Job history
Aug. 20th, 2005 10:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebMy favorite online discussion group has a fun thread for listing all the jobs you've had and saying a little something about them. Let's see what I can remember.
1. Clerical worker, air freight business - When I got my financial aid package from college, I was horrified to learn that I was expected to save money from a summer job. Meaning I had to get a job. I applied for some but didn't hear anything. I worked for my Dad for three weeks helping him get caught up on paperwork. Normally he could only find three hours of work for me. One day he hit upon the perfect solution: catch up on adding the numbers in his accouting books. I trained myself to use 10-key by touch, which came in handy. Still, it took only three days.
2. Cashier, grocery store - my best friend applied at the same store I had applied to, after I had applied, and got the job. I was surprised that apparently when they get an opening, they don't call any of the people who have spent all that time filling out an application and giving it to them to file, but wait for the next applicant to come in. I went in once a week until I had a job too. This is where I first got asked out on a date.
3. Camp counselor, overnight camp - this was the most fun job I ever had. I started off competent, and after working with several other counselors, stole all their good ideas and became awesome. My college informed me that from my pay of $700 plus room and board, I would save $900 to use for college expenses. Interesting.
4. Assistant teacher, day care center - my dream college part-time job. Too bad I hated it. My favorite parts were reading stories, rubbing kiddie backs during nap time and playing soccer seven-on-one (totally even and fair). Little kids are just learning the social niceties. For example, if someone is in your way, the obvious answer is to hit them over the head with your toy. Yet we had to teach them to ask nicely instead. I got praise for not riling up the kids. But that never happened because I was too bored. I learned to become a clock-watcher on that job.
5. Camp counselor - not as fun this year. I got all younger kids because I was so good with them. Grr. Let's just say that sarcasm was my friend. "I can't find a good stick (for roasting marshmallows)!" "Look at your elbow. No, the other elbow, now look down your arm to your hand. Look! It's the perfect stick!" Little kid runs away smiling. We also had fun putting dirty meanings on everything kids said when we gave them oranges and told them to put peppermint sticks in them and suck out the juice like the peppermint stick was a straw. Favorite advice children gave each other included "suck harder" and "squeeze tighter."
6. Cashier, discount retail - this is where I went to my first company picnic where it was my company instead of my parent's. It was great fun, probably because I got to ride around in a jeep, driven by a teenager. He did not drive the jeep as if it were a regular car; he drove as if medians were not obstacles. Which they weren't. I worked this job one school year and several summers afterwards. It was okay. I liked my co-workers.
7. Cafeteria worker/building monitor/swim meet timer (work-study college jobs) - Three jobs because we were supposed to work ten hours, but I didn't get enough from any of them. As a cafeteria worker I learned how to chop various vegetables and I learned that I can only barely lift five-gallon milk containers to the chest-high cabinets they belonged in. If I didn't make it on the first try, I was too weak to do it on the second try in most cases. Rage-like determination sometimes helped. I also learned that when hot chocolate and orange juice are going down the same drain at clean-up time, that smells good. As a building monitor I got a lot of homework done. I liked timing swim meets best, especially when I wasn't timing and was just watching the diving competition.
8. Head camp counselor - This job is where I learned that I have leadership skills. Seriously, I would never guess it today if I hadn't had this job. I also learned the power of delegation, even with a workforce you'll have only one week. Training and delegation is virtually always worth it.
9. Teacher's aide for a gifted and talented program at three junior high schools - I learned that I like gifted twelve-year-olds much more than below-average adults. (The adults I'm referring to were classmates in Red Cross courses I was taking, not junior high teachers. I liked the teachers.) This is where I was introduced to Douglas Adams.
10. Outdoor program director at a summer camp - with this job you get only the fun groups, the ones that go on overnight camping trips and canoe trips. I earned first aid instructor, swim instructor, and canoe instructor certification for this job. But it didn't work out like I hoped. The new camp director hogged all the fun trips. "Oh, we just need a person with a first aid card to accompany those campers. Thanks for training me for that the first week, Debbie." I was in charge of baton twirling, parachute whooshing, cheerleading, and archery. One fun thing, at least, that I had some clue how to do (archery). I also got to take people on hikes. And help out the swim and canoe teachers until I refused to pass some kids just because they didn't have all the skills after only three days of lessons.
