Jobs & Life
Somebody posted this on one of the message boards I visit, and I thought it was a pretty interesting idea to bring here. (I know a lot of LJ people like to post ideas like this and then watch everyone else do it too, so make me feel special and do it for your own journal!)
Often in our adult lives, we treat jobs as what they primarily are - a necessary evil to make money and put food on the table. We often hop from job to job, trying to find work that offers the most rewards for the least amount of effort and/or displeasure. Once we move on from a job, we rarely look back at it and assess what we got out of it. That's the point of this post.
The idea is to list all of the jobs you've had. Give the where and when, along with what you did. But the key is the second part. Look back, and in hindsight, assess what you got from each job. Did you enjoy it at the time? Did it provide valuable experience? Did it change who you were or who you became? Basically, how did it affect your life, if at all?
Here’s my job history, full of fun little details that nobody will read. Hehe…seriously though, maybe it'll tell you something you didn't know about me. And if you do it for yourself, maybe I'll learn something I didn't know about you. :)
Job #1: Dairy Queen (Cook)
Pretty typical first job for a teenager, with crappy pay and not-so-enjoyable work. But it did give me good job experience and some extra cash to then turn over to my parents for bills. I’m sure it could’ve been worse, but there’s a reason I never again took a job in the food service industry…
Job #2: Beech Grove High School (Math Tutor)
Another way to earn a few extra bucks and stay away from home when possible. As one of the best math students in my class, the math department head requested that I help out with the after-school tutoring. It was fairly fun, but not terribly memorable. Just solidified my status as one of the biggest academic geeks in school.
Job #3: Pepsi Coliseum (Public Skating Guard)
At the time, any job that got me out of the house and allowed me to skate more was fine by me. The pay wasn’t great and neither were the hours, but it was extra money and more time on the ice. Only did it for one year though, because there just weren’t enough hours.
Job #4: USA Hockey (Referee)
I did this for just over 7 seasons. It was a lot of fun at first, but the pay isn’t enough to keep you doing it and it really sucks getting up at 5 AM on a Saturday in the dead of winter to make $8 for a game. You have to do it for the fun of it and out of the love for the game, and after a while I just wasn’t having enough fun doing it. You expect players and coaches to be emotional, but when parents become verbally abusive of officials, coaches, and even the kids, it’s time to get out. That’s exactly what I did. The experience gave me a whole new perspective on sports - more respect for officials and coaches at all levels, less respect for most youth sports parents. Also made me a better hockey player, because officiating helps you look at the game much differently.
Job #5: Meijer Gas Station (Clerk)
Took this job immediately after high school graduation and worked it while in Indy over summers during college. It was really my first full-time job. Although I didn’t always get 40 hours a week, I did almost always get at least 30. I owe a lot to my boss, because he was very helpful in keeping me on the payroll despite only being available 3-4 months a year. Wasn’t a great job, but it was good enough and it gave me decent money.
Job #6: University of Southern Indiana (Computer Lab Monitor)
While Meijer was my job in Indy outside the school year, this was my job in Evansville during the school year. Since I earned a full academic scholarship, I was fortunate enough to not need to work unreal hours like a lot of college students do. I worked hours that coincided with my class schedule, and it was easy work. Good spending money and gave me a chance to save some as well, which would be key after graduating.
Job #7: USI Shield Student Newspaper (Writer & Section Editor)
I kind of stumbled into this job and it really wasn’t a huge part of my life at the time, but it ended up being very important down the line in numerous ways. I took a basic journalism class, the prof was impressed by my work, and some of my work was printed in the paper. That led to me covering the school’s new hockey team because nobody else who could write knew much about hockey, which eventually led to my being offered a position as one of the section editors. I spent fewer total hours at this job than all but a couple on this list, but it could very well be considered the most critical one because of what it became. See Job #11 and Job #12 to find out what I mean…
Job #8: Thornton’s Gas Station (Clerk)
This was a very short-lived job last summer. Because of the economy being in the toilet, my newly-earned college degree was practically useless. I couldn't find a job in my field or any related field, so I had to take what I could get. My experience at Meijer got me above-average pay at Thornton’s, but the hours sucked. I was there for about two months, until Job #9 came calling. Just a placeholder job, really. Helped pay the bills when I was really hurting financially, and that was that.
Job #9: Baymont Inn (Front Desk Clerk)
Again, not what I was hoping for with a degree, but it was a step up from a gas station and it kept me afloat financially. I was there for a couple months, until management cut hours and I couldn’t come close to living off of it anymore. Started searching and thankfully came across Job #10…
Job #10: ECHO Community Health Care (Finance Assistant)
This was getting closer to something I wanted. Better pay, regular daytime hours, and benefits if I wanted them. I did a little bit of everything - some receptionist work, some data entry, some finance and accounting, and a lot of payroll. Although I was only there for about 3 months, I gained a whole new respect for the health care industry and, in particular, community (low-income and uninsured) health care clinics. It was a good job and I really wouldn’t have minded staying there if Job #12 hadn’t unexpectedly come my way.
