I’ve been thinking about all the different things I’ve gotten paid for, and thought I’d solicit lists from others. Here’s mine, in general chronological order:[ul]
[li]landscaping crew; laboror[/li][li]Baskin-Robbins; scooper[/li][li]college work-study; chemistry lab[/li][li]Circle K; graveyard shift[/li][li]Army National Guard; medic[/li] --activated and served in Desert Storm
[li]undergraduate research assistant; zoology lab[/li][li]graduate teaching assistant; biology[/li][li]graduate research assistant/scientific diver (coral reef ecology)[/li][li]environmental educator; leading kids on offshore/barrier island field trips[/li][li]telemarketer; law enforcement charities[/li][li]Saturday Matinee movie store; sales staff[/li][li]community college instructor; biology curriculum[/li][li]university instructor/adjunct faculty; biology curriculum[/li][li]Waldenbooks; assistant manager[/li][li]U.S. Forest Service; wildlife biologist[/li][li]and currently, my career position (!!!), as wildlife biologist for a Federal regulatory agency in Washington, DC[/ul][/li]And I’m only 31! Lots of overlap in the above, and student loans were the driving force behind some of those undertakings.
[ul]
[li]grunt at a Roy Rogers Roast Beef Sandwich restaurant[/li][li]yardman[/li][li]street corner newspaper vendor[/li][li]floral delivery truck driver (several different florists)[/li][li]shipping clerk for a Hickory Farms franchise[/li][li]laborer for a real estate promoter[/li][li]drummer in a bar band[/li][li]Relief manager for a hamburger chain[/li][li]reactor operator at a chemical plant[/li][li]shade tree auto mechanic[/li][li]hamburger helper again[/li][li]cabdriver[/li][li]graveyard desk clerk at a hotel[/li][li]technician at a University of Texas chem lab[/li][li]geophysical technician[/li][li]music producer (failed company, lasted a year with one artist)[/li][li]seismic data broker[/li][li]spec seismic promoter[/li][li]exploration geophysicist[/li][/ul]
U.S. Post Office, Hermosa Beach, CA, (sorting mail during Christmas rush).
Fisherman’s Haven, Redondo Beach, CA (“pearl diver.”)
McDonalds, Manhattan Beach, CA–preparing hamburgers, sweeping lot.
U. S. Post Office, Manhattan Beach, sorting incoming mail.
Norson Machine, Gardena, CA; “millworker”–operating a machine that puts slots into ceiling screws.
Fuller Brush Man.
Amway distributor.
W. T. Grant Stores, Torrance, CA; custodian.
Helper for carpenter in Hermosa Beach. I even walked his dog.
Security officer (1987-95), at post Los Angeles County Office of Education, Downey, CA; http://www.lacoe.edu
employed by: Burns International; Protector Services; Wells Fargo; Inter-Con. (It’s a long story.)
Trinity Broadcasting Network, Tustin, CA; http://www.tbn.org
data entry operator, taking down donors’ information during telethons.
U. S. Census Bureau, enumerator
Self employed, 1975 to present:
Yard maintenance
Care for disabled
Transportation
Letter writing
Child tutoring
Product sales
Legal research and writing
House painting
Housework
Shopping
Research in libraries and county archives
[ul][li]sold hot dogs in the stands of Memphis Showboats (USFL) games[/li][li]babysitter for thesis committee professor[/ul][/li]It’s amazing what we end up doing sometimes in-between “real” jobs.
Let’s see…my first job was when I was 14, I’m now 22, and I have held 14 jobs:
doughnut maker (1 year)
convenience store clerk (4 years)
telemarketer (4 months)
general foodservice in a college cafeteria (dishwashing, serving, some cooking, other assorted stuff) (4 months)
grocery store cashier (1 month)
riveter/driller/caulker at a horsetrailer factory (2 months)
packaging oatmeal at a factory (4 months)
slicing/packaging pork (4 months)
chrome plating door handles (3 months)
phone psychic (one night)
medical file clerk (2 months)
medical secretary (one year so far)
and now, my new part-time job, grocery store cashier (2 weeks so far)
Wow…I did some heavy-duty job-hopping for a couple years there…
Fast Food Worker
Physicians Answering Service Operator
Retail Sales - childrens clothes
Receptionist at a Title Insurance Company
Bookkeeper
Resturant Hostess
Cocktail Waitress
Bartender
Lingerie Model
Store Detective
Lead Singer
Day Care Operator
Houseboat Maid
Mail Carrier
Office Temp…lots!
