This is not easy for me, as I have been temping for some time. But I’ll give it a whirl:
NOT Necessarily In This Order:
Paper Route
Baby Sitter
Burger King Geek
McDonald’s Geek
Pumped Gas (people used to actually do that for ya!)
Clown
Dry Cleaners
Plug-style switchboard operator
Waitress
Waitress again
Construction Administrator
Furniture Store
Insurance Company
Secretary
Word Processor
Exec. Secretary
Exec. Secretary
Temp. Exec. Secretary
Buyer
Editorial Assistant
Word Processor again
Word Processor/Secretary
Legal Secretary
Merchandising Clerk
Legal Secretary again
IT Admin.
Account Coordinator
Data entry person for a bike shop (12yrs old.)
Resident in Hell (WEIS Market employee 16-17)
For a day and a half I worked at BAGEL BUDDIES, share in my joy…(17)
Resident in 9th circle of Hell (Mobile Gas attendent 18-19)
Professional Money launderer, in Hell (Crestar Bank Cashier 20-21)
Professional Ass number (Custard Insurance Adjusters 21-23, in the CIA baby!)
And finally an Account Associate I (Anteon at the ripe old age of 24)
AV/Stage crew geek
Programmer
Reader for blind people
Computer salesman
Tech support guy for a computer manufacturer
Word processor
Database tech for a telemarketing company
Tech support for Target
… for Blue Shield
… for IAI
Software installer at Honeywell
System admin for a Webtrends project
Utility infielder computer geek (ongoing)
I’m only 16 and am too involved in sports and other extracurricular activities to really have a job. However, I ref soccer and am an umpire for the little league here, both pay $15 a game. I would do it for free, but hey, it still pays pretty decent for a part-time job over the summer and saturdays in the fall.
Hm…let’s see if I can remember… starting when I was 14:
Water Park attendant (& later lifeguard)
Chik-Fil-A cashier
Q-Zar Laser Tag Marshall and Arcade Tech
Gadzooks Sales Associate
Short Order Cook & Bartender (Bowling Alley)
Web Design
Video Store CSR & later Store Manager
Political Operations Asst.
Short list, I know. I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up ::
Babysitter
Tutor (English, Math, Chemistry, and Italian)
Bank “gopher”: basically the person who did the jobs the tellers didn’t want.
Bank teller
Phone bill clerk
Webmaster (No pay, but it looks good on a resumé.)
Burger King Cashier
K-Mart Bitch Boy
U.S. Army Infantry Soldier
Rental Car Company Bus Driver
IT Buyer for Telecommunications Company
Facilities Buyer for Insurance Comapny
IT Buyer for Digital Imaging Company
before college
Paper Route
Baby Sitting (I was called a “Ward”, to protect my fragile male ego)
Landscape Engineer (I mowed lawns and dug ditches and the like)
Ice Cream Scooper
Tomato packing shed, putting boxes on pallets
during college
I rebuilt the Soil Mechanics Lab in the Engineering basement
Transformer Load Management Surveyor (for electric company)
USMC
Base Firing Platoon Commander, HAWK Missile Battery
Support Platoon Commander, HAWK Battery
Platoon Commander, Stinger Missile Battery
Battery Executive Officer, Stinger
Stinger Detachment Officer-in-Charge, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit
Special Projects Officer, Stinger Missile Battalion
The Real World
ISO 9000 Program Manager, corrugated box plant (Westvaco, Buffalo)
Process Improvement Manager, same plant
2nd Shift Manufacturing Superintendent, same plant
Corrugator Improvement Facilitator, same plant
Quality Systems Manager, another plant (Union Camp, Maine)
Technical Service Engineer, Union Camp (paper company)
Packaging Technical Coordinator, Del Monte Fresh Produce
Packaging Manager, DMFP
Theatre Monkey
Mover
Assistant Stage Manager
Special Effects/Scene Shifts
Set Construction
Flight Operator
Nazi
Chauffeur
Policeman
Artist
Writer
Website Manager/Designer
One-Fifths Jesus
Zoolander Poster Merchant
Master Karate Master Sensai
Mayor Rudolph Guiliani, Sr.
The Great Googly Moogly
Negative Jesus Cubed
Slim Shady/The Last of the Uberpimps
Cameraman
Director
Animator
Teacher
Mother
Secret Lover
Note that only one of those jobs has been lucrative.
