourite - wife and stay at home mom!!! Over 8 years now and I know I’m blessed!
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I detassled corn at the age of 14. If you google detassling it’s often described as the worst job ever. Long hot dirty days.
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I always like to see folks that can manage to make money doing something they love (I’m assuming photography and faith in your case ;)). My own history is a mix of jobs and career and thankfully, I’ve been firmly on the career path for several years.
My job history is eclectic: Phone surveyor, cake decorator, retail, grocery cashier, customer service (catalog orders), bookkeeper, technical writer, project manager and now technical architect (data warehouse).
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Ooohhh, let’s see. My parents own a restaurant so I starting bussing tables when I was about 6, because I thought it was fun.
I was a gymnastics coach in high school, and also worked at the restaurant waiting tables.
Tended bar for a bit in college, and waited tables at a fancy seafood place.
Decided I was done with the restaurant business and coached gymnastics again throughout the remainder of college.
Got my Masters in advertising and worked for an agency for a bit… hated it.
Now I’m managing my parents’ restaurant… and I still think it’s fun.
All that and I am 27.
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age 15 Raspberry picker for local farmer
age 16-18 McDonald’s (crazy co-workers are fun!)
age 18-20 Lechter’s Housewares (cooking obsession begins)
age 20-27 Marshall’s (AKA employment hell on earth)
age 22 part time at a zoo teaching kids about animals (best job ever!)
age 24 part time at photography studio (surprisingly boring)
age 25 part time with United States Census Bureau
age 27 started doing occasional arts & crafts shows
age 27-now Mall Management Team
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I’ve done stuff from cleaning toilets to wiping backends of patients to washing feet; all sorts of manual labor [building construction, assisting in rebuilding auto engines, landscaping, house cleaning, etc, etc. I’ve also done office work.
As of May 2003 I’ve been a Licensed Massage Practitioner. It’s been the most rewarding of all. I have a captive audience and can share God with them. It’s my ministry!
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Age 10-17 Babysitter/Housesitter/dogsitter
Age 17 The Gap (for the discount, I’ll admit)
Age 19 Beautyco
Age 20-21 Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse (Summers)
Age 21-Present Independent Artist for Piggies & Paws, Inc http://www.piggiesandpaws.com
Age 27-Present Owner/Designer of Feather by Feather Designs featherbyfeather.etsy.com
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-farm worker (berry picker, apple picker, weeder, etc)
-dishwasher
-video store clerk
-ice cream scooper (FUN! great job for a teenager!)
-bakery worker
-childcare worker
-Military Intelligence Officer
-Activities programmer for Alzheimer’s patients
-elderly & adult protective services
-hospice social worker
-MOM (the hardest!)
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Kentucky Fried Chicken, a grocery store, a dept. store, a day care (the only time I got fired), Arby’s, a medical records dept. in a hospital, and the job I have today working with a company that is a govt. contractor (22 years). the Day care was the hardest, I learned the most about people at the restaurants I worked at. I don’t regret any of those jobs, I learned a lot from each one of them. I was a single parent for a long time and you just do whatever you have to do.
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Out of high school in the 70s I went to a vocational school to learn to be a keypunch operator. This was back when computers could read only punched cards with holes that corresponded to A-Z and 0-9. These cards were much like the ‘hanging chad’ cards in the 2000 Presidential election. I did keypunch for various companies for about four years. During the last year of that work, I got married to my first husband. Then, I quit work, had my first son and we ended up on welfare for 10 years because he wouldn’t work. I got into retail @ Meijer for four years, that actually was a good job, I worked with good people and we had a blast working together. I went to a couple of Universities but didn’t graduate. Gave birth to my second son. I then divorced my first husband, got remarried and went back to a voc tech school. Graduated as an executive secretary and worked with that for several years until my hearing got too bad to answer telephones, even with assistive devices. Now I’m on disability and miss work like heck. I enjoyed working and making my own money.
Unfortunately, my birth family looks at me as sort of a misfit, because I’ve never ‘ accomplished’ anything in the work world.
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File clerk for an insurance salesman; seasonal retail in a leather store; server, cashier and food prep at Sizzler; theater shop flunkie; darkroom flunkie; college radio flunkie; warehouse assembly line worker; assistant manger and seaonal district manager for a retail science chain; and my current position at a science museum that over 16 years has involved writing and performing programs, hiring and training staff, selling tickets, ushering in the theater, security, working on the floor and designing theater shows.
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Thru high school and beyond: babysitting, ice cream shop, McDonalds, grocery cashier, bartender/waitress, airport fueling planes, accts rec at a feed place, currently in administrative. Oh, and let’s not forget being a parent! The best job where you get paid with kisses, hugs, I love you’s and just the joy of simply watching your kids grow up.