11. Life guard, college pool - boring. I learned that people come in a very wide variety of shapes.
12. Teaching assistant, college statistics course - fun, and the most per-hour pay ever up to that point and long after. I learned to always double-check the answers on multiple-choice tests someone else writes (and get people to double-check those on ones I write, of course). There's nothing like having a student point out that one of the five questions doesn't have the correct answer among the choices. And then another student points out a second such question. One we could just add another digit to all the answers to make one of them become correct. The other was trickier. This job is where I first noticed using my interpreter skills. "When the professor writes this on the board, that's the same thing as when the textbook says this." Oooooh. This is the closest I came to having to address the issue of dating my own student. I saw an old student at a party and he told me he had wondered whether TA's could date their students. I did not tell him "Irrelevant. I never date people who can't divide by one without a calculator."
13. Camp counselor - day camp. More money and fewer hours than working at the overnight camp, but not much fun. I learned that I'd rather watch "Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure" with adults who were doing scary drugs (my friends) than with three- to five-year-olds (my campers). The adults laughed at funnier places. I also got to life guard at a pool where the deep end was three feet. Ah, my favorite lifesaving technique is to yell "stand up"! Oh, there's also the job duty where you remind people they are not allowed to jump on other people's heads.
14. Teaching assistant, introductory sociology course - cushy, but boring.
15. Tutor, college statistics - kind of fun, but you spend a lot of time setting up meetings. I did much better working for a study center, where they told students they should get tutoring twice a week, than when I worked for myself and got students only right before tests.
16. Census bureau prelist enumerator - went door-to-door asking people their addresses. Duh. Drew maps of some of the areas that had come into existence since the last census. Apparently I was one of the few people who could do this decently. Some people would draw in the road that had trailers along it, and when they got to the end of the road and had run out of space for trailers, claimed that all of the rest of the trailers were inside the last building. It's very easy to look good in certain kinds of jobs.
17. Tutor, after-school tutoring center - this was actually kind of stressful and not that fun. It was much more reliable work than regular tutoring, though. Low pay, in spite of the high prices they charge. Apparently it really worked for the kids.
18. Secretary and typist for zoology professors - this was my first real job. I learned that I like the feeling of completing jobs. Because of that, and them having the same priorities I had, and because of not having too much work to do, I stayed there longer than I expected. I took this job because I hadn't found a teaching job after a year and a half. I don't look like a good disciplinarian. So I thought, what can I be sure to get a job in? Retail, fast food, or clerical work. I went with the clerical work. Who would have thought I'd keep that job for ten years.
19. Researcher for state agency - my favorite part of this was explaining to county workers all over the state how to fill out our complicated forms. You know, like explaining statistics to social science majors. They're always surprised at how easy it turns out to be. Unfortunately, the rest of that job wasn't a good fit for me at all. I stayed only 8 months.
20. Specialist in degree audit system for a university - 4.5 years and counting.
Oh, I'm forgetting those five days I spent substitute teaching. I was totally on the ball, always had lesson plans ready, could always answer their questions, but that still wasn't enough. You have to actually threaten them and start sending them to the principal, which I refused to do. I learned that people will blatantly stare at someone else's paper even while I am standing right over them. I hoped that I wouldn't have so many problems as a regular teacher, but I was never sure.
I also left out student teaching, which was exhausting. I learned that my favorite part was planning the lessons. Which is good because our texts sucked and I could never stand to use them (except once). I also learned that I can live on four hours a sleep each weeknight. I also learned that traffic is wonderful and 4:00 a.m.
Other odd jobs - as a kid, babysitting and lawn mowing, mostly with my best friend. As a full-time worker I've done some extra typing on the side for exorbitant rates, which was fun. I've transcribed interviews for social workers. These are very interesting and disturbing. I learned that even if you're a good typist, it's kind of a pain, even with transcription machines, which are great. I also learned that people erase when they talk. For these interviews, I had to transcribe every uh, er, um, because it gives you extra information about the speaker's feelings and thoughts on the topic. And people--but they sometimes start over when they're talking, which is what I mean by "erasing." Also I score essay questions on teacher certification tests during vacation time from my real job.
And now I'm thinking of web stuff, so I can get back to working with academic content for more fun. And thinking of applying for this other job (degree audit person for a specific college instead of for the whole university) for more pay. And then I want early retirement.
