What jobs have you been employed at?

My first job at fourteen was working at a fishing resort in Gunnison CO. I don't recall my parents ever telling me I should go out and get a job, I just did. My family tended to move frequently, I went to 13 schools in my twelve years, and lived quite a few places and moved on either pre school years or just not there very long. When I graduated from high school in 1966 I applied for college at the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

We married young, and got started on our life. We had purchased our first home and our first child on the way when I got drafted and sent to Vietnam. Sitting on a hillside just inside the Cambodian border I was reading a month old Sunday Kansas City Star newspaper. You always shared them with your buddies. The job ads had higher paying jobs in the world of accounting and data processing. So when I got home I headed back to school thinking a liberal arts degree wasn't going to land me a high paying job.
With my new employment ticket I went to work for an international corporation and found out the world corporate accounting was a little different than the text book version. Long story short I was very fortunate, my 40+ years in my chosen field took me to some really nice places 14 different countries last count. I reached my goal of becoming a CFO and built a decent retirement while I was at it. Working hard required some stress, long hours and a few disappointments here and there, but if I were to do it over I don't think I would change too much of it.
 
I actually trained to be a teacher, received my B.Ed. degree from McGill University in Montreal. I taught at the Notre Dame Secretarial College ( run by the Congregation of Notre Dame) for a year then moved to Vancouver, BC and taught at Dorset College for a year and a half. I actually would have stage fright when going in, in front of a class so I quit teaching. All of my other jobs were in education as office support - UBC, Kumon, Douglas College.
 

During my 50 years in Aerospace, I wore many hats:
Field Engineer
Program Manager
Project Engineer
Cost Estimator
Manufacturing Engineer
Sr. Contract Administrator
At the same time
Flight Instructor
CAP Pilot
RR Diesel engine mechanic
Angel Flight West Commend Pilot
Tourist RR conductor
 
Too many to list. Paper boy for the San Francisco Chronicle in the mid 1950s. Factory worker and janitor in Honolulu. Fisherman in Iceland and Norway. Dishwasher in Germany. Worked on a Kibbutz in Israel and also in construction there. Worked in construction in Australia. Taught English in Vietnam and Japan. Drove a taxi in San Francisco and was a model at the Academy of Art University there. (Note: I was a civilian in Vietnam and harmed no one.)
 
lawn mowing at fishing resort
bus boy in cafeteria
weekend construction worker
magazine salesman - college student
draftee in US Army - Vietnam
dairy farm worker
cost accountant
government contract bid preparer
telephone company office manager & controller
pest control company regional manager
communications company operations manager
sign manufacturing company controller
diesel engine distributor controller - CFO
auto parts manufacturer CFO - VP Plant Mgr - Board Member
medical supply distributor CFO
marine manufacturer CFO
business travel company CFO
retired
part time car driver at major auto auction
volunteer at VA Medical Center
During all this we owned a farm & raised 4 great children + 6 grandchildren + 2 great grandchildren so far
 
Dishwasher
Janitor (Geo H Dean Company and City of Boston)
Soda Jerk (Brigham's)
Shipper/Receiver (3 different companies
Field Wireman (Army National Guard) (
Central Office Equipment Installer (New England Tel & Tel)
Telemarketer (different companies)
Assistant Clerk of the Works (State of MA)
Security Guard (City of Boston)
Van Driver
Shift Supervisor (Jack-In-The-Box)
Door To Door Sales Rep (ALA Auto & Travel Club)
Sales Manager (ALA)
Door To Door Sales Rep (sold alarms, Dating Service and Ad Specialties)
Door to Door Sales Rep (TimeWarner Cable, AT&T, Media One, Comcast)
Sales Supervisor (same cable companies)
Sales Rep (BJ's Wholesale Club)

I thought I retired, but I work for my wife now. Pretty sure this will be my last job!
 
I'm an introvert, yet I've always had jobs in sales. I believe working hard and "smart" and I've been fortunate enough to never have to look for a job. So much of it has been about networking.

My first real job was selling suits at Sears. A well-dressed gentleman came in, watched me in action and said he was looking for a manager at his fine men's store and if I knew of anyone to let him know. I took the job.

I had a good client who used to come in and spend $1000's on clothing (and that was the early 80's). I waited on him hand and foot and even kept the store open when all the other stores in the mall were closed. The men's store was going out of business and he happened to be in the last day. He told me when I was ready to join his organization he would find a place for me. I started in his tour organization in reservations and was promoted to sales. I was calling on travel agencies and hotels.

One of the travel agencies told me about a cruise line that was looking for an area sales rep. I got the name of the guy doing the hiring and had 12 of my closest travel agents write letters of recommendation. I Fedexed them to him and he flew from Miami to Tampa to interview me. He said he couldn't ignore me due to all the letters of recommendation. We happened to be from the same small town in NC. I was hired.