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My ‘allowance’ came from my mom. She’d pay me $2 if I pulled all the weeds and tall grass that grew around our house. That would make me her personal weed-wacker. I did that for any spending money until I was about 12 and the $2 didn’t seem worth the effort any more.
I babysat every other weekend for a family that lived on the next section. My hours were 6 am to 6 pm and I watched over 3 rowdy boys ages 2-7. I think they paid me $2/hour. I did that for two years ages 15-16.
At age 17 I started working part time at a grocery store as a cashier. I worked there for four years and held different positions of cashier, courtesy desk girl, sold lottery tickets and ran the video dept. I loved my co-workers for the most part.
At 21 I got a full time job as a teller at a bank. After two years I was promoted to a supervisory position. Among my many duties as supervisor I was the one that people had to talk to in regard to getting their NSF fees refunded. Listening to people’s stories about why they had bounced checks all over town burned me out. I could tell the ones who were lying and the ones who were sincere. The people who were honest broke my heart. The ones who weren’t honest needed to come up with a good story and entertain me. Either way, I’d had enough.
For the last 12 years I’ve been the assistant to a financial adviser. It’s a small office and it’s like a second family. Regardless of my love for all of them, I’m starting to feel restless. I am a long way from where I thought I would be when I was studying art in college.
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I started delivering news papers somewhere between 10 & 12.
Started working in fast food joints when I was 14.
Started detailing cars with my neighbor, as a side job, when I was 16.
Worked for an office cleaning company when I was 18.
Went into the United States Air Force at 19.
Transferred into the Air National Guard at 23 and worked a part-time job at Lazarus (Macy’s).
Started co-op work at a concrete company at 25.
Worked for an engineering firm at age 27.
Began my lifelong dream job at an architectural firm at 28 (designing Penn Stations, BW3’s, & Skylines).
Entered into a joint ownership of a cabinet company when I was 30 (and got screwed shortly after).
Became a stay-at-home-dad when I was 32.
Started my own cabinet company at age 33 and been doing it since.
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-baby sitter
-filled orders at a balloon distributor
-christmas at a toy store
-aid in physical therapy dept at a hospital
-student worker for security during college
-resident assistant
-dispatcher and gate guard for a college
-worked in the post office at college
-worked in the business office at college
-police dispatcher
-accountant
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10-? babysitter
13-17 baseball/softball/basketball gatekeeper
17-18 extended day after school K2 “teacher”
18-20 student graphic designer for university
19-21 worked summers as a camp counselor (www.pinecove.com)
21-present graphic designer for a legal services company
22-present MICHE BAG representative
22-present freelance graphic designer
**I also need to note that I was an entrepreneur in elementary school…I founded a “Lisa Frank Trading Co.” where we had a bartering system for getting new L.F. stuff.
Favorite: camp counselor. Least Favorite: designing for legal services co.
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Man, mine aren’t nearly as interesting.
- At 12 started babysitting A LOT. 3 days a week minimum for one family (3 kids) when their mom was working.
- Pet sitting
- JoAnn Fabrics
- Some seamstress work I’ve been paid for
- Short order cook
- Waitress
- Car dealership: Title clerk, records room, warranties
- Enterprise Rent-a-Car
- Day Care Staff
- Research Assistant
- Been paid for a couple of legal articles I co-wrote during school
- Various legal positions (lawyer, consultant, claims analyst, records analyst)
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First job ever was a modeling job in downtown Cincinnati for a hair commercial. I was fourteen. The modeling agency I was with at the time sent me. While sitting in the studio make up chair they told me they wanted to cut my hair for the shoot. I did not like this. Against my mothers wishes (and incessant pleading) I walked out of the job. To this day I have the letter the modeling agency wrote me voicing their respect for my decision not to do something I didn’t want to do just for a job. They also stated that most girls would do “most anything” for it. Apparently I was not one of those girls. They were ok with that. I was not. It was then I thought I would put modeling aside for awhile.
Job #2 (16 years old) Bakers shoes - Tri-county Mall Fairfield, Ohio - Dying Satin shoes to match prom/bridemaids dresses. I loved it! I could match ANY color fabric you handed me. Seriously.
Job #3 (17 yrs old) Accesories/makeup counter at Elder-Beerman in downtown Hamiliton, Ohio. It was fun. I like jewelry and make-up.
Job #4 DID NOT WANT TO GO TO COLLEGE (between 17-19 Yrs old)Frangrance model (different kind of modeling) Back at Tri-County Mall. I smelled really good all the time.
Job #5, 6 and 7 Moved to Nashville (had a boyfriend trying to break into the music business-20-22 yrs old) Worked three jobs at once:
Kroger salad bar set up from 4:00am-7:00am
Pier 1 Imports from 10:00am-4:00pm
Dillards from 5:00 to close. Those years were an unenjoyable blurr. He got a record deal. I got a whole bucketful of wisdom. And a new boyfriend.
