What jobs have you held?

[TeaSea]

OBIO's fun with veggies got me thinking about this, but I bet a bunch of simouthouse's members have had some interesting jobs (and maybe some not so interesting). How about listing them?

I can start:

Dishwasher for Alyeska pipeline company
Janitor and grounds keeper at a military guest house
janitor and attendant at a bowling alley
short order cook
clerk at a hardware store
janitor at Belks department store
construction worker (poured concrete)
Stock clerk at a grocery store (x2)
snack bar attendant
U.S. Army officer
Air Force Civilian.

Oh, I washed semi trucks with a team of guys for about two months in High School...this sucked because it was dead of winter in Pennsylvania! But the guy that ran the crew was so much fun to work with none of the crew seemed to mind. He paid cash too.

[Daveroo]

i'll play.....mines easy...

went to "work" age 12 for grandfather as a plumber in summer and after school,,hired full time at age 18,,broke my back aug 11,1995 at age 32
at age 18,i joined the volunteer fire department.became extremely involved,started man the station at nights and weekends ,and then we formed a "hotshot crew" and the state required we be paid so the state insurance cover us...so we became the first "paid members" of our department.
at age 16,i began racing cars,,,started in the claimer division,,the competitors or a fan from the stands could put a "claim" on the car ,was set at 100 dollars and if your car was "claimed" you had no choise..you had to hand it over and accept the money...the first season i ran,,they changed the rule from the entire car to just the engine...but we had NO caution (yellow) flags in any races..green,red,checkers..i hated it...i had a 65 GTO my first season,and the rear axle house snapped...not the axle...the housing...i sat sideways..drivers door facing traffic..for 15 laps until some idjit finnal t boned me and sent me to the hospital from the hit...the following season..the division was called "hobby stock" and it had no claim and they added the caution flag...i still won rookie of the year my fisrt season...and finished top ten in points every year i ever raced points in every division i drove in..i was also rookie of the year in late model stocks and sprint cars..

[Jagdflieger]

Just two real jobs for me and they ran concurently through the 70s and 80s.

• Joined the Army at 17 and served in VN
• Transfered to the National Guard to complete a BS at university (kind of a job I guess)
• While at university, I joined the Police Department
• As a police officer, I remained in the National Guard until completing my police career
• Returned to the active Army just before Desert Storm and I'll retire later this year.

It's been one Hell of a ride!

As General Jimmy Doolittle titled his biography: "I could never be so lucky again."

[Brian_Gladden]

Pumped gas at a local Sunoco Station in high school (2 years)

Service writer/ parts guy at lawn mower/snowmobile dealer (2 years)

Truck Driver for a lumber yard (6 months)

Parts runner/accessory installer/parts counterman at a Ford dealer (7 1/2 years)

Part then full time EMT (Emergency medical technician) for the 4th busiest ambulance service in the state (12 years)

Route Salesman for an aftermarket crash parts distributor (fenders, doors etc.) (6 months)

Line service tech (later, Supervisor) for a Part 135 Charter operation and Part 141 repair station (2 1/2 years)

Unemployed for nearly a year :isadizzy:

Traffic Control Flagger (Crew Leader) (going on 3 years now)

Edit: Also during all that time from High School till 3/4 of the way through my time with the Ambulance, I was a Volunteer Firefighter and later concurrently ran as a vol. for another ambulance service

[Joe P]

I started at a local Ford dealership while in high school.
- Lot Technician
- Salesperson
- Parts Dispatcher

I joined the Marine Corps
- Avionics Technician (I served at units that supported F/A-18s Hornets, and then AV-8B Harriers)

Adam Aircraft Industries
- Final Assembly Technician (built 8 A500s, 3 A700s)
- Production Control
- Flight Test Production Control

Skywest Airlines
- Ramp Agent
- CST Ramp Trainer

Hobby-
Rocketbilly Racing Jet Truck photographer

[b52bob]

Air force from 18 to 26. b52 kc135 fb111

Ramp agent for twa at lga for summer

Psych aide while I got my ba

After ba was a unit manager

Got my mha

Er admin for 12 years

Marketing director for 8 yrs

Full time rv er for 10 yrs

Rv park mgr for last 5 yrs

Retiring next month

[andersel]

High School (Juneau)
Motor route driver for the Juneau Empire
Laborer for a construction company