I spent a couple of years calling on travel agencies in the Tampa Bay area when I was offered a job as Manager of Charters & Incentives in Miami. The company moved me. They were soon bought by Royal Caribbean and I had various sales roles with them for 15 years overall.

One of my best accounts with Royal Caribbean contacted me to join a start-up company with stock options. I took the job. The company filed bankruptcy, but one of my counterparts who had also left Royal Caribbean contacted me to come work for her at a small luxury cruise line. She left soon after, but I was promoted from Manager to Director and retired 20 years later as VP of Sales. Again, I have been so fortunate in my career.

Now I can just sit back and enjoy retirement.
 
seadoug said:
I'm an introvert, yet I've always had jobs in sales. I believe working hard and "smart" and I've been fortunate enough to never have to look for a job. So much of it has been about networking.

My first real job was selling suits at Sears. A well-dressed gentleman came in, watched me in action and said he was looking for a manager at his fine men's store and if I knew of anyone to let him know. I took the job.

I had a good client who used to come in and spend $1000's on clothing (and that was the early 80's). I waited on him hand and foot and even kept the store open when all the other stores in the mall were closed. The men's store was going out of business and he happened to be in the last day. He told me when I was ready to join his organization he would find a place for me. I started in his tour organization in reservations and was promoted to sales. I was calling on travel agencies and hotels.

One of the travel agencies told me about a cruise line that was looking for an area sales rep. I got the name of the guy doing the hiring and had 12 of my closest travel agents write letters of recommendation. I Fedexed them to him and he flew from Miami to Tampa to interview me. He said he couldn't ignore me due to all the letters of recommendation. We happened to be from the same small town in NC. I was hired.

I spent a couple of years calling on travel agencies in the Tampa Bay area when I was offered a job as Manager of Charters & Incentives in Miami. The company moved me. They were soon bought by Royal Caribbean and I had various sales roles with them for 15 years overall.

One of my best accounts with Royal Caribbean contacted me to join a start-up company with stock options. I took the job. The company filed bankruptcy, but one of my counterparts who had also left Royal Caribbean contacted me to come work for her at a small luxury cruise line. She left soon after, but I was promoted from Manager to Director and retired 20 years later as VP of Sales. Again, I have been so fortunate in my career.

Now I can just sit back and enjoy retirement.
Click to expand...
You picked the best cruise line to work for. Sounds like it was a great/fun career.
 
After the baby sitting career:

Was a women's self defense instructor in a Karate Dojo. Participated in competitions with other schools and won a trophy for a Kata demonstration. It's really a dance representing Karate moves

Worked for three State Farm agents in their shared offices and worked with two other office assistants. We took calls and walk in inquirers.

Was a title searcher in a Title Searching Company.

Worked for the Bank Manager of a major local bank as an assistant and took calls and helped customers with their questions (or complaints).

Went to work for a major Mainland bank when they moved locally for a while.

Worked for GTE Hawaiian Tel. as an assistant to the head of the department. It later became Verizon.

Became a part-time property manager for a church denomination owner of a 18-unit rental building while still doing my executive assistant job for the head of our department.
 
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Solo employee at my father's thrift store on Saturdays, age 14
Cafeteria busser in an airport terminal, Yakota AB, Japan, age 19
Insurance policy typist, Grand Forks, ND
Office clerk for a trucking company-sugar beet hauler, Grand Forks, seasonal temp
Secretary, Dept of Thoracic Surgery, University of North Dakota, temp
Office clerk, Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca-temp job
Office secretary, The Ithaca Times, short stay
Engineering department secretary and Pubs dept, publication specialist, NCR Ithaca, 5 yrs with 2 layoffs
Print shop typesetter, Hampton, VA
Print shop typesetter, Norfolk, VA
Print shop typesetter, Newport News, VA
Administrative assistant, alumni magazine, Ithaca, 7years
Accounting manager, alumni magazine, Ithaca-25 years

Misc. part-time work:
Seamstress--clothing alterations, handmade gifts, etc. most of my life
2WD radio, Newport News, temp "10th caller" phone craziness comes to mind . . .
Secretary, Pyramid Mall, Ithaca, temp
Target, their motto is-"fast, fun & friendly," Ithaca, quit quickly
Just Sew (sister-owned store) on weekends, Jacksonville, NY
JoAnn Fabrics store associate, Ithaca, part-time, quit quickly
Antique mall store associate on Saturdays, Ithaca
Bookkeeper, SewGreen, Ithaca, part-time
Deputy clerk, town hall, part-time, short stay, not a good fit at all per them and me
Bookkeeping assistant, reuse organization, culture of kindness--part-time, they haven't fired me yet

I'm sure there are other crazy short-lived jobs. They're not coming to mind.