Youth Conservation Corps Team Foreman
“Lumber Bitch”–aka lumber wrapper, forklift driver, saw operator
Confidential Courier
Intern @ a European public affairs firm
Medical Records processor/Lab tech
Telemarketer for the Nat’l Symphony Orchestra
Resident Assistant in a private university
Intern, Political-Military Bureau, Dept. Of State
Bond trader, Int’l Fixed income products
Sysadmin for the 3rd largest nonprofit in the US
Foreign Service Officer
Service Station Attendant (aka Pump Jockey) for two different stations
Computer Salesman
Sales Clerk at a stationary store/copy shop
Sales Associate at Egghead Software
Student Worker at university’s public safety office
Game Tester
Lead Game Tester
Level Designer
Associate Game Designer
Mission Design Specialist
Associate Producer
Game Designer
Telemarketer
General Office Clerk
Data Entry Clerk
Accounts Payable Clerk
Inventory Control Coordinator
Software Engineer
Age: 33
Events in as close a chronological order as I can recall
Lawn Mower (the person, not the machine)
Martial arts instructor
Bookie collector
Bodyguard
Courier
Bouncer
Small engine mechanic
Security guard
Factory worker
Census ennumerator
Telemarketer
Reporter
Writer
Public Relations, Marketing and Advertising
Huh. I don’t think I remember all the jobs I’ve had (damn temp services anyway)… Okay, in no particular order:
babysitter (duh)
singer/dancer (not of the exotic variety)
convenience store clerk (which I actually enjoyed)
fashion department Pamida employee
telemarketer (I’m not the devil, honest. I sold Pitney-Bowes postage meters to companies, not residences, for about 4 days and it sucked)
casino finance cashier
casino finance auditor
casino hotel "guest service representative (front desk person)
casino hotel auditor (my current job)
I once worked with a manufacturing company. By far my easiest job ever. Take this plastic wire and insert it into these plastic housing units. Occasionally test wires. Four 10 hour days, weekends off. I miss that job.
As soon as I come off maternity leave (which is still months and months away, and it sucks) I will leave the completely shit job that I have now (no pay, I hate the people I work with/for, etc.) I will probably transfer back to the “casino finance cashier” position and, 90 days after that, I will take the “casino finance auditor” position, because it’s so much fun.
Local supervisor of paper boys for Sioux City Tribune
Steeplejack/Painter** (I say steeplejack but actually I didn’t know squat and am lucky to have survived.)**
Janitor, ticket taker, furnace tender, appentice projectionist and general flunky at movie theater.
Army: Aviation Cadet, Basic Pilot Instructor, Martin B-26 Pilot, Douglas A-26 Pilot.
College student: Ditch digger, Surveyor rodman
Electrical Engineer: Test Range Instrumentation design, Test engineer, Telemetry design, Aircraft instrumentation design and installation, Engineering supervisor, And others too numerous to mention.**
Dining hall server
Dining hall grill cook
Dining hall cook’s assistant
Library acquisitions assistant
Science library assistant
Burger flipper
Substitute teacher
Customer service representative
Branch Manager
Internal auditor
Internal auditor for another company
Private Sector:
Neighborhood Dog Sitter
Landscaper/Carpenter’s Apprentice
Ice Cream Store Fountain Worker [sub]("Why do they call it Friendly’s if we’re all so pissed off?)[/sub]
Ice Cream Store Food Prep Worker
Sheet Metal Shop General Worker
Retail Paint Sales Worker [sub](Sherwin Williams)[/sub]
Paint Sales Customer Service Rep [sub](Home Depot)[/sub]
Paint Contractor [sub](my own li’l company - ‘Aim High Painting’)[/sub]
Computer Dept/IT Laborer [sub](installing machines, setting 'em up)[/sub]
Computer Lab Monitor [sub](Bastard Operator from Hell, 'specially with High School students)[/sub]
Air Force:
Electrical Design Engineer
Base/City Planner and Programmer
OIC Construction Management Wannabe EOD Flight Chief.
Odd jobs here and there:
Paint, Decking Consultant
General Contractor [sub](Trog Construction Ltd.)[/sub]
Year 2000 Census Representative
Tripler
I’m jealous of UncleBill. He got to play with SAMs.
Babysitter
Fried Fish Flinger
The Lightning Fast Grocery Store Clerk
Daycare Worker
Receptionist
Assistant Work Study Junior Curator
Legal Secretary
Subsitute Teacher
Clerical Temp Worker
Archeologist (with the poison ivy and chigger scars to prove it)
Store Clerk
Store Manager
Assistant Buyer
Buyer
Starting at age 16, here is my list in chronological order:
Janitor for my parents’ store- 2 years
Burger King, cook, cashier, assistant manager- 6½ years (yes!) The last 2½ years I was an assistant manager
Commercial construction company, general labor- 2 days. I was desperate to get out of fast food and a recent fellow B.K. escapee talked me into doing this job with him. The job sucked in every way imaginable, hence the short tenure.
Office supply store, electronics department- 3½ years.
Tech support agent- 2 months. I just wasn’t cut out for this.
Office supply store (same store), electronics department- 2 more years, this time a supervisor
Printer testing technician- 2 years so far (my current job).
I’m nearly 33 and have had far fewer different jobs than most of the people I know.
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