Monday, July 16, 2007

 

Good jobs, bad jobs, rated by personal enjoyment


Over the years, I've had a lot of different jobs. I have enjoyed all of them-- I'm one of those people who enjoys working, and I can't imagine life without it. However, some jobs have been more enjoyable than others. Below is a list of my jobs since age 15, in rank order from most enjoyable down to the least enjoyable. Please remember that this is a PERSONAL list, and the fact that (for example) I did not rank law firm associate very high reflects my own interests and background-- I know very well that for others that job would be at the top of the list.

Professor (Baylor)
Law clerk to U.S. Dist. Ct. Judge (Philly)
Flower delivery guy (Detroit)
Assistant U.S. Attorney (Detroit)
Pub barman (London)
Process server (Detroit)
Financial aid worker (Boston)
Farm worker/pea harvesting (Bellingham, WA)
Oyster shucker (Rehobeth Beach DE)
Middle school janitor (Grosse Pointe)
Associate, large law firm (Detroit)

What's your list?

Comments:
1- summer associate
2- ass't animal control officer
3- 7-11 cashier
4- substitute teacher
 
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Law Clerk to U.S. Circuit Judge (Houston)
Law Clerk to U.S. District Judge (Tulsa)
Adjunct Professor (Tulsa)
Lifeguard (Arlingon, TX)
Receiving Clerk (Fort Worth)
Musicseller (Fort Worth)
Bookseller (Fort Worth)
Food Server - Chinese restaurant (Fort Worth)
Law Clerk for a solo practitioner
 
Life is an adventure...

1 - Associate Big Law firm (Washington)
2 - Law Student (Waco)
3 - Director of Supply Chain Management (Dallas)
4 - Supply Chain Manager (Austin)
5 - Director of Manufacturing Operations (Guadalajara)
6 - Director of Int'l Sales (St. Louis)
7 - International Trade Analyst (Washington)
8 - Import Compliance Specialist (Washington)
9 - Salesman (Washington)
10 - Department Manager (Boston)
11 - Bookseller (Boston)
12 - Retail Sales (St. Louis)
13 - Warehouseman (St. Louis)
14 - Software Entrepreneur (St. Louis)
 
I should add that my jobs are ordered chronologucally, not by personal enjoyment. My most favorite job, and one that I still miss, is Number 5...
 
Osler - Welcome to DC. We're turned on the heat and humidity for you so you'll feel at home. That, and we've made sure to avoid any lull in the regular routine of murders and drug arrests in order to keep the focus on your sentencing mission.
 
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1. EDTX clerk
2. law student
3. Coordinator of New Student Programs at BU
4. Student Life Orientation Texas A&M
5. Texas Aggie Bus Driver!!!!
6. Shoe Salesman in smalltown, TX
 
1. Chambers Baby in EDTX (tough job: smile, flirt with lady lawyers, make the Judge laugh)

So far, that's my resume!
 
1. Intern with federal PD (Dallas)
2. Intern with state misdemeanor court (Dallas)
3. Cameraman & video editor (Dallas)
4. Express sales associate (Dallas & Austin)
5. Antique bookstore assistant (Dallas)
6. Rampage sales associate (Dallas -- clothes store now out of business - I was desperate and it sounds just as bad as it looks)
7. Caller for an acting school, which I called a "glorified telemarketer and/or underappreciated secretary". It's the only job that I actually hated and I was the last of a huge mass of firings that whittled down a 15 person office to 4 people. (Austin)
 
Mine are listed chronologically as well. Of course, if they were listed most favorite to least favorite, Bus Driver tops that list hands down! :-)
 
Salesman at a dot com (DC)
Assistant to lobbyist efforts of Philip Morris (DC)
Intern at DA’s office (Waco)
Clerk at 54th District Court (Waco)
RA in the dorms (Baton Rouge)
Student worker at LSU Museum of Art (Baton Rouge)
Call center operator (Baltimore)
Salesman for medical supply company (Baltimore)
Video store clerk (Baton Rouge)
Mortgage Broker (Baltimore)
Warehouse work at a grocery store (Baltimore)

Hmmmm... All of my Baltimore jobs at the bottom. That should tell me something. I’m not sure what, though. Everything from call center operator up wasn’t that bad. And working in the dot com boom was a blast. Hell, when it went belly up, that was fun its own morbid way.

Mortgage brokers are more evil than Big Tobacco. Just so you know.
 