It’s nice to see I’m not the only one with, ummm, varied experience in the working world.
Nanny
Bank teller
Mary Kay representative
Assistant secretary for Math/Science
Costume Jewelery counter sales at Mervyn’s
Import service clerk
Handed out maps at the AAA office
AAA Tow truck dispatcher in Los Angeles, then San Francisco (7 years with AAA total)
Registered Electrologist (one who does electrolysis)
Office Temp
Substitute Teacher
‘Real’ Teacher
Computer game tester
Tech Support team lead
Quality Engineer (software)
And all by the ancient age of 28. Do I get to retire yet? When I posted my resume online the recruiter for the company I’m currently with called me and said “To be honest I just wanted to talk to you because you’ve either got to be the biggest freak ever, or really cool.”
I don’t know how I managed to forget my glorious 6 months as a door-to-door marketeer for Club America (discount club - a ripoff, but I didn’t know that at the time, well, not until a couple of veteran members got a hold of me in an apartment complex one night).
And I guess I could add in the teenage babysitting for the neighbors (easy money - they were really all babies; never dealt with one older than 2).
Thinking of a comment posted above: I include nothing but the geophysical vocations on my resume.
Ack! I wonder what else’ll bubble up through the fog. I forgot my semester as a school bus monitor for AISD the year court-ordered school bussing came to Austin (1980).
Corn Husker
Silo Cleaner Outer
Cook x 10
Pizza Delivery Guy
DJ at a Jazz station
Telemarketer x 5
Furniture Delivery Guy
House Mover (We picked up entire buildings and moved them)
Antique Restoration
Salesman, Jewelry
Salesman, Waterbeds
Salesman, Shoes
Cab Driver
Tuxedo Warehouseman
Pizza Maker (at a different pizza shop than the delivery place) x 2
Onsite Computer Repair Technician
Carnie!!! (Made some very good money…)
Furniture Repairman
Unix Administrator
Senior Network Administrator
Office Manager
Perl Programmer
SQL Programmer
Systems Administrator
Metal Grinder
Busboy
Dishwasher
Cabinet Door Finisher
Business Owner (Computer tech business)
Finish Applicator
Graphic Artist (Worked for Bob Dole, Jeb Bush and a bunch of others)
Fast Food Cook x 5
Printing Press Operator
Engraver (20’s and up!) $$$$$
Car Salesman (Used!!!)
Door to Door Art Salesman
Newspaper Delivery Boy!
Envelope Stuffer (Work At Home!!!)
Sports Illustrated Phone Sales!
Horse Groomer
Truck Topper Assembly
Car Detailer
Stockboy for a grocery store
Data Entry
Laser Printer Repair Technician
Desktop and Network Support
Antique Sales
Mechanic
Bouncer in a topless bar
Sign Painter for Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker
Corpsman in the US Navy!
Proof Reader
[ol][li]Paper Carrier[/li][li]Stoop and Squat Weed Picker on a truck farm[/li][li]Door to door sales[/li][li]Greenskeeper assistant[/li][li]Machinist trainee[/li][li]Mail carrier (college work/study, not USPS)[/li][li]Laborer (Foundry)[/li][li]Deckhand, Great Lakes ore boats[/li][li]Laborer, Landscape company[/li][li]Receptionist/Night clerk[/li][li]Retail management[/li][li]Burger King cook/closer[/li][li]Programmer/Analyst (19 years, 9 1/2 months)[/li][/ol]
Lawn Mower Boy
Department Store Gopher/window washer/clean up kid
Carnival Worker
Construction Laborer
Nurse’s Aid
Grease Monkey/Gas Station Attendant
Truck Driver
Convenience Store Clerk
Roughneck
Produce (fruits & veggies) delivery grunt
Medical Records Clerk
Technical Troubleshooter (Computer Help Desk?) for County Library.
Computer Programmer
College Umpire - Women’s Fast Pitch