Later (California)
College (for a while)
Ran a couple of gas stations in CA

Later (Juneau)
Tended bar in Juneau
Worked for the State of Alaska (Dept. of Labor)
Drove a Taxi

Later (Anchorage)
College (for a while)
Worked in a book/magazine warehouse
Rock & Roll bar bouncer
Roadie/Technician for an itinerant club band

Much Later (Anchorage)
DoD Fire/EMS Dispatcher for 25 years
Retired 2007

LA

[cheezyflier]

odd jobs
paperboy
pot
live bait
fur trading
lighting sales/repairs
musician
shipping & rec
pushing grocery carts
stocking shelves
janitorial
bldg maintenance
pizza delivery
tree service
construction laborer
auto/motorcycle detailing
commercial carpet cleaning
bicycle repair
warehouse
temp worker
injection molding
machine shop
house cleaner
sheetmetal worker

one way or the other, a man needs a way to make money i know there's some i left out :isadizzy:

[Willy]

Grew up on a farm, so I guess you could say farmhand.
Joined the Navy at 17 to get off of said farm.
Got out after 6 years
Worked as a shop mechanic at a GMC dealer for a few months
Trapped coyotes for fur and bounty money
Worked for the Army rebuilding M-113 type vehicles
Went back into the Navy and retired from there
Professional student for 4 years (got my BS from Texas A&M)
moved up here to TN and couldn't find a job other than subbing at the local HS, so I just stay retired and help my in laws on their farm.

I guess I've gone full circle

[modelr]

First job at age 14, full time farm hand at the dairy across the street from my house, 1962.

Worked there till my first mechanics job in high school at OK Tire store doing tires and brake/frt end work, 1965.

The day I graduated high school went to work for the largest Ford dealer in San Diego, in the New Car Getready/Service Dept, June, 1967.
Worked there till we ran out of new cars during the big UAW strike in Sep-Nov '67.

Laid off Oct'67, went to work the next day for the company that did 50-60% of all the auto radio dealer radio/stereo warranty/installation work in San Diego Co. Drove route car over 175 miles a day to almost every auto dealer in San Diego county to pick up/return radios for repair. At 6 of these dealerships, I did the testing/r&r of radios/speakers/antennas at the dealerships. We also did custom installations for the dealerships, as well as drive-in installation/repair. I drove almost every kind of car sold in 67-68.

Joined USAF in Feb, '69, Munitions Maintainance Specialist, (Bomb Dump). Got out in Feb 1973. When home on leave, I would work at the radio shop above.

Worked for same radio shop for another year, then went to work as a mechanics helper/mechanic/machinery operator/head mechanic for a major construction landscape company.

Moved to Iowa in 1975, drove dump truck for asphalt paving company for 6 months.

Worked in service dept of local Ford Dealership as general mechanic from late 1975 till late 1988, with 6 months off to drive over the road big truck.

Moved back to San Diego for 6+ years. Worked at Subaru Dealership (mechanic) for 4yrs, then at Kragan's auto parts store as counterman/parts tester/installer/assistant manager for 2.5 years.

Moved back to Iowa in late '95, partnered with half-brother in auto repair shop for 2 years. Failed because of family problems on his end.

Went to work for another Ford Dealership as line mech till dealership closed in late 2002.

Started at present job driving tanker semi hauling hot asphalt cement (oil, the actual "black" part in asphalt) in Jan, 2003. Unless something goes wrong, will probably be here till I am forced to retire because I can't drive anymore. We have a couple drivers in their late 70's, still doing fine. I'm 63 now, and in excellent health, so...

[WarHorse47]

Oh, my. This is not an easy question to answer. Many of my jobs are hard to define.

During high school my 'paid' job was working at various private golf clubs for family. My 'unpaid' job was working at horse stables to get free riding time.

During college I took on various drafting jobs - the kind with pencil (sometimes ink) and paper. One was on campus, and two others were for private companies - all to earn money for college.

My drafting expertise resulted in engineering work for a large manufacturing company after college - first behind a drafting board and later in the field working with contractors on site during building construction and equipment installations.

The next 'job' was as a business consultant. This entailed providing specialty, para-legal and engineering services to individual companies. I became a somewhat expert in safety, workers compensation and affirmative action. During this period I also had a business at home doing industrial engineering work (equipment and processes layouts for manufacturing).