My jobs since age 16, in order from favorite to least favorite:
1. law school prof
2. in-house counsel for major airline
3. associate at Houston law firm
4. grocery store cashier
5. drive-thru cashier at Wendy's
6. associate at Dallas law firm (now defunct)
7. dorm RA
8. order-taker at Burger Chef (now defunct)
9. file girl/receptionist at a credit union (now defunct)
 
Hmmm, I know for a fact the Prof left off a couple of jobs. One he only had for a few days, but he DID get a W-2.... I will jog his memory about that one. The other he may not consider a job.

And he did some other stuff too, but I'm not sure he got paid for that.

As for me, I've never had a job I hated. My current post is the most rewarding, and not just financially, however.

My chron order, from 15 forward.
-Delivery Boy for the Washington Star (now defunct)
-Delivery Boy for the Washington Post
-Working at my Dad's rental stores in Vienna and Arlington, Va., beginning Jr. year in High school and then parttime until I passed the bar exam, and even occasionally today
-Political operative, Baltimore
-Staff Asst., Member of Congress
-Computer Systems Administrator/Legislative Assistant, Member of Congress, elected to U.S. Senate
-Law Clerk, courthouse law firm, Fairfax, Virginia
-Research Assistant for Law Professors, Williamsburg, Va
-Law Clerk/Associate Attorney, IP Boutique, D.C.
-Associate Attorney/Partner, mid size firm based in Boston with a D.C. office
-Partner, large national firm in DC office
 
1- Bartender, Tyler and San Marcos, TX.
2- Intern for local D.A., Waco, TX
3- Bus Driver, San Marcos and New Braunfels, TX.
4- Manager for Schlitterbahn Waterpark, New Braunfels, TX
5- Waitress, Waco, Tyler, and San Marcos, TX.
 
Listed in order of enjoyment:

Caddy at Riviera (2 years)
Caddy at random courses around Long Island (5 years)
Traveling Glove Salesman (4 months)
Golf Instructor at summer camp (2 summers)
Swim Instructor (a couple times)
 
1) Missionary Training Center Teacher

2) Public Defender

3) Federal Court clerk

4) Poo sprayer (shot compost out of hoses)

5) trencher

6) dog salesman

7) wal-mart cashier

8) Subway sandwich artist
 
1.) Clerk during school year
2.) Summer associate
3.) Singer
4.) Voice Teacher
5.) Piano Teacher
6.) Summer clerk with court
7.) Hostess at country club(not with the mostest)
8.) Children's Minister at Church 1
9.) Childern's Minister at Church 2
10.) Gift basket entrepreneur
 
Most recent to oldest. I feel old!

1. In house counsel for AIG (Dallas)

2. Associate attorney for law firm (Dallas).

3. Law clerk to U.S. Magistrate Judge (Waco).

4. Law Clerk U.S. Attorney's Office (Waco).

5. Law Clerk to law firm (Dallas)

6. Project Assistant Vinson & Elkins (Austin)

7. Computer Lab Assistant (Stillwater, OK)

8. Bookstore Clerk (Stillwater, OK)

9. Customer Service for Creative Labs (Stillwater, OK).

10. Referee for intramural basketball and soccer (Stillwater, OK).

11. Student worker Halliburton (Duncan, OK).

12. Pharmacy tech (Duncan, OK)

13. Waitress (Duncan, OK)

14. Dance Instructor (Duncan, OK)
 
1. Clerk for Air force Mortuary affairs (only because I was able to read 45 books for pleasure in 4 months, and got paid)
2. Independant radio station manager
3. Aircraft maintenance clerk
4. legal research assistant
5. Clerk for U.S. district court in waco
6. Video store clerk

Love,
Matt
 
undergraduate student (Georgetown, TX)
RA for summer school (New Haven, CT)
intern at Hoover's Inc. (Austin)
summer art lesson instructor (El Paso)
volunteer at retirement center (Georgetown, TX)
clerk at small firm (Waco)
clerk at Plaintiff's firm (El Paso)
CUTCO salesmen (El Paso)
student at Baylor Law school (Waco)
construction worker (El Paso)
 
1. Clerk for the DA in my hometown.
2. Extern for the US Attorney
3. Police Dept Records Clerk
4. Front Desk Clerk (Hyatt)
5. Directory Operator (Texas A&M)
6. Bartender
7. Children's Ski School Wrangler
 
1. Pizzaria caterer/waiter/cashier (from 12 [part time]) to 22- at my father's restaurant.
2. law student (Waco, Tx).

The law school environment is mentally taxing, but not as physically exhuasting.