Job #8, 9, 10
Fredricks of Hollywood. Interesting to say the least.
Men’s suit store. Equally interesting. (if you can believe that)
Answered phones at an attorney’s office downtown Nashville. Did not like ANY of those 3 jobs.
Thought about college again. (for 2.4 seconds) Then after taking a travel course I was hired by American Airlines and sent to Dallas Texas to train for 3 weeks. Worked for American as a ticket/gate agent in Nashville for the next several years. Traveled a bit. Love it. During this time I flew to New York to try modeling again. Situation was even worse the second go round. Gave up “giving it a go” for good.
I’ve gone on to long here, but I worked a few more jobs here and there. Waiting tables. Then I married and had children and so far it’s the toughest job I’ve ever loved and never want it to end.
That’s all I have to say about that. Boy, that was a long comment.
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Babysitter (12-18 yrs old)
Short order cook (16-19)
College years:
Supermarket cashier
Auction cashier
Fast food restaurant slave
Clothing salesperson
Graduated college
Licensed Practical Nurse for 10 years
Mom/Nurse for four of those 10 years
Full time mom for three years and counting
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- Bagger/cart collector at local grocery store (14)
- Peer Educator and Actor teaching teens about safer sex and answering their questions (this was very rewarding) (14-17)
- Sales associate at Dappy & Record Town - Vowed never to work retail for Christmas again (15 - 18)
- General office help in an HR office (18 - 21)
- Watched 5 month old triplets overnight so that their parents could sleep (one summer in college)
- Ran payroll for a PEO
- Event planner, general office help and Fund help for one of the Big 3 auto companies when they were still the Big 3
- Now I work in hardware Refresh for a large Comp. company. I am a sort of jack of all trades that gets things done so that my team can continue to work.
- I also sell my photography, but promoting is difficult and keeping my sales down sadly.
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Like you I was born poor and born a hustler.
- When I was little I sold rocks I spray painted gold along with who knows what else.
- at 17 I worked a Photolab retouching photos by hand
- I did 5 internships in college (Presswork, Pre-press, Film scanning, teachers assistant)
- I did eBay for a year along with side work
- Now I am where I am
- I’m still hustling
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1. 16 years old worked at pizza shop
2. 12 grade worked as Secretary for Public School’s Maintenance Department
3. Co-op during college Secretary at General Motors
4. Co-op during college Secretary at Dow
5. Hired into Dow 1992 partime, fulltime 1994 and still working here.
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1) Babysitting age 10-18
veterinary tech (18+)
2) Artsy gift shop worker person 15-18
3) yogurt shop (17)
4) Window washer (summer job when I was 18)
5) short order cook (18+)
6) waitress (18+)
7) deli chick (18+)
9) bus driver (18+)
10) computer industry (18+)
11) current job…Traffic Coordinator
#1 job…MOM
and let’s not forget the lemonade stand/car washing/dog washing business from age 5-10!
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early morning shift at donut shop with amazing cinnamon rolls–15
golden arches–16-18
cleaned house of youth group sponsor–16-18
driver’s license bureau camera manufacturing plant counter of widgets–20
insurance company receptionist–21
lifestyle editor of weekly newspaper–22-23
counted russian words on manuscripts–23
admin. asst. to vp of editorial for Christian publisher–23-25
literary agent–self employed–25
copywriter for book catalog–27
mom–28 to present (toughest job ever)
retail clerk in gourmet chocolatier–34-40 (best perks!)
card making instructor–40-present
barista @ sbux–41-present
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12-16: Babysat
12-16: Cut lawns in summer and shoveled snow in winter
10-14: sold worms (nightcrawlers–best ones around!)
10-14: collected aluminum cans from nearby park every day
(worms and cans brought in $40/week throughout spring and summer!)
16-17: cleaned office building and bathrooms (yikes)
15-20: worked for caterer on weekends here & there
17-21: data entry at an office
21: 2nd job at night cleaning office building to save $ for wedding
21-41 (present): Kalmbach Publishing (Credit department, then trade sales department, Currently selling advertising for 2 magazines)
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age 12 - dishwasher at a restaurant some family friends owned, then I moved up to waitress when I was 16; working off and on there until 18.
age 16 - 20 - Best Buy - I sold computers, appliances, car stereos, worked in media and customer service.
age 19-22 - Home Depot cashier & head cashier (they fired me after I started college)
Then I went on to work in the medical records section of the Hamilton County Justice Center, serve shots at the Yucatan Liquor Stand, and did a short stint at a short-lived restaurant called Zinos in Covington. I also bartended in a bowling alley in Blue Ash and finally started serving at Bonefish Grill until I finished school. I took the first job offered - mail room clerk at an insurance agency… and have moved onward and upward and now I’m an account manager for commercial insurance clients. I hate it, but it pays the bills… honestly I’d like to go back and get my masters in something interesting.