After some 15 years I left the private sector to go into government. My job was manager of a group that conducted organizational and operational studies for a state agency. I did that until some political decisions did away with our office. Lucklily, I found another job in facility management. That 'job' has evolved into a key position in administering databases and processes for facility management.

Anyways, I have my sights on my next job - retirement. Just around the corner.

:ernae:
--WH

[Rami]

Good evening,

Let's see...

Being a preacher's kid was kind of a job...
I worked at McDonalds
I worked at Burger King
I worked at Wendy's
I worked as a video store manager
I went to school full-time to get a bachelor's degree
I went to graduate school to get a master's degree
I worked at a convenience store

Thus far in my teaching career, I have worked at three different schools.

[rpjkw]

I worked in a warehouse when I was in high school. After graduating, and armed with my pilot's license, I went to work with the FAA as a controller. I did that until I retired in 1997. I lost my medical, hence my retirement, but the medical also allowed me to fly. I no longer do that, either.

No diversified experience. I guess that's why I stay with things I know and love, like flightsim, as a nice substitute for real flying.

Bob

[Trans_23]

Started stacking hay for a neighbor at age 14 or so.
McDonalds
Repairing, installing, and converting gas station pumps (conversions where new meters when gas went over a dollar a gallon)
Joined the Illinois Air National Guard. Retired in 1999.
Construction laborer building pole barns and steel buildings after basic training and tech school.
Security guard at a True Value distribution warehouse
Slaughter house (cattle) I still love telling the stories of working at that place and watching them cringe.
Vaughn Tools as a tool polisher
Union Electrician from 1988 to present.

I also worked out in Colorado for 6 months somewhere in there framing new homes.

[OBIO]

Starting at the age of 8, I did work on a number of farms within walking distance of the family home.....clearing fence lines, painting barns and sheds, clearing rocks from fields, shoveling all manner of animal poop, baling hay, mucking out stalls, killing snakes...what ever the farmer was willing to pay me to do.

From 12 to 14, I worked at a small saw mill.....definitely against federal labor laws for a 12 year old to be working around HUGE saw blades that were spinning really really fast.

At the age of 16, I became a stripper. Not the kind that got paid to take their clothing off while dancing to music...but the kind that got paid to take usable parts off of cars at the scrap yard.

After graduating from high school, worked the summer as a construction worker.

Went to college for a year...and hated it.....had no idea what I wanted to do for the rest of my life....so had no idea what I should be studying.

Left college and worked at a cabinet factory for a while.

Went back to college for a year...still had no idea what I wanted to be....so just took what ever classes I had an interest in....doing this was so much more fun...and my grades showed it....Dean's List all 3 quarters with class loads of 20 plus credit hours per quarter.

Did some grill/short order cook work for a while.

Then at the age of 24, I enrolled in an adult vocational program for Administrative/Secretarial Services. Completed it with nearly perfect grades and was hired the day after graduation to work as the administrative clerk and teacher's assistant...held that job for nearly 7 years.

During this time, I was recruited to fill an executive position on the board of directors of a non-profit organization. Was elected President of the Board for 3 years and took the organization from a membership of 33 people with an annual financial standing of less than $5 thousand to having over 180 active members and an annual financial standing of over $75 thousand...all of which was used to support local causes and charities. During those 3 years, I spoke before hundreds and hundreds of people...including a number of state Governors, town mayors, state and national elected officials, high court judges....the usual muckity mucks of society.

Pulled up roots and moved away from my birth area and moved north for what I thought would be better jobs....yeah right.

Worked in a plastic plant (5 times over a 5 year period...always my Go To job between jobs....but always developed bronchitis and upper respiratory infections due to the horrid air quality in that plant).

Worked in a E-Coating plant....kind of like powder coating, but uses a wet media and electricity...and an oven the size of a nice 2 story house at 450 degrees.

Worked in a plant that manufactures exhaust parts for a number of the auto makers....ran robotic welders, hydro-form presses, off set presses, the whole nine yards.

Worked in retail....cashier, assistant manager.

Worked in fast food for a bit.

Did a short stint at a photo printing plant doing portrait retouch.

Since November 2007 until Thursday before last, I was out of the work force as my wife went through a third breast cancer scare and a brain tumor surgery.

I now work at a produce processing/packaging plant...helping to feed 2 million people a day.

For 2 to 2 and a half decades, I have done some photography work....family portraits, some weddings and family reunions, photos of people's animals. Nothing on a professional level...just side jobs to add a little money to the wallet. Have been doing portrait retouch, photo restoration using Photoshop since 1993 or 1994.

