# Who has the most varied/extensive job history? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 26, 2000, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860 "2000-08-26T19:41:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/1 "2000-08-26T19:41:45Z")
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. So, what does your list look like? ---
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/2 "2000-08-26T19:57:28Z")
1. nere’do’well part time moron and college student 2. Rock and roll star ( 7 years) 3. nere’do’well ( 3 years) 4. Art teacher ( 1 year) 5. School Principal (10 years) 6. Art teacher again 4 years( moved back home took the first available job) 7. Elementary Music teacher (5 years) 8. High School band director and tech director ( currently) ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/3 "2000-08-26T20:05:17Z")
Not necessarily in strict chronological order: [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] ---
**Author:** ![Lasset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f0a364/32.png) [@Lasset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasset)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/4 "2000-08-26T20:12:16Z")
I did all of the above, plus pretended to be Blush Magazine publisher Gallo’s son… wait a minute, that was a Just Shoot Me rerun. Nemmind. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/5 "2000-08-26T20:12:26Z")
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](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](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 ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/6 "2000-08-26T21:32:41Z")
[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. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/7 "2000-08-26T22:38:59Z")
Warehouseman in a cloth wholesalers Electrician - Royal Navy(and gymnast and inter services hockey player) Insurance rep for 2 weeks (seemed pretty sordid) Bicycle repairman (I’ve still got the cape) Bench technician repairing electronic music equipment, guitars etc Maintaining machines in a truck spring manufacturers. Technician in a power station, from switchgear through to laundry, incineration, boiler plant, HVAC chillers and enviromental control systems. Technician in a hospital, sterilisation gear, aircon, just about any duff consumer appliance that they could find. Supervisor/tutor in a prison workshop. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2000, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/8 "2000-08-27T01:42:28Z")
In approximate chronological order: Babysitter Camp counselor Temp (mostly data entry and proofreading, 1 day telemarketing) Bagel girl Manager at a student-run coffeehouse (actually a volunteer position, but I certainly include it on all my resumes, so I thought I’d throw it in here) Tutor, later assistant teacher, at a private academic summer camp (also did most of the marketing lady’s job, but that’s another story) Paper pusher for a legal tech firm Toy store clerk University English instructor ---
**Author:** ![Catfood\_Purrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Catfood\_Purrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catfood_Purrito)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2000, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/9 "2000-08-27T02:59:42Z")
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… ---
**Author:** ![dragonlady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@dragonlady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragonlady)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2000, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/10 "2000-08-27T03:08:20Z")
Let’s see…in no particular order: 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! ---
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2000, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/11 "2000-08-27T03:15:09Z")
My jobs… loose chrono order. I’m 18. Student (ongoing until I’m Dr. andygirl) Ice cream scooper (2 summers) Bookstore employee/cafe lackey (1 summer) Volunteer for gay youth services (3 yrs and counting) Online columnist Youth Columnist ([http://www.camprehoboth.com](http://www.camprehoboth.com)) (2 yrs and counting) Newspaper intern (1 summer) Freelance columnist (1 summer) Clothing store employee (1 summer) Theater intern (1 yr) Playwrite ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2000, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/12 "2000-08-27T03:22:40Z")
In a somewhat chronological order: 1st Job: Dishwasher at Bill Knapps. (One of the 3 worst jobs I’ve ever had.) Camp Counselor at Boy Scout Camp (6 consecutive summers) Janitor at an animal hospital Stock person at Toys R Us Parks maintenance worker for City (Mowed parks) Cashier at supermarket Cashier at Gas Station Student Teacher (Big BIG mistake in my life) Telemarketer (2nd worst job I’ve ever worked) Waiter at Elias Bros. (3rd worst job I’ve ever worked) Park Ranger for City Salesperson at Babbages Worked in a freezer wearhouse filling Ice Cream orders for supermarkets Data entry clerk for a manufacturing company Temp data entry person for GMAC mortgage Tech Support helpdesk agent at EDS. Had to resolve computer problems over the phone. Computer Technician and web page administrator (Current job. Yay!) ---
**Author:** ![slackergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@slackergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slackergirl)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2000, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/13 "2000-08-27T03:23:36Z")
It’s nice to see I’m not the only one with, ummm, varied experience in the working world. 1. Nanny 2. Bank teller 3. Mary Kay representative 4. Assistant secretary for Math/Science 5. Costume Jewelery counter sales at Mervyn’s 6. Import service clerk 7. Handed out maps at the AAA office 8. AAA Tow truck dispatcher in Los Angeles, then San Francisco (7 years with AAA total) 9. Registered Electrologist (one who does electrolysis) 10. Office Temp 11. Substitute Teacher 12. ‘Real’ Teacher 13. Computer game tester 14. Tech Support team lead 15. 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.” ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2000, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/14 "2000-08-27T03:26:46Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2000, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/15 "2000-08-27T03:30:23Z")
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). ---
**Author:** ![tubagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b77776/32.png) [@tubagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tubagirl)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2000, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/16 "2000-08-27T03:43:09Z")
1. Indian toy store do-girl 2. Pet store salesperson 3. pet store manager for competing store 4. candle store clerk 5. telemarketer- timeshares 6. movie theatre concessionist 7. dry cleaner clerk 8. Pizza Hut waitress 9. technical support agent All in 6 years, damn I need consistancy ---
**Author:** ![dewt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@dewt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dewt)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2000, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/17 "2000-08-27T04:10:24Z")
wow… that’s a tall order. 1. dishwasher 2. busboy 3. waiter 4. roofer, 5. drywall, masonry etc 6. Carpenter 6.5 professional student 7. clay mixer/asst lab tech 8. ceramics teacher (adults) 9. potter 10. sculpture teacher (kids) 11. sales (frozen food - door to door) 12. sales trainer 13. sales manager 14. writer 15. editor 15.5 rockstar (gross exageration) 16. internet research 17. web page design 18. bookstore (retail) 19. marketing 20. sales - replacement door/windows 21. courrier 22. cleaning uh… person 23. general handyman 24. furniture stripping and refinishing 25. fencer (as in build fences and decks) 26. small business owner 27. Lab tech in a chem lab (food testing) Some of the renovation stuff is kind of close, but each refers to a different position or job. Many were held down simultaneously. ---
**Author:** ![Oicu812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f475e1/32.png) [@Oicu812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oicu812)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2000, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/18 "2000-08-27T04:22:49Z")
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 ## O Sutra Self! ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2000, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/19 "2000-08-27T04:34:33Z")
[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] ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2000, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860/20 "2000-08-27T04:47:43Z")
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 That covers most of the big stuff [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-varied-extensive-job-history/30860.md?page=2)