Volunteer activity. My oldest son became an organ donor in May 1996, 4 days after being injured in a car crash. He was a backseat passenger. His heart, liver, 2 kidneys, 2 corneas, and tissue were donated. As a donor mom, I've volunteered in various ways as an organ donation advocate for 25 years. I've assembled six donor family memorial quilts--the quilt squares are made by donor families. The quilts are publicly displayed at organ donation events and other community events. They're also on loan to donor families for their memorial events.

My son's liver recipient, "Pip" received his liver on Mother's Day and lived 16 years with it. Pip passed away in 2012 with congestive heart failure. I'm grateful to Pip and his family for allowing me to be part of their lives to this day. His wife sends me flowers.
 
Thank you, Barbarak, for what you do in volunteering as an organ donation advocate for 25 years. I'm so sorry that you lost your son in an auto accident and had to bear the sorrow of him becoming an organ donor but saving lives the way he did. God Bless Your Heart.❤️❤️❤️

My bother has been receiving cornea transplants for the last 15 or so years. He's scheduled for another one soon. If not for cornea donors he would be blind.
 
Olivia said:
Thank you, Barbarak, for what you do in volunteering as an organ donation advocate for 25 years. I'm so sorry that you lost your son in an auto accidehad to bear the sorrow of him becoming an organ donor but saving lives the way he did. God Bless Your Heart.❤️❤️❤️

My bother has been receiving cornea transplants for the last 15 or so years. He's scheduled for another one soon. If not for cornea donors he would be blind.
Click to expand...
Thank you, Olivia, for your message and for sharing your brother's story. It's awesome to know that his life has been improved by cornea transplants.--Barbara
 
Wow, I never thought of listing them so this is pretty interesting to me....
- worked in family grocery store
- paper boy (plus collections)
- photo processing lab
- ghost wrote high school and college term papers for rich kids
- hospital accounts receivable, then asst. credit mgr. (working in a hospital is an eye opener!)
- edible oil accounting at 3 locations - cost acctg, construction acctg, process acctg.
- petroleum oil accounting/finance at 4 locations - volume acctg, construction acctg, mfg supervisor, gas liquids (propane, etc) acctg, credit mgr, project acctg, acctg supervisor, corp volume acctg, corp business analyst. Also was on the credit union board for 10 years, including loan officer (eye opener).
- this may offend, but they made me an offer I couldn't refuse ($$$) - spent two weeks in oil fill and pack during a strike, later on spent three months mostly driving a forklift at a major refinery during a strike (Mgr said he would match my skills with any of the regular crew!).
 
Father owned & operated a business as a general contractor for 36 years. I was his personal gofer many formative years learning all phases of construction. I can still drive a nail straight. USAF 4 years. Banking 3 years. IT support 35 years. Retirement since '09. PITA according to wife, it's a job & someone's gotta do it.
 
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I spent a lot of time underwater wearing Scuba Stuff. It didn't make any real difference.
But I learned a lot of stuff about a lot of different stuff.
 
Being a writer I've had zillions of jobs to pay the rent, including for temp agencies that sent me to a new office every week. For roughly half my work life I was a secretary. which I utterly loathed. After that, when computers came in, I did freelance writing/journalism/editing. I liked editing the best, not as anxiety-making.
 
1. During high school I worked on grandfather’s farm to pay for hay & grain for my horses.

2. After high school:

2.1. ”Generous Motors” wiring division (assembly line) for nine years. I had a knack for things electrical & mechanical; I used to Hotwire the new inspection board at model change so we could get shipments put on time🫣😂🫣😂. Quit when my son was born.

2.2. Son was four when I went to work in the AR department of a company who owned nine nursing homes. First computer I operated was an IBM System 32😱

2.3. 14? Years as a secretary for mechanical, electrical, and nuclear engineers. Our company built power generating equipment for commercial use and nuclear standby; I scheduled nuclear outages. Plant closed or I would have retired from that job❤️

2.4. Behind the scenes office job for a district post office.

2.5. Die planner/scheduler for a company who made advanced circuit devices, integrated power systems and components. It was my computer savvy that got me that job - I can’t remember any of it today 🙃

2.6. After retirement, part time receptionist for my insurance company until my arthritis caught up and I couldn’t get to work on time <——- had and still have horses to feed. It was a fun job that required more personality and less thinking; although my B personality left some things to offer😂😂
 
Various Hardware/Software Engineering Jobs, including:

- Bone Growth Stimulation Software and Device Modifications (dropped reject rate from 33% to .5%).
- Software that converted a 1080p HD tv picture down to recognizable 1 x 2 inch Preview Display.
- Software in a flame quality device that kept a Power Station from exploding.....so I'm told
- RFID scanner software in scanners used by retailers.

Yeah, I don't know electronics or how to program.....(if I talk to current 'headhunters' nowadays)
 

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