OBIO

[limjack]

Nice thread!

Early teens....summer job berry picking for four years. (1.10 a crate of berries...huge money for a kid)
High school years....Drug store 5 yrs, box boy whatever needed to be done.
Retail 5 yrs...sporting goods and sesonal items dept. head.
and the rest of my life up to this point Membership warehouse area Manager
including Gas station, Tire shop, Deli dept., Food court and so on and so forth. Work an area
for two or three years and they rotate you along.

All good and it pays the bills.

Jim

[AckAck]

Paperboy
Mowed lawns
Detasseled corn
Bred cockroaches, houseflies and mosquitos for pesticide research (if they did their job well, my whole project was killed and I had to collect new starter colonies.) (Raised some Brazilian Hissing Cockroaches too - not sure what they were for - no one ever killed them. They were fun to play with though. Had no qualms about killing the others. New breeding stock was easy to come by, and I got to take a field trip to get them!)
Washed and sterilized bottles, petri dishes, beakers, pipettes, cylinders, etc for chemistry lab (so they could kill my mosquitos)
Cleaned, painted, refinished and reset dorms for summer camps and school years over summers at college
Sold electronics (stereos, tvs, cameras, walkmen, phones, computers)
Moved, did same, but started making signs for the stores, too
Got a second job at a hobby store - paid for my hobby, and took all my time so I couldn't do my hobby, so saved even more money that way.
Managed electronics department, sign department, service department
Textures for Flightsim aircraft (for a while).
Graphic artist at sign shop.
Buying sign shop.

Not a spectacular career arc - have to see what sign shop does...

[TARPSBird]

Joined Naval Air Reserve at NAS Glenview, IL, 1965
Loaded plastic pellets in injection molding machines at Monogram Models, 1966
Stock boy at Sara Lee bakery resale store, 1966-67
Active duty USN as Photographic Intelligenceman (later Intelligence Specialist), 1968-92
Sold stun guns, pepper spray and other personal defense products in local mall, 1993
Sales associate at local hardware store, 1993-94
Worked for contractor manufacturing bayonets for M-16 rifle, 1994
Telemarketer and customer service rep for publishing company, 1994-2000
Bookseller at Barnes & Noble, 2003-present
My Navy service, from P2V's in reserve squadron VP-726 to my "twilight tour" with VF-101 (F-14 training squadron, is of course what I am most proud of. I've been doing OK in the post-retirement civilian world but it doesn't come close to the Navy in job satisfaction - and fun.

[Astoroth]

Laborer tarring roofs and sealing blacktop during the summers during high school.

Newspaper Typesetter the summer after high school before college.

Long distance operator.

Television station master control technician.

"Recreational Therapist" at a nursing home for retarded children. That job was way too depressing, didn't last long.

Convenience store clerk / Assistant Manager.

Truck driver for a lumber yard.

Machine operator for a RTA furniture factory for 15 years. Packing line worker, forklift driver, unloaded boxcars, ran a particle board laminator, edgebander and air drill line. would have been there til retirement, but the plant closed in 2007.

After that went to work as a Newspaper Pressman, and still doing that today.

[rayrey10]

Pretty cool thread!

Before 16

Worked on my dad's survey crew on school breaks
Mowed lawns around the neighborhood.

16-18

Worked at Sea World
Lifeguard at a water park
shoe salesman

18-30
United States Marine

30- to present
Law Enforcement

[sbp]

My Life:
1952 - 1957
Lived and worked my behind off on Kansas wheat farm...