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Age 11-21 - babysitting
Age 15 - Ace hardware - for two whole weeks. the manager was very creepy, so I quit.
Age 17 - Simmon’s mattress Co - clerical work
Age 18 - Florist - in someone elses shop
Age 19 - Receptionist, Corporate office, local gas/elec co
Age 20 - Secretary, same place - Recruiting office
Age 22 - Exec Secretary - Blue Shield, WNY
Age 27 - Stay at home mom — best job EVER
Age 31 - Daycare - for 2 kids, plus my 3 - SAHM
Age 38 - Church Secretary
Age 40 - Substitute paraprofessional in schools
Age 40 - Director of Student Ministries, Church
Age 44 - Receptionist, Corp. Office - Credit Union
Age 44 - Exec. Secretary to CEO - same Credit Union
Age 49 - Office Manager at a church -6/mo. not my church
Age 50 - Admin. Asst. - Architect Firm
Age 50 - Executive Assistant to Pres of Bank.
Other things I was paid for: wedding flowers, catering, senior pictures.
Best job Gigs: Being a stay-at-home mom to my 3 kids, and wife to husband of 28 years.
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Helped an elderly couple that were friends of the family pack up their belongings over the course of a summer–12ish
Helped paint some apartments my parents’ owned and the neighbors’ owned–11-12ish
Sales Associate in the Home Fashion’s Department of SEARS–18, lasted 6 months
Cashier/One-Hour Photo Operator at Sav-On Drugs–18 to 20
1-on-1 Aide/Tutor to a teenage boy with autism–20-21
Assistant to the Teacher of the Visually Imapired–21-24
TA in an after school program with Middle School kids–2 weeks when I was 23
Book Seller at Border’s Books and Music–23-24
Residential Habilitator (1-on-1 to an adult with autism that lived on his own)–24-25
Cashier at a used book store–24-25
Vocational Counselor for individuals with disabilities–25 to present
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14 - McDonald’s, graveyard shift for the extra $.10/hour
15-19 - Various Boat yards, everything from scraping boat bottoms to rigging masts
19-21 - Secretary/Receptionist (helped pay my way through school)
21 - sailboat dealership, commissioning new high-end yachts
23 - Marine Electronics shop…sold everything from radar to autopilots to GPS (back then, they cost $25K…really!)
27 - custom furniture mfgr - ran the warehouse
29 - back to boats, installing the electronics, instead of selling
31 - John Deere shop, parts counter (dimwit owner added a U-Haul franchise…thanks, pal)
35 - IT training company
41 - IT contracting to a large Federal agency
45-present - IT full-time at that same large Federal agency
Along the way, I’ve also coached my daughters’ field hockey teams (outdoor and indoor) for seven years, have actually danced in their dance recitals, built furniture for my parents and in-laws, and I’m also the Grand Knight of my local Knights of Columbus Council.
Pretty boring, eh?
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Let’s see….
- yogurt shop 15yrs old
- temporary secretary for a roofing company 16 yrs old
- baby sitter through jr. high and highschool
- pre-school teacher
- custodian cleaning a local Christian elementary school 14 years old
- custodian work during college (cleaning chalk boards and floors)
- factory worker in my aunts rubber stamp factory
- taught one year of Kindergarten in a private school 21? yrs. old
- audiologist assistant 22yrs old
- went to school for cosmetology and have done that for last 9 years or so
- full time mom (my favorite job)
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A very wise person once told me something that stuck in my brain ~ “Broke is temporary…Poor is a state of mind.”
-babysitter
-night dispatcher for service company
-burger flipper
-operating room scrub nurse
-poured greenware in a friend’s ceramic hobby shop
-presently an energy industry service company owner
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dress shop clerk
nurse’s aide
Grocery job (checker, stocker, price changer, check cashing booth, answer phones, reorder mdse, receiving clerk, pos co-ordinator, floral dept mgr.)
upgrade circuit boards and did ar/ap for my husband’s business
mom
bookstore clerk
aviation parts inventory clerk
nanny
Bank job (proof operator, research/photo clerk, escalation specialist, reconciliation clerk, wire transfer operator, customer service, charge back desk, exceptions clerk, lockbox, bank by mail, ordered ATM cards)
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babysitting
Shelver at library
Old lady dress store “Stoners’”
Shoe store
Walmart
dish room at college
made puppets for a family I knew in college (it was a business not some creepy thing lol)
Olive Garden - hostess then server during college
Summer jobs durning college Aisn (a car factory) and the library again
Johnny carino - server right after college
Group home for drug addicted teens aug after I graduated college.
