Comments on: Where Have You Been?

By: Lori

Lori — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:07:00 +0000

You guys have been in some great jobs! I mean, look at the stories you can tell everyone!

I'd love working in a bookstore too, Amie. :)

wunderbug, what fun to work as a tour guide!

Angie, you a steakhouse grunt? I'd think given your culinary tendencies, you could have your OWN restaurant!

By: Angie Ledbetter

Angie Ledbetter — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 21:47:00 +0000

Steak House grunt :(
Student Worker :(
Caterer Assistant :(
Cooking from home :)
Nursery School Teacher :)
State Legal Secretary :/
Parish Atty's Office :/
Cleaning Biz Owner :)
Freelance writer/editor :)
Special Ed Teacher :)

By: wunderbug

wunderbug — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:21:00 +0000

as someone who hasn't reached the freelance part of my life yet, it's really great to see people who have such a diverse array of jobs before getting where they wanted to be.

each job i've had has contributed to my abilities in a different way, though, so here we go:

1) retail salesperson
2) undergrad student
3) tour guide in Quebec City
4) academic & career advisor for a large canadian university
5) recruitment officer for said university
5) orientation programming coordinator for the same university
6) leadership programs coordinator for (you guessed it) that same university.

as i go, i'm incorporating more and more professional writing into my portfolio, but i haven't quite reached my goal yet.

By: Lori

Lori — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 13:09:00 +0000

Katharine, me too! I’ve always wanted to restore a car. LOVE changing oil, tires, diagnosing car problems…. Hubby’s restoring his dad’s car. It’s been such fun for me, too. How many women can say they’ve spent quality time mulling over how to get a bolt off the drive shaft lying on the workbench? 🙂

By: Katharine Swan

Katharine Swan — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 03:48:00 +0000

1. Like Devon, writing since I was a kid, but without the publishing credits.
2. Preschool/after school program teacher from the time I was 16 until I was 23, with a few short breaks.
3. Shortest ever career at a circuit board manufacturing company. (Less than a month on one of those breaks from childcare.)
4. One year working in auto parts sales (for those of you who don't know, I'm a bit of a grease monkey). That was another break from childcare.
5. Part-time nanny and babysitter during the last year or two of my undergrad. Still babysit for one family regularly.
6. Technical writer for the boss from he!l.
7. Freelance writer.

Before the adults and their advice got to me in high school, I always knew I wanted to be a writer. It took a while to come full circle, but I eventually came full circle. :o)

By: Amie

Amie — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:41:00 +0000

I too have a fairly short list:
-Grocery store check-out girl (1-2 years, met my hubby there)
-Mower for city recreation and parks department (2 summers, before my allergies got really bad)
-Video store clerk (6 months, HATED! It's still not clear to me whether I quit or got fired)
-Kid's book store clerk (a few years, LOVED!)
-Admin. Assistant->Office Coordinator (first "real" job after college, stayed there 5 years)
-Marketing Coordinator->Supervisor, Marketing Services (6.5 years)
-Freelancer (almost 2 years, and loving every minute of it)

By: Krista

Krista — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:34:00 +0000

Lori,

I think teaching is one of those jobs that looks great on the outside, but your idealism soon disappears when you are faced with so much criticism and feel that nobody appreciates what you do. Honestly, I only lasted a year. Everyone thought I was a complete idiot to spend six! years in school and then leave so quickly, but I really felt like I was on the fast track towards a nervous breakdown before age 30. Freelancing is just as stressful, but in a different way...one I can (usually) handle. I still have the occasional meltdown :)

Now, I do a lot of educational writing, including standardized tests and reading passages, so I am still using my degree to a point, which is a bit of a consolation.

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:47:00 +0000

You know, Gabriella, my sister worked as an attorney in a corporate law office and she said the same thing - the way those people operate was shameful. She said the partners were hauling in millions of bucks per, but gave the admin staff a $30 a month raise and had to justify it because the price of cafeteria food went up. Cheap!

Devon, I want your career path. :) Much more interesting than mine!

Krista, you haven't known hatred until you've taught at an inner-city charter school. That was my sister's last job - and she would rather live in her car than take that salary again! (Sister has two degrees - one teaching and one legal)

By: Gabriella F.

Gabriella F. — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:32:00 +0000

Here's mine:

Waitress in training for HoJo's--Crazy, but had to quit within weeks because the high school swim team had practices that conflicted with the work schedule.

Interpreter (read: tour guide) at Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village throughout college.--Idiotic management, but great co-workers, so we had lots of fun (but got into much trouble). Tourists could be dopey. Exceptionally.

Editor at national trade pub--not bad; really liked the place and people

Lawyer--HATED, HATED, HATED the people and the way the profession operates; practicing law was at times fascinating, at times tedius.

Freelancing--Ahhh, what a life. Hard work, no doubt. But today I'll be meeting friends for lunch, doing grocery shopping (when few others are in the store!), and then taking the pooch to the beach in 80-degree weather. I'll make up for the lost time by doing some weekend work, but the fact that I have the choice to do it suits me so well!

By: Krista

Krista — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:58:00 +0000

Mine's a little shorter :)

Bachelor of science
Bachelor of education
Teaching high school (HATE, HATE, HATE)
Working with the government scanning deeds, wills, etc. (Good money, but boring)
Freelancing