Job #11: USI Ice Eagles Hockey Club (Numerous Positions)
I hesitate to even consider this a job, because it’s essentially a voluntary thing and I have so much fun doing it. Chronologically, it probably belongs between Jobs #7 and #8 because of when I started, but I’m leaving it here near the end because it’s still a live job. My work with the Shield directly led to me being more involved with this team, which means so much to me now. I started out just writing stories about the games, then playing the music at home games, then I redesigned the web site and took over as webmaster. Eventually, I acquired my current title as well (Director of Media Relations) and started handling the media and promotions stuff, along with statistics and roster sheets for our fans. Now I also get to help as a practice assistant, and even as an assistant coach on occasion. When I think about it and realize that I put in 30-40 hours a week during the season in addition to my regular job, it proves that I must love what I’m doing. It allows me to stay involved in the game I love but can’t play anymore, and it’s good experience for the field I hope to eventually get back into.
Job #12: Keller Crescent (Technical Writer for Whirlpool)
And this is where I am today from a “real job” standpoint. I did major in public relations and minor in marketing in college, so obviously this isn’t something I want to do my entire life. But for now, it’s a wonderful job with great pay (far more than I expected to make at this point in my life), good benefits, and a pretty good working environment. The writing I did for the Shield and my work with the Ice Eagles were very important in getting me this job, according to my boss. Not many people come to the interviews with good sample work, but I did and they liked it. I didn't get the job the first time I interviewed for it, but as their second choice out of dozens, I was offered the job when the first guy didn't work out. I’ve almost been here 6 months now, and I’m still enjoying it. One of the nice perks is that I get to travel a few times a year, which I really enjoy. KC is viewed as one of the best full-service communications companies in the Midwest, and Whirlpool is respected globally in the business world. And my work ends up all over; the owner’s manuals for many Whirlpool, KitchenAid, and Kenmore refrigerators worldwide are my work. Pretty cool.
My current situation really illustrates how far I’ve come in life. My "9-to-5" is a quality job and I have loads of fun volunteering for the Ice Eagles, which is technically work but really more recreational for me. My mom recently told me that my dad’s jealous and even a bit upset because I make more than he does. While that makes me feel somewhat guilty, it also makes me really happy and content because I know I’ve earned everything I have. I’ve come a long way from living miserably at home with a part-time gig at Dairy Queen…
Often in our adult lives, we treat jobs as what they primarily are - a necessary evil to make money and put food on the table. We often hop from job to job, trying to find work that offers the most rewards for the least amount of effort and/or displeasure. Once we move on from a job, we rarely look back at it and assess what we got out of it. That's the point of this post.
The idea is to list all of the jobs you've had. Give the where and when, along with what you did. But the key is the second part. Look back, and in hindsight, assess what you got from each job. Did you enjoy it at the time? Did it provide valuable experience? Did it change who you were or who you became? Basically, how did it affect your life, if at all?
Here’s my job history, full of fun little details that nobody will read. Hehe…seriously though, maybe it'll tell you something you didn't know about me. And if you do it for yourself, maybe I'll learn something I didn't know about you. :)
Job #1: Dairy Queen (Cook)
Pretty typical first job for a teenager, with crappy pay and not-so-enjoyable work. But it did give me good job experience and some extra cash to then turn over to my parents for bills. I’m sure it could’ve been worse, but there’s a reason I never again took a job in the food service industry…
Job #2: Beech Grove High School (Math Tutor)
Another way to earn a few extra bucks and stay away from home when possible. As one of the best math students in my class, the math department head requested that I help out with the after-school tutoring. It was fairly fun, but not terribly memorable. Just solidified my status as one of the biggest academic geeks in school.
Job #3: Pepsi Coliseum (Public Skating Guard)
At the time, any job that got me out of the house and allowed me to skate more was fine by me. The pay wasn’t great and neither were the hours, but it was extra money and more time on the ice. Only did it for one year though, because there just weren’t enough hours.
Job #4: USA Hockey (Referee)
I did this for just over 7 seasons. It was a lot of fun at first, but the pay isn’t enough to keep you doing it and it really sucks getting up at 5 AM on a Saturday in the dead of winter to make $8 for a game. You have to do it for the fun of it and out of the love for the game, and after a while I just wasn’t having enough fun doing it. You expect players and coaches to be emotional, but when parents become verbally abusive of officials, coaches, and even the kids, it’s time to get out. That’s exactly what I did. The experience gave me a whole new perspective on sports - more respect for officials and coaches at all levels, less respect for most youth sports parents. Also made me a better hockey player, because officiating helps you look at the game much differently.
