work

[swilkes]

My temp job this year was disinfecting CPR mannequins for an American Heart Association training center at a county hospital.  Actually, I did a lot of errand running, data entry, and filing too, but the main thing was scrubbing those mannequins.  Did you know that all CPR mannequins are named Annie?  Actually, no--one brand is named Chris, but all I had to clean were Annies.  Also, they were all caucasian.  One could order 2 or maybe 3 varieties of "ethnic Annies," but I guess my employer never opted to do so.

Now I'm a first-year graduate student, going for an MA in history, and coasting on student loans & my savings from all the mannequin cleaning.

[polkadotchickens]

morehead planetarium and science center, in chapel hill, nc.  there i do various things...

1. i work summer camps, writing curriculum and teaching them.  and we really do teach these kids instead of glorified babysitting, it's crazy.  the kids we get are all kids of phd's though, so a bunch of them are little smartasses.  it's a lot of fun though, for the most part.

2. i give shows to the public and to field tripping school groups.  my official title while doing this is "zeiss pilot", zeiss being a reference to our zeiss model vi star projector, the machine that looks like a giant ant from outer space that sits in the middle of the room.  i tell little kids i fly it, and sit behind a console that really does look like it could be for controlling an airplane, almost.  god knows it has enough buttons.

3. i'm a technician, which means that i get building keys and to be in charge on weekends when no full time staff are around.  and theoretically i can fix things when they break...most of the time that's true.  still learning.  but this job mostly consists of sitting around distracting the people working the gift shop during the shows (i'm "on call") and screwing around with the machinery before they start.  one of my favorite things to do is to turn the dome red, put up the clouds, and flash the lightening special effect repeatedly.  i am god!   rahhh!

i love my job, in case you didn't notice.  it's a shame i'll lose it when i graduate.

[TheNames]

@ 13: One summer i worked essentially as a janitor at a local country club.  Basic shitty first job. They didn't really schedule me often so i don't have many memories from the job.
@ 13, etc. : I've spent a few summers working with my dad, who used to be a contractor/painter. I painted houses, spackled walls, laid sheetrock, stripped wallpaper and all that other fun stuff.  On most of the jobs we were repairing flood-damaged houses. my favorite part of the job was of course knocking down the old rotten walls.
@ 15: a very short-lived stint as a busboy at a neighborhood italian restaurant. the owner/manager was widely reknowned as both a member of the school board and a MAJOR bitch.  for the three shifts i worked there, i worked my ass off and got nothing but complaints from her about my being lazy. I got a few compliments from customers and even some tips (handed to me specifically by the customers), but apparently that meant nothing. The last shift i worked there she yelled at me numerous times in front of the customers, claiming that the other girl working with me (i guess they're called busgirls?) was running circles around me, when in fact i was starting to get bitter that the girl was only doing half the water refills while i was doing everything else. I realized that i had to quit that night when i found myself on a step ladder retrieving a bottle of wine and wondering if she would die when (note i said WHEN, not IF, i had apparently subconsciously already made my mind up about it) i smashed it over her head. Luckily, while i was deliberating this she walked away and i came to my senses.
@ 17-18: Cashier at a grocery store. jobs like this are always interesting. as much as i hated the drudgery, i fully learned the all-important lesson to not judge people based on their appearances.  I got the chance to engage in smalltalk with some of the nicest people i've ever met (and probably will ever meet) in my life on a semi-regular basis. The relationship between a cashier and a store regular is really one of life's small wonders. more jobs later.

[Scott CE]

Currently, I am a lawyer, doing general commercial litigation and some criminal defense and appeals.  It is a good job, though it is often more challenging than I thought it would be.  I percieve this as a positive.

Previous jobs:
-Investigator
-Movie Theatre clerk
-Book store clerk
-Social Worker/Counsellor
-Sandwich Truck Stocker/Cleaner
-Paralegal

I think I would like to be a cab driver, but I am probably wrong.  I think the job I have now is the best job I have ever had.  Last few weeks have been really boring though.

I totally envy the crap out of all the people who have science jobs.  Not sure why; I think it's some unshaken prejudice that those jobs are somehow more REAL than others.

Good luck with law school, commandercranky!  getting paid to represent poor people is a tough gig to break into, but it sounds like you are on the right track.

[missy]

i work in a call center. i'm the supervisor for UrbanOutfitters.com and Anthropologie.com and catalog business for both. its pretty trying at times. i get yelled at a lot by either bratty college students (or worse, their parents) or rich old women. its alright. i'm responsible for about 60-80 (depending on the time of day) employees who work on 2 floors of a building in downtown philadelphia. its a lot of work, and i'm probably underpaid for what i do. i do, however, get to wear offensive t shirts and sneakers to work, get an amazing discount on clothes, and make a lot of decisions. times are tough, and i would probably work elsewhere if i could, but right now, it pays the bills and i can leave it at work when i go home.