Starbucks - 23-24
Receptionist at dentist office
receptionist at law firm
Gold’s Gym
tellamarketing for the MDA for two day (horrible)
Chegg.com right now…. kinda customer service (live chat cs support)
on a break at the moment and 27yrs still don’t know what to do… sigh
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My parents instilled hard word at a young age in my family. There was no such thing as an allowance so we all had to have paper route when we got to be 12. Then, when we were 14, we all got jobs. I’ve had a long list and weird trek through the years:
-Dietary aid in an old folks home for women (14)
-CVS cashier (first job to get fired from at age 18)
-worked at a vendor cart selling popcorm in the
basement of the mall (19)
-phone answering service with clients ranging from
doctors to call girls (19)
-worked in a catholic book store (21)
-Medical Assistant (22-27)
-Worked in a bakery as I got burned out by the
medical field (27-28)
-Returned to the medical field as a medical secretary
(28-30)
-Returned to school and work as an ultrasound
technologist (30-present)
I sometimes can’t believe how many jobs I’ve had already at this age and wonder how many more will I have before I retire.
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Let’s see. I’ve had only a few jobs over the years:
*nanny to 3 boys, one w/ autism {tough job for a 17 yr old, but the kids were great}
*sales clerk at a Hallmark store. {Loved the job & people. Hated the owner!}
*video store clerk {hated it}
*Next 3 jobs were manager of clothing stores {loved, loved, loved it. Hated the paperwork}
*home daycare provider in my home {loved the kids. Hated the parents. Never knew how many just dumped their kids off & could care less about what they did all day.}
*designer/customer service rep for custom iron products. {My favorite job outside the home}
*stay at home mom for 12 years {the best job I’ve ever had! Also the hardest job I’ve ever had!!}
Unless I really, really hate it, I usually stick to a job for several years.
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I come from a poor family as well, at least by Canadian standards. I know what you mean about going everything you can not to be poor (and in my case not to have to ask my parents money for university).
- My parents are beekeepers, in the small family business kind of way. I helped them around the hives, getting the honey out, preparing it to be sold and selling it at farmer’s markets and fairs for as long as I remember, until I moved out at 17, but I still give a hand now and then.
- From 10 yo to 16 yo I sold baked goods at the same fairs and markets, but this project and profits were all mine
- Babysitting (12-17) or even today if things get tight
- Day camp (17) non profit so we were paid lower than minimum wage, but it was a great experience to work with kids, some of them for very underprivileged families.
- Art supplies store (17-19)
- HIV prevention government lab (19 - today): I got a foot in the door as part of a coop program (lab technician diploma) and they kept me once the coop was over
- Hopefully a job in the university research labs this summer? I’m trying to get my foot in the door for my masters degrees…
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Oh and I forgot to add private tutoring form 15 to 20 in math and sciences.
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I just sent my pastor an encouraging email last night. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to have to please a congregation full of different personalities, backgrounds, etc. But I’m blessed that he and the rest of my church family staff are so dedicated!
My past jobs have been babysitter, dog sitter, various and random jobs at a local TV station including bleeping the curse words out of movies, running a camera, working on program scheduling (as a middle and high school kid), food service during college, on staff at a Christian summer camp working in the barn with horses and other farm animals, doing guided horseback rides at a local farm, after college I held 3 different jobs at a local TV station for 5.5 years, worked as a programs assistant in the alumni office of my college for 3 years, left to be a full-time mama, which is the hardest job I have ever had and I suspect will ever have.
Once my son is in school I’ll probably go work for a friend in her restaurant or in another friend’s coffee shop. I hope to never work full-time again. I want to be home when my kids get off the bus!
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I’ve worked at KFC in high school, at a radio station as a DJ after HS graduation, in the oil fields, in a biology lab and an office supply store, as a janitor - - all in college,, a wildland firefirghter (longest job - 12 years) an administrator for a youth hockey association and a mom (with all the little side jobs that entails)
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-Babysitting - started at 12 years old - 14 years old.
-Worked at the Rose Shop (florist) for $1/hr - 13-14 years old.
-Made Christmas Tree ornaments out of dough, baked them, painted them and sold them door to door - 13 years old.
-The Country Washboard - wash/dry/fold/iron laundry service and take in dry cleaning. Ran the joint by myself on Saturdays. 14-15 years old
-Vet assist - moved to Alaska when I was 15 and my dad’s best friend was the only vet on the island. I helped him out off and on all through high school with surgeries.
-Radar Alaska - office work, 16-18 years old.
-Rape Crisis Intervention Center - on-call hotline counselor, hospital visitor. 3 years of college
-Cashier - Student Book Store, CSU, Chico. 2 years in college
-Pre-school Teacher - 1 year
-Pre-school owner/director - 11 years
-Dessert catering out of my house - 4 years
-Office Manager for Window Washing company and at a trailer distributor (part-time)
-Educational Consulting/Grant writing 2 years
-Typist working virtually from home - past 1 year+
WOW! That was a lot!