Job #5: Meijer Gas Station (Clerk)
Took this job immediately after high school graduation and worked it while in Indy over summers during college. It was really my first full-time job. Although I didn’t always get 40 hours a week, I did almost always get at least 30. I owe a lot to my boss, because he was very helpful in keeping me on the payroll despite only being available 3-4 months a year. Wasn’t a great job, but it was good enough and it gave me decent money.
Job #6: University of Southern Indiana (Computer Lab Monitor)
While Meijer was my job in Indy outside the school year, this was my job in Evansville during the school year. Since I earned a full academic scholarship, I was fortunate enough to not need to work unreal hours like a lot of college students do. I worked hours that coincided with my class schedule, and it was easy work. Good spending money and gave me a chance to save some as well, which would be key after graduating.
Job #7: USI Shield Student Newspaper (Writer & Section Editor)
I kind of stumbled into this job and it really wasn’t a huge part of my life at the time, but it ended up being very important down the line in numerous ways. I took a basic journalism class, the prof was impressed by my work, and some of my work was printed in the paper. That led to me covering the school’s new hockey team because nobody else who could write knew much about hockey, which eventually led to my being offered a position as one of the section editors. I spent fewer total hours at this job than all but a couple on this list, but it could very well be considered the most critical one because of what it became. See Job #11 and Job #12 to find out what I mean…
Job #8: Thornton’s Gas Station (Clerk)
This was a very short-lived job last summer. Because of the economy being in the toilet, my newly-earned college degree was practically useless. I couldn't find a job in my field or any related field, so I had to take what I could get. My experience at Meijer got me above-average pay at Thornton’s, but the hours sucked. I was there for about two months, until Job #9 came calling. Just a placeholder job, really. Helped pay the bills when I was really hurting financially, and that was that.
Job #9: Baymont Inn (Front Desk Clerk)
Again, not what I was hoping for with a degree, but it was a step up from a gas station and it kept me afloat financially. I was there for a couple months, until management cut hours and I couldn’t come close to living off of it anymore. Started searching and thankfully came across Job #10…
Job #10: ECHO Community Health Care (Finance Assistant)
This was getting closer to something I wanted. Better pay, regular daytime hours, and benefits if I wanted them. I did a little bit of everything - some receptionist work, some data entry, some finance and accounting, and a lot of payroll. Although I was only there for about 3 months, I gained a whole new respect for the health care industry and, in particular, community (low-income and uninsured) health care clinics. It was a good job and I really wouldn’t have minded staying there if Job #12 hadn’t unexpectedly come my way.
Job #11: USI Ice Eagles Hockey Club (Numerous Positions)
I hesitate to even consider this a job, because it’s essentially a voluntary thing and I have so much fun doing it. Chronologically, it probably belongs between Jobs #7 and #8 because of when I started, but I’m leaving it here near the end because it’s still a live job. My work with the Shield directly led to me being more involved with this team, which means so much to me now. I started out just writing stories about the games, then playing the music at home games, then I redesigned the web site and took over as webmaster. Eventually, I acquired my current title as well (Director of Media Relations) and started handling the media and promotions stuff, along with statistics and roster sheets for our fans. Now I also get to help as a practice assistant, and even as an assistant coach on occasion. When I think about it and realize that I put in 30-40 hours a week during the season in addition to my regular job, it proves that I must love what I’m doing. It allows me to stay involved in the game I love but can’t play anymore, and it’s good experience for the field I hope to eventually get back into.
Job #12: Keller Crescent (Technical Writer for Whirlpool)
And this is where I am today from a “real job” standpoint. I did major in public relations and minor in marketing in college, so obviously this isn’t something I want to do my entire life. But for now, it’s a wonderful job with great pay (far more than I expected to make at this point in my life), good benefits, and a pretty good working environment. The writing I did for the Shield and my work with the Ice Eagles were very important in getting me this job, according to my boss. Not many people come to the interviews with good sample work, but I did and they liked it. I didn't get the job the first time I interviewed for it, but as their second choice out of dozens, I was offered the job when the first guy didn't work out. I’ve almost been here 6 months now, and I’m still enjoying it. One of the nice perks is that I get to travel a few times a year, which I really enjoy. KC is viewed as one of the best full-service communications companies in the Midwest, and Whirlpool is respected globally in the business world. And my work ends up all over; the owner’s manuals for many Whirlpool, KitchenAid, and Kenmore refrigerators worldwide are my work. Pretty cool.
My current situation really illustrates how far I’ve come in life. My "9-to-5" is a quality job and I have loads of fun volunteering for the Ice Eagles, which is technically work but really more recreational for me. My mom recently told me that my dad’s jealous and even a bit upset because I make more than he does. While that makes me feel somewhat guilty, it also makes me really happy and content because I know I’ve earned everything I have. I’ve come a long way from living miserably at home with a part-time gig at Dairy Queen…