"Chicago"
 
1. Teacher at Missionary Training Center(Provo UT).

1. Smith County Bar Foundation Criminal Defense Summer Intern (Tyler TX)

1. Farmer (Erda UT).

1. Family Advocate (Tooele UT)

5. Cashier at Zion's Bank (Kearns UT)

6. Front Desk Attendant at the Law Library (Waco TX).

7. Machinist at Detroit Diesel (Tooele UT).
 
1. Ruler, small island country (TBA)
2. Pub customer (Waco, TX)
3. Clerical, insurance company (Waco/Hewitt, TX...and mostly because my coworkers are fun)
4. Head Grammar Nazi, the Baylor Information Network (Waco, TX)
5. Regular, Common Grounds (too bad I had to pay them!, Waco, TX)



...


42. Family Scapegoat (everywhere)






...

245,652,841,953,568.42. Pizza delivery girl (good grief, nothing made me sneeze like anything else in my life!, Waco, TX)
 
Well, crap. Switch #2 and #5 on my list. I miss my coffee...I just thought of it late.

--actually starving starving college student
 
1-Musician
2-Luthier
3-Retail music store owner
4-Guitar teacher
5-Record store clerk
6-Lutherie instructor
7-Bartender (England)
8-Book store clerk (Texas Tech)
9-Construction
10-Janitor
 
Forgot Domestics clerk and a couple of Guitar repairman jobs (one I loved ,another I hated)
 
1 - college bartender
2 - Nike model
3 - associate, small firm
4 - TGI Fridays waiter
5 - waiter (lots)
6 - File Clerk, large firm
6 - Associate, tiny firm
8 - contract lawyer
 
1) Research Assistant at an audiology/psychology lab in undergrad testing children
2) Ford service department cashier (I was basically just a fan of the male to female ratio of the shop - the work environment was terrible, because you rarely deal with angrier customers than those with a car repair bill from a dealership...)
3) Children's ballet teacher (technically just an assistant, but the real teacher was enormously pregnant for most of this time, so I did just about everything)
4) Intern for a Dallas County judge
5) Intern for a parent education group
6) Petco Sales Associate (highlights include bagging crickets and boxing mice to be fed to snakes, because I at least didn't have to clean up dog crap. By 'boxing mice,' I mean putting mice in boxes, not rodents going 10 rounds.)
7) Some sort of "legal assistant" at a very small law firm
 
Jobs from favorite to least favorite:
But I KNOW I am forgetting some.
1. Answered the phone at pizza take out (I’ve never laughed SO HARD in my entire life)
2. Campaign worker (did everything)
3. Admin Assistant to Lights guy
4. Camp counselor
5. Latchkey Teacher for Grosse Pointe Schools
6. Writing for the Nerds. (I got PAID. For WRITING. But the Nerds were horrible)
7. Working in guitar store (married to owner)
8. Crossing Guard for city of GPW (had a crush on the dog catcher)
9. Sales Coordinator at OEM Auto Supplier
10. Customer Service at a DotCom in Silicon Valley until it DotBombed
11. Customer Service at Hollywood Video Corporate HQ
12. Nanny/ babysitter
13. Waldenbooks Assistant Mgr.
14. Candy Striper at St John Hospital
 
My list--best to worst:

Baylor Professor
Gustavus Professor
U of Minnesota Teaching Assistant
High School Teacher Study Center Foundation--Madrid
English as a Second Language Teacher--Madrid
Telephone Operator--St. Peter, Minnesota
Painter, Madrid and Minnesota
Plumber's Helper, Minnesota
 
My favorite jobs I got paid for, ever:
1. Paid choir singer at an Episcopal church in Virginia for 2 years;
2. College counselor and teacher at an international, scholarship=based boarding school in India;
3. What I do now, college counseling/teaching in Switzerland;
4. Served on the undergrad admissions committee at UVA;
5. Paralegal for a plaintiff's firm; learned a lot about asbestos litigation;
6. Parked cars in a field for a car show (a temp job);
7. Clerical work-study work;
8. Proofread papers for a grad-school professor;
9. Did every job that exists at Burger King, except managing it'
10. Temp job at a paper mill in Savannah. Ugh.
 
I forgot to mention the 19 years I spent pursuing my Bachelor's degree, including but not limited to the 6 years I spent in Nursing school finding out, in about year four, that I did not want to be a nurse after all.

Also I am mom to crazy Spencer. I have no comment about where that ranks on the list.... depends on the day, I guess.
 
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