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Ryan,
This isn’t a job, but It’s a Cardboard Testimonial that a former church I attended a few states away made. I thought that you might enjoy it. It is very powerful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSGQfGh9-Hc
Now, for my jobs,
1. Donut shop employee. I was counter help. It was by far the most disgusting job that I have ever had in my life. Diaper duty is more pleasant. (age 16)
2. Floral arranger at a local craft store. (age 24)
3. Owned my own basketry business. Sold them through various outlets. (Age 26-30)
4. Photographer at Sears Portrait Studio. (35)
5. I worked in a Rubber Stamp Store and made demo cards for various companies that sold stamps. Needless to say I have more stamps than I could ever imagine anyone ever needing.(37)
6. Checker at a Whole Foods, eventually became a demonstrator/ass’t prepared foods manager. (37-39)
7. Admissions assistant for Boston University School of Law. (39)
8. Physicians Assistant, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. (40-41)
9. Research Assistant, New England School of Medicine; New England Eye Center.(41-42)
10. Insurance agent, AIG, and then 21st Century Insurance, no longer affiliated with AIG. (42)
The most important job out of all of them was raising my 3 wonderful kids, I spent most of those years moving from duty station to duty station. I have had an amazing run of jobs, and have enjoyed most of them for various reasons.
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interesting question! let’s see:
1. babysitting (12-21)
2. lifeguard (16-21)
3. desk job at a national church office (administrative assistant, assistant to associate director)
4. desk job at an immigration and refugee service organization (administrative assistant, director for church & community outreach, weird interim position while someone was on sabbatical, program associate)
5. desk job - one I *really* love - for an international relief organization that allows me to work with all kinds of amazing people!
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oops…forgot to proofread…
2.5. as a temp, answering phones for a cosmotology school (21)
3. (21-25)
4. (25-30)
5. now!
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-I’ve been babysitting since I was 9
-Cashier at our local grocery store, Brookshire Brothers. (15) *I was only saving up to go see my boyfriend (now husband) graduate from boot camp
-YMCA After School “Counselor”(17)
-Stay at home wife, while living in Japan (17-20)
-Starbucks barista for approx. 3 wks. (20)
-Pre-School teacher at Kids R Kids (20)
-Office Manager for an insurance company (20/21)
-Inside Sales Associate selling steel forgings (21-22)
-Management Assistant (22-till now)
Man, that’s a long list.
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*babysitter
*vinyl upholstery repair (school buses) during the summer - I still count this as the most miserable job ever. Asphalt lots packed with buses in the hot Mississippi summer sun spreading icky liquid vinyl on stinky, stuffy seats and blasting it with a heat gun. But as a bonus, I did get a tan, lose weight and travel
*lab assistant for summer teacher workshop
*cook for sonic drive-in
*utility worker doing roof repair in a paper mill - another very smelly job. If you’ve never smelled a paper mill, consider yourself blessed
*cashier, head photo person & certified pharmacy tech @ Walgreens
*receptionist / file clerk for construction company
*application processor for prescription assistance program
*phlebotomist then lab tech for nonprofit blood bank
*substitute elementary teacher
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Oh man, i totally forgot the nastiest job i ever had: fire and flood restoration clean-up. BLECH! I think i just completely repressed it.
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Ha! I totally have one of those pictures that you have to look through a hole to see people in - it fits on a keychain & it was taken @ the Cincinnati Zoo! My family got it when we went on a day trip there when I was 5. Funny stuff.
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I baby sat starting at 11, for family mostly. 14 I was sewing giant bags out of old bedsheets for my father’s young recycling business. 15 I was working at the recycling shop illicitly baling plastics and running other machinery you were supposed to be 18 for. 17 I got a job at McDonalds since is was the closest to my house and I could walk there, wherein I made enough to move out on. 18 I moved and got a job at marshalls while i went to business school. then at 19 I became a bank teller, which i HATED. Moved again and worked in a dollar store, than a shoe store, than an Italian restaurant, as a cashier. Than went to Europe for a while and started college when i got back, at 21. Worked for the school for a while, reading to first graders, and at night doing phone soliciting for the local theater company. Went to Europe again, and then got a job as a cook in little deli. (my trips out of country were financed by me getting tickets way early and saving every penny, then going on the cheap in hostels and whatnot)
Met my paramour and quit school to have a baby. literally, went to class until the day b4 he was born. Complications during delivery kept me from going back after wards, too bad. Luckily was able to be a stay at home mom since then until about 6 months ago and now I wait tables. (at 32) Really, I’d not change a thing.
