I know there was a thread recently about what people do now, but what sorts of jobs have you held in the past?
I’m a 28-year-old copywriter with my own business now, but I’ve been:
-a clerk in the engineering office at a local university
-an archaeologist
-a legal secretary/paralegal/office manager (it was a 1-man law firm)
-an administrative assistant
-a seamstress with a wedding gown designer
-a wedding gown model
-a marketing assistant
-a web content developer and research manager
I’ve held a few other odd jobs in retail while I was in high school, but these are the jobs I’ve held during college and after graduation. What about you?
-flipping burgers
-cleaning semitractors and trailers
-managing a record store
-working as a semi-pro photographer
-managing a chain of photo shops
-courier
-bookstore clerk
-managing a courier company
-teaching high school
This is not counting informal sales of “mood-enhancers.”
Wow…this is gonna be a long list. Let’s see how many I can remember:
[ul]
[li]generic beach worker (cleanup and parking lot toll taker, mostly)[/li][li]junior counseler at a day camp[/li][li]porter at a bowling alley[/li][li]ice cream parlor worker[/li][li]department store receivables clerk[/li]<Scary. There’s a two year gap right here in which I have no recollection of what I did. That can’t be good.>
[li]assembly line worker at a patio umbrella factory[/li][li]delivery driver for an auto parts store[/li][li]dishwasher[/li][li]busboy[/li][li]house painter[/li][li]ad designer, layout manager, reporter and asst. editor for a local newspaper[/li][li]Finally, my current company, where I was a customer service rep, tech support rep and research analyst before my current job as an integration research specialist. [/ul] [/li]
Whew!
Babysitter
Housekeeper
Stocking Decorator / Ornament Engraver
McDonald’s (sob)
K-Mart Food Counter (double sob)
AAFES Hot Dog Stand (the biggest, sobbiest sob of all)
Telemarketer (no, really, the hot dog stand was worse!)
Nintendo Demonstrator (the coolest job ever - 9 bucks an hour to play Nintendo)
In Store Demonstrator (selling some crappy cleaning product)
Sam’s Club Demonstrator (I gave away free food!)
Wal-Mart (OK, maybe this ties for the biggest sob)
and then my career started improving
Data Entry Clerk
Production Prep Assistant
Secretary
Legal Assistant
MS Access Developer
Help Desk Administrator
Reporting Specialist
Business Analyst
and now…
Project Manager.
Woo hoo. What a career chain. Luckily, I’ve found where I want to be for a good, long time
Fast food joint
Checker at a grocery store
New Accounts clerk (bank)
Receptionist
Jr Drafter and lab tech
Drafter/lab tech
Novell Administrator
Systems admin (jr/sr)
LAN/WAN tech
LAN/WAN Architect
Systems Engineer (jr/sr)
Network Engineer (jr/sr)
ATM/FR Network Engineer (sr)
Software Engineer (sr)
General laborer in a fruit packing shed
Forklift and truck driver (also in a fruit packing shed)
Foreman (also also in a fruit packing shed)
Au pair
Bank employee
Fresh fruit and vegetable inspector
Pizza delivery driver
Book store employee
Barista
ESL instructor
Teaching Assistant
Maintenance crew foreman
College instructor
Archaeologist
fast food
movie theater (and part time fast food)
record store clerk
record store video rental manager
record store assistant manager
record store store manger (I was movin’ up)
record store assistant manager (moved to Texas)
IRS temp (while at the record store)
book store clerk (started school)
receptionist/aide (work study job)
grader - eng computing
geology research assistant
engineering intern
and finally…
structural engineer! (yes, it only took me 15 years of college )
'course now that I’m here in my very own cubicle, I wanna chuck it all and go back to school…
In chronological order, starting from first paying job at about 10 years old:
Lawn mowing
Baby sitting
Demolition (simple tear down of old construction)
Warehouse operator
Dishwasher
General construction labor
Fire Damage demolition
Mason Tender
Hot roofer - roofer and kettle tender
Convenience store clerk
Convenience store area assistant manager
Waiter
Bar tender
Assistant Manager - Bulk food store
Cobol and PC Programmer
Systems Analyst
Systems Manager at a manufacturing plant
Project Manager for large systems projects
Program Manager for country wide SAP installations
Technical Design for Java-based systems
Bum
Software Systems Sales (and multiple other hats)
Small Business Owner
I’m only 22 and am currently an unemployed student:
-Data Entry
-Cashier at Blockbuster Video
-Worked at the concession stand at AMC Theatres
-Cashier/busser/dishwasher at Panera Bread
-Kennel Ward Attendant at a vet’s office
-Cashier at a thrift store
-House cleaner
[ul]
[li]Scoreboard Operator[/li][li]Construction Laborer[/li][li]Dorm Counselor[/li][li]Journeyman Rodbuster[/li][li]“Sales Professional” at Radio Shack (God, I hated that f***ing job)[/li][li]Process Server[/li][li]“Troubleshooter” for an Attorney (please don’t ask)[/li][li]Landscaper[/li][li]Maintenance Man[/li][li]Manager for an Exterminating Company[/li][/ul]
I think I’m one of the few people in the world who never worked in Food & Bev.
Tuba instructor.
Computer salesman.
Tech support for computer manufacturer.
Sailing instructor.
Word processor.
Data geek for a telemarketing company.
Network administrator.
Tech support for chain of stores.
Software installer.
WebTrends admin.
WebSphere admin.
Change Management coordinator.
Currently gainfully employed (for the next 25 hours, anyway) as a WebTrends admin.