1. Clerical worker, air freight business - When I got my financial aid package from college, I was horrified to learn that I was expected to save money from a summer job. Meaning I had to get a job. I applied for some but didn't hear anything. I worked for my Dad for three weeks helping him get caught up on paperwork. Normally he could only find three hours of work for me. One day he hit upon the perfect solution: catch up on adding the numbers in his accouting books. I trained myself to use 10-key by touch, which came in handy. Still, it took only three days.
2. Cashier, grocery store - my best friend applied at the same store I had applied to, after I had applied, and got the job. I was surprised that apparently when they get an opening, they don't call any of the people who have spent all that time filling out an application and giving it to them to file, but wait for the next applicant to come in. I went in once a week until I had a job too. This is where I first got asked out on a date.
3. Camp counselor, overnight camp - this was the most fun job I ever had. I started off competent, and after working with several other counselors, stole all their good ideas and became awesome. My college informed me that from my pay of $700 plus room and board, I would save $900 to use for college expenses. Interesting.
4. Assistant teacher, day care center - my dream college part-time job. Too bad I hated it. My favorite parts were reading stories, rubbing kiddie backs during nap time and playing soccer seven-on-one (totally even and fair). Little kids are just learning the social niceties. For example, if someone is in your way, the obvious answer is to hit them over the head with your toy. Yet we had to teach them to ask nicely instead. I got praise for not riling up the kids. But that never happened because I was too bored. I learned to become a clock-watcher on that job.
5. Camp counselor - not as fun this year. I got all younger kids because I was so good with them. Grr. Let's just say that sarcasm was my friend. "I can't find a good stick (for roasting marshmallows)!" "Look at your elbow. No, the other elbow, now look down your arm to your hand. Look! It's the perfect stick!" Little kid runs away smiling. We also had fun putting dirty meanings on everything kids said when we gave them oranges and told them to put peppermint sticks in them and suck out the juice like the peppermint stick was a straw. Favorite advice children gave each other included "suck harder" and "squeeze tighter."
6. Cashier, discount retail - this is where I went to my first company picnic where it was my company instead of my parent's. It was great fun, probably because I got to ride around in a jeep, driven by a teenager. He did not drive the jeep as if it were a regular car; he drove as if medians were not obstacles. Which they weren't. I worked this job one school year and several summers afterwards. It was okay. I liked my co-workers.
7. Cafeteria worker/building monitor/swim meet timer (work-study college jobs) - Three jobs because we were supposed to work ten hours, but I didn't get enough from any of them. As a cafeteria worker I learned how to chop various vegetables and I learned that I can only barely lift five-gallon milk containers to the chest-high cabinets they belonged in. If I didn't make it on the first try, I was too weak to do it on the second try in most cases. Rage-like determination sometimes helped. I also learned that when hot chocolate and orange juice are going down the same drain at clean-up time, that smells good. As a building monitor I got a lot of homework done. I liked timing swim meets best, especially when I wasn't timing and was just watching the diving competition.
8. Head camp counselor - This job is where I learned that I have leadership skills. Seriously, I would never guess it today if I hadn't had this job. I also learned the power of delegation, even with a workforce you'll have only one week. Training and delegation is virtually always worth it.
9. Teacher's aide for a gifted and talented program at three junior high schools - I learned that I like gifted twelve-year-olds much more than below-average adults. (The adults I'm referring to were classmates in Red Cross courses I was taking, not junior high teachers. I liked the teachers.) This is where I was introduced to Douglas Adams.
10. Outdoor program director at a summer camp - with this job you get only the fun groups, the ones that go on overnight camping trips and canoe trips. I earned first aid instructor, swim instructor, and canoe instructor certification for this job. But it didn't work out like I hoped. The new camp director hogged all the fun trips. "Oh, we just need a person with a first aid card to accompany those campers. Thanks for training me for that the first week, Debbie." I was in charge of baton twirling, parachute whooshing, cheerleading, and archery. One fun thing, at least, that I had some clue how to do (archery). I also got to take people on hikes. And help out the swim and canoe teachers until I refused to pass some kids just because they didn't have all the skills after only three days of lessons.