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ahhh…the list. I have grown to hate the list, but at the same time I did figure out what I was supposed to do with my life (at least for now lol)
Renaissance Woman
1. Babysitter
2. Summer Camp Counselor
3. Resort Housekeeping
4. Director of Summer Camp Counselors
5. Pizza Maker
6. Thrift Shop salesperson
7. Restaurant Hostess
8. Hair Salon Front Desk manager
9. Cocktail Waitress
10. Different Hair Salon Front Desk manager
11. Bartender
12. Operator/Order taker for a national gun/ammunition catalog (I wore a headset)
13. Customer Service rep for a national gun/ammunition catalog
14. Bartender
15. Senior Buyer of Remington & Winchester ammunition for a national gun/ammunition catalog
(They discovered I had a brain and was subsequently promoted to my own office with a door within 3 weeks of being hired. Week one: $5/hour. Week 2: $8/hour. Week 3: $40k per year with benefits.)
16. Temp Data Entry for a hospital
17. Waitress
18. Customer Service rep for an ambulance company
19. Bartender
20. Summer Camp Drama Instructor
21. Drama Instructor for Boys & Girls Club
22. Regional trainer for Boys & Girls Club
23. Summer Camp Director
24. Waitress
25. Front of House Restaurant Manager
26. Marketing & Promotions director for Summer Theatre
27. Different Restaurant Waitress
28. Front of House Restaurant Manager
29. Catering Sales Manager
30. Catering Director
31. Retail Sales & Service Director
32. General Manager
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Not nearly as much as you but to list them:
claims adjuster for an auto insurance company
1) veterinary assistant
2) babysitter
3) laborer in a an above ground mine…I shoveled lots of rock
4) cashier at a grocery store
5) intern at an Olympic Speed Skating Rink
6) event coordinator for two major venues
7) sales person for a radio station
whew I think thats it.
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I started babysitting when I was ten. I look at ten year olds now and can’t believe people let me do that when I was so young! I babysat until I was 16 when I started working at my grandmother’s store-Riley’s General Store and Deli. I worked in the deli; ran the cash register; made lattes; scooped icecream; ordered all the beer, wine and juices; and helped with scheduling all over the course of 6 years. I always had a job there when I came home for Christmas and summer breaks from college. While I was in college I earned some extra money by calling alumni and parents of students to fund raise. It was awesome (NOT) to call recent grads who detailed how much they owed in student loans and why they couldn’t donate anything or talk to parents who were forking out 20 grand a year for their kids school and ask them to donate more. When I was 22 I worked for a local retail clothing store and became the asst. mgr. At 23 I got my first (and so far last) waitressing/catering job. At the same time I worked for a coffee shop slinging espresso and for a local clothing/shoe store. The next year I became the retail manager for a little store on the beach and did that for a year and half until I got tired of the general manager and his misogynistic attitude and quit because I was sure I would be able to find another job just like that. I didn’t. 3 months later, at 26, I got a job at a home care agency in the office and after 6 months became the home care supervisor. At that time I knew I hated my job and wanted to work somewhere else. I was there for another 5 years until I got hired at my current job which I love! I’ve been there over 3 years and I am very happy, it is such a blessing to do something I like, with co-workers I like and a wonderful, wonderful boss. I know God had me in that job I hated in order to prepare me for a job I love.
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I worked as a beer wench for the Texas Rennaisance Festival. As a christian, it was really awkward as most people there were hippies. But it was by far the coolest job ever. Where else can a 16 year old hike up her boobs practically tossing them out and say, “Gday my handsome lad, you look like the mouth is parch. I have just thy item to wet thou whistle and make ye quiver.” Okay now that I wrote that, what was my mother thinking???
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hippies and Christians don’t mix…hmmm, I really had never considered that lol
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Babysitting.
Walgreens. (3 years)
Tele-marketing (2 months)
Waitress at a diner (2 months)
Night supervisor at Blimpie (1 year i think?)
Bank-teller (six months)
Pier 1 (3 months)
McAlisters Deli (6 months - great job)
Typist (temp agency job) (3 months)
Subway (1.5 months)
Church secretary (one year)
Barista at The Midnight Rooster in Hartsville, SC (1.5 years)
Barista at 13th St. Coffee Co. (2 years)
Coffee Buyer for Whole Foods Market Omaha (1 year)
Assistant Specialty Team Leader (2 years)
THEN I QUIT WORKING FOR FOUR WHOLE MONTHS OR ELSE I WAS GOING TO LOSE MY MIND. (and I took a three-week trip to Philadelphia, NYC, and Montreal at the end of it)
Then I finally started college for the first time ever, as a full-time student at the ripe ol’ age of 28. Then…
Barista at Caffe Driade (1 year)
Regular Team Member at Whole Foods Market Chapel Hill (1 year)
I left some stuff out, and a few of those jobs I had at the same time as other ones.
Right now I’m trying to keep a decent outlook about school so that I realize the whole point is so I can get out of retail and actually accomplish something.