1957- Ft. Leonard Wood, MO combat engineer basic training.
1958- Ft Rucker, AL flight simulator instructor school.
1959- Ft Richardson, Alaska, Flight Simulator Instructor/Air Traffic Controller. Received certification as FAA air traffic controller.
1961-Ft Riley, KS, Air Traffic Controller. Shipped from Ft Riley to classified location, (Vietnam), via Oakland, CA shipyard on
aircraft carrier w/ 21 of our aircraft. We were the 3rd Army aviation unit sent to Vietnam.
1962- Nha Trang, Vietnam, Air Traffic Controller.
1963- Yuma Proving Ground, AZ Air Traffic Controller. Took Army discharge and joined U.S. Air Force in October, 1963.
1963- Tinker AFB, OK, Air Traffic Controller shift supervisor. 3rd Mobile Combat Communication Sq.
1965- San Isidro AB, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Air Traffic Controller shift supervisor. 3rd Mobile Combat Communication Sq. Operation, "Power Pack". Awarded the Armed Force's Expeditionary Medal.
1966- Kessler AFB, MS, Lead Instructor. Taught Radar Approach Control at USAF Air Traffic Control School. Awarded Master Instructor Rating. Received certification as FAA private pilot at Gulfport, MS airport flight school.
1970- Thy Hoa AB, Vietnam, Air Traffic Controller Shift Supervisor.
1971- DaNang AB, Vietnam, Air Traffic Control Shift Supervisor. Awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Vietnam Gallantry Cross W/ Palm, Vietnam service Medal w/ 4 Bronze Service Stars, USAF outstanding unit Award w/Combat V device, w/ 1 oak leave cluster And the Republic of Vietnam Service Medal. DaNang control tower, during this time, was one of the worlds busiest control towers. Since we were in operations against an armed hostile enemy force it would be common to work multiple emergency aircraft including battle damaged aircraft, wounded/fatal air crew injuries. It was our mission to recover as many as possible of these aircraft. We won most of the time but sadly lost some. DaNang had a nickname: "rocket city" 'cause we had many rocket attacks. 1972 - Whiteman AFB, Mo, Control Tower Chief Controller. Awarded Aircraft "Save Award" for saving an imperiled aircraft. Pilot was lost and running out of fuel. We found his position and guided him to a safe landing at the nearest airport to his location. He landed with 10 minutes of remaining fuel. Also, assigned as USAF and FAA Facility Examiner. Each newly assigned controller was placed on training status to assure their knowledge of air traffic control, safe operating procedures and local policies and procedures. At the end of this training period they would be required to pass a written and oral test and also work traffic in a manner that was acceptable to the examiner. The examiner would then certify, if quailified. Additional duty as Unit Security Officer.
1973- Key Field Meridian, MS. Active duty Air Traffic Control Advisor to MS Air National Guard. Awarded the Magnolia Cross, that states highest medal.
1975- Sheppard AFB, TX Air Traffic Controller. Awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal.
1977- Retired as Air Force Master Sergeant with 20 years and one day of active duty service.
Other visited locations include: Japan, Taiwan, Okinawa, Philippines, Guam, Wake Island, Puerto Rico, Canada, and the Hawaiian Islands.

Workplace
After Air Force Retirement, Job Titles were:

Technical Illustrator,
Senior Technical Illustrator,
Illustration Checker,
Illustration Quality measurement inspector,
Illustration Senior Quality measurement inspector.
Employed by Beechcraft Aircraft Co. in Wichita, KS and Boeing Aircraft Co. in Wichita, KS and San Diego, CA.

From 1985 to 1989 worked as a tour guide in Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, CO (I call that period of time my 4 year sabbatical.).....LOL

All in all, I've had a good and exciting life, learned a heck of a lot and have been mightily blessed with good fortune & luck and surrounded with exceptional human beings that I shall never forget.....It sure hasn't been dull !!..........

SBP.
AKA, Ace, Papaecho 715.

[Navy Chief]

My jobs:

- Prepared/cleaned swimming pools for opening in the Spring...up in Indianapolis.

- Worked on a assembly line for a plastic bag company in Indianapolis.

- Auto parts warehouse foreman

- Fire extinguisher repairman

- Aviation Structural Mechanic for the USN, 20 yrs, and retired in 97

- Worked for the Home Depot for 3 1/2 years

- Retired for good........in 2000,

and LOVING IT!

NC

[Cazzie]

Damn, in reading the threads, if you take all of Cheezy's jobs and added roofer for musician, you got me.

Caz

[SgtT]

Grew up as an Army brat (sometimes that was a job in itself). Before and during High School worked several odd jobs; paperboy, mowed lawns, worked at a golf course etc.

Went into the AF in 84 retired in 05.
Worked as a DOD contractor for 3 yrs from 05 to 08
Army civilian from 08 to present (kinda made a full circle back).

Love what I'm doing.

T.

[TeaSea]

Well, as an Army vet I'm being punished for my sins working for the Air Force.

Actually, I work for a Joint command, and love it.

I had sworn when I retired I was going to get as far away from the military as possible....but just couldn't do it. Everyone and everything you know is part of it.