11. Life guard, college pool - boring. I learned that people come in a very wide variety of shapes.
12. Teaching assistant, college statistics course - fun, and the most per-hour pay ever up to that point and long after. I learned to always double-check the answers on multiple-choice tests someone else writes (and get people to double-check those on ones I write, of course). There's nothing like having a student point out that one of the five questions doesn't have the correct answer among the choices. And then another student points out a second such question. One we could just add another digit to all the answers to make one of them become correct. The other was trickier. This job is where I first noticed using my interpreter skills. "When the professor writes this on the board, that's the same thing as when the textbook says this." Oooooh. This is the closest I came to having to address the issue of dating my own student. I saw an old student at a party and he told me he had wondered whether TA's could date their students. I did not tell him "Irrelevant. I never date people who can't divide by one without a calculator."
13. Camp counselor - day camp. More money and fewer hours than working at the overnight camp, but not much fun. I learned that I'd rather watch "Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure" with adults who were doing scary drugs (my friends) than with three- to five-year-olds (my campers). The adults laughed at funnier places. I also got to life guard at a pool where the deep end was three feet. Ah, my favorite lifesaving technique is to yell "stand up"! Oh, there's also the job duty where you remind people they are not allowed to jump on other people's heads.
14. Teaching assistant, introductory sociology course - cushy, but boring.
15. Tutor, college statistics - kind of fun, but you spend a lot of time setting up meetings. I did much better working for a study center, where they told students they should get tutoring twice a week, than when I worked for myself and got students only right before tests.
16. Census bureau prelist enumerator - went door-to-door asking people their addresses. Duh. Drew maps of some of the areas that had come into existence since the last census. Apparently I was one of the few people who could do this decently. Some people would draw in the road that had trailers along it, and when they got to the end of the road and had run out of space for trailers, claimed that all of the rest of the trailers were inside the last building. It's very easy to look good in certain kinds of jobs.
17. Tutor, after-school tutoring center - this was actually kind of stressful and not that fun. It was much more reliable work than regular tutoring, though. Low pay, in spite of the high prices they charge. Apparently it really worked for the kids.
18. Secretary and typist for zoology professors - this was my first real job. I learned that I like the feeling of completing jobs. Because of that, and them having the same priorities I had, and because of not having too much work to do, I stayed there longer than I expected. I took this job because I hadn't found a teaching job after a year and a half. I don't look like a good disciplinarian. So I thought, what can I be sure to get a job in? Retail, fast food, or clerical work. I went with the clerical work. Who would have thought I'd keep that job for ten years.
19. Researcher for state agency - my favorite part of this was explaining to county workers all over the state how to fill out our complicated forms. You know, like explaining statistics to social science majors. They're always surprised at how easy it turns out to be. Unfortunately, the rest of that job wasn't a good fit for me at all. I stayed only 8 months.
20. Specialist in degree audit system for a university - 4.5 years and counting.
Oh, I'm forgetting those five days I spent substitute teaching. I was totally on the ball, always had lesson plans ready, could always answer their questions, but that still wasn't enough. You have to actually threaten them and start sending them to the principal, which I refused to do. I learned that people will blatantly stare at someone else's paper even while I am standing right over them. I hoped that I wouldn't have so many problems as a regular teacher, but I was never sure.
I also left out student teaching, which was exhausting. I learned that my favorite part was planning the lessons. Which is good because our texts sucked and I could never stand to use them (except once). I also learned that I can live on four hours a sleep each weeknight. I also learned that traffic is wonderful and 4:00 a.m.
Other odd jobs - as a kid, babysitting and lawn mowing, mostly with my best friend. As a full-time worker I've done some extra typing on the side for exorbitant rates, which was fun. I've transcribed interviews for social workers. These are very interesting and disturbing. I learned that even if you're a good typist, it's kind of a pain, even with transcription machines, which are great. I also learned that people erase when they talk. For these interviews, I had to transcribe every uh, er, um, because it gives you extra information about the speaker's feelings and thoughts on the topic. And people--but they sometimes start over when they're talking, which is what I mean by "erasing." Also I score essay questions on teacher certification tests during vacation time from my real job.
And now I'm thinking of web stuff, so I can get back to working with academic content for more fun. And thinking of applying for this other job (degree audit person for a specific college instead of for the whole university) for more pay. And then I want early retirement.