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I started out by having some stands that sold crafts and/or rocks LOL. When I was 14 I went to work for the Christmas tree farm in town. My jobs was to go at these tree’s with a machete and shape them into perfect triangle Christmas trees. I was all of 98 pounds with a huge machete.
After that I mowed lawns for my dad and answered phones at his business. I also worked at the concession stand of the movie theater in our rural town.
When I turned 18, I started working for the community mental health center in town, teaching emotionally disturbed kids life skills.
While I was in college, I worked at a battered woman’s shelter, in the daycare. I worked with people who were homeless or about to be homeless to help them get back on their feet (paid in stipend)
I also worked as the resource and referral person for the state’s subsidized daycare program. I was the office manager for the BSU student newspaper for a year and also worked as a psych. tech. at the local hospital that year. After graduating I have worked in home health, with the elderly, in an inpatient psychiatric facility and with the police doing crisis intervention. Whew. Makes me tired just thinking about.
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Baby sitting, selling candy to friends and neighbors, as a soda shop cook and bar hop, waitressing, bartending, as a switchboard operator (tells you how old I really am, right?), as a data entry clerk, as a admin. assistant, catering, as an engineering associate, as a supervisor of linemen at a power company, as a contract management person at the same power company, maybe the one that serves you guys!
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Babysitting, walked beans, cashier at True Value Hardware, cashier at Wal-Mart, sales associate at Von Maur (department store), chiropractic assistant, temp work, dispatcher for heating and a/c, worked at Archer Daniels Midland–don’t remember title, nanny for 9 month old, mailroom Staley manufacturing, full-time student, Occupational therapy assistant…got pregnant…never worked outside the home again! Best job ever has been the one that doesn’t pay a dime. So grateful to have been able to stay at home with my girls. What a blessing:)
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My wierdest jobs were my first and my last. My first was as a score keeper at The Hoinke Classic which is a huge bowling tournament at Western Bowl that lasted 11 months a year and was before there were automatic score keepers. I had to get up early on Saturday morning and try to stay awake while I watched mediocre bowlers trying to win a million dollars. I would burn my hand on the projector bulb to keep awake!
Between then and now I did a bunch of stuff which inluded a stint with Sportservice like Ryan where I got fired for selling beer to a 25 year old man and not carding him (long story). My current job came along when P&G was offering buyouts (paying people to quit) and we had a baby on the way so I took the money and ran. Now I am a stay at home dad for my 2 and 1 year olds. In addition I play music (adding to the strangeness) and fix cars and build furniture to make a few bucks. Who knows what my next job will be but most likely something self-employed.
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great list of jobs! builds lots of character.
12 - 14 babysitting for neighbors
14 - landscape crew over summer
15 - more babysitting & more landscaping over the summer
16 - 18 busser, garden center help, & tennis instructor
18 - 20 delivery driver at a florist, more garden center help & associate at the gap
21 - 22 recruiter for a headhunter & worked part time over the holidays at a toy store
had a few babies and stayed home.
24 - worked as a server at chili’s part time
had another baby and am still at home working on my bachelor’s
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Babysitting/Part-time nanny (12 yrs-20 yrs)
Food service at a deli/bakery (15 yrs-18yrs)
Auditorium event staff (16 yrs-22 yrs)
Math and Science Tutor (15 yrs-20 yrs)
Real estate office summer general intern (19 yrs)
Environmental Chemistry Researcher (19-22 yrs)
High school Biology and Algebra I teacher (21-22 yrs)
Graphic Designer–Self-Employed (19 yrs-present)
Admin Assistant at a foundation (22 yrs-present)
Right now I work for a University’s foundation and I am going to art school working on my degree in visual communications and graphic design. Working full-time and going to school nearly full-time is exhausting, but it’s totally worth it at the end of the day to finally know that this is what I want to do with my life. And to answer any odd looks at the list, I used to study chemical engineering and chemistry.
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1) Worked at a sleep away summer camp all through high school (3 summers)
2) US ARMY!! (4 years)
3) Office Manager (2 years)
4) IT Manager (12 years)
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I was a youth director with the ELCA for 10 years. It was the hardest work I’ve ever done in my life. And as you probably know, I didn’t get paid much. I’m not sorry for those years, but they left me wanting and burnt and sad in the end. I work for a surgeon now who repairs cleft lips and palates. It is wonderfully rewarding but not near as life changing as being a youth director was.
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Babysitter
Summer Temp job at Engineering Firm (most boring)
Medical Supply Delivery (in college…lots of fun learning the back roads)
Server/Front Line @ Quincy’s Steakhouse (Hated this job)
Cashier/Team Leader @ Sports Authority
Bank Teller/Member Service Rep/Manager (for 5 years)
Avon Rep
Premier Jewlery Rep
Online Baby Clothing Entreprenuer
Church Nursery Director
Currently PT Nutrition Student (1 year to go!)
~~The hardest job but most loved—-> MOM!
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