[Scott CE]

Missy, I must have missed your West Philly locale in the where are you from thread.  I lived in West Philly for a year- 46th and Locust, right by the Watusi.  I hear that block has gone upscale since I left, though.

[missy]

that's crazy. i live at 46th & locust! haha

actually 46th & farragut. wow. hi former neighbor. the block itself is ok, the surrounding areas, chestnut/walnut are still a bit sketch. the whole area is getting much nicer (and much more expensive) now that Penn is buying out a lot of the properties.

[jebreject]

so many people with real jobs ....

[Greg Nog]

Right now I'm working at a cancer research center in Manhattan.  I'm a male-secretary in a Drosophila lab.

Up until a couple of months ago, I used to be a host at the Olive Garden in Philly, and lived right near Scott and Missy, apparently; I was at 43rd and Chester, next to Clark Park.  At the risk of overlapping with the "Show Off Your Website" forum topic, I'll point out that if anyone wants to learn about my former job, they can visit:

http://www.gregnog.com/hostatog.htm

[steph]

i moved to austin less than a month ago,
started job searching, found that hardly anywhere was hiring;
opened the phonebook & started calling florists
(i've only had two jobs in the past 4 years, one at a florist the other at a bakery)
anyway, i went to get an application at a florist
that's an 8 minute bike ride from my house &
got hired the same day. turns out the manager hadn't
posted the ad in the paper yet, so i consider myself lucky;
a few days after i started, at least 30 people called about
the job. bwaha.
anyway, i'm not terribly sure if i like it, but i'm sure
not going to do anything to get myself fired + i have
really great hours, they arent open on sundays and i get
off at 5:30 every day.
the building itself is a house turned florist.
the place is really small, at least in comparison to my last
place of employment. there are hardly any walk-in
customers and only an average of 10 telephone orders a day
but they act like they're super
busy & i just scoff. the boss is a semi-neurotic chain-smoker, also but she has a really cute dog.

[El_Josharino]

so many people with real jobs ....

I hear that...

[missy]

I'll point out that if anyone wants to learn about my former job, they can visit:

http://www.gregnog.com/hostatog.htm

greg. i love these. i worked in enough restraunts to have laughed violently at the "rolling silverware" strip. i wish i'd known that you were my neighbor. i would have totally wanted to hang out!

[mackro]

I've been a software engineer for video games of all sorts for the past decade (the past four years in Seattle, the former six years in Orange County,CA), since i graduated from college with a bachelor's.  My enthusiasm for most games has certainly diminished over time, and I'm currently in a minor career crisis as to how to jump the ship and be able to do something more fun (seemingly) like web commerce or web related material.    

Anyway, I currently work, via contract, at M____S_ft/Xb_x L_ve team creating sample code for third party developers.   And my contract will be ending soon, so I will need to switch to something else.

(I know, I know, these are problems I want to have.)

[mackro]

I also just add this general statement, given my recent experiences trying to jump ship and failing, yet not being exactly upset about it:

Just because a job or company may seem cooler than another job or company in the context of conversation and image, it certainly doesn't follow that the former job or company is cooler to work for.

[rock4litebrite]

After temping (I've done everything from packing hummus, to moving pet food, to building an indoor soccer arena to playing with hazardous chemicals) to make ends meet (which they never did) for the last couple years, I decided to go back to school.  Before that, there were terrible jobs with Whole Foods Market and a hypocritical indie bookstore.  Now I work part time for the local leisure services signing people up for pool use, classes in Indian cooking, and selling them tickets for the community theater and part time in my major office at school.  Both of which I actually like.

I just finished listening to the new Little Wings-Magic Wand CD(very good) and am currently rocking my tape of Possessed-Beyond the Gates (Excellent!!).

[crystalcakes]

i work in most media forms- from tv to film to video games.  

currently i am employed full time by rockst*r games and i am enjoying it thoroughly.  (s n andre s was my first project with them).

this year i worked on Fahrenheit 9/11 and last year i worked on a cooking show and as a writer/producer on mtv's Total Request Live.  see what i mean, i am all over the place.  jack of all trades, yo.

i am currently freelance writing, creating shows and writing a children's book in my spare time.  

for those of you jealous of "real" jobs- after september 11th i got laid off and only worked off and on for 2 years.  right now i have insurance for the first time in my adult life.  the grass is always greener...

[stephanie]

I work in a facility that manufactures propulsion systems for nuclear submarines.  (Yes, I can sleep at night.  Not particularly well, but I do.)

Telling inquisitive folks the aforementioned so many times -- after the seemingly mandatory "Where do you work?"  In an office.  "But what KIND of office?" exchange -- in the past three years has resulted in it often coming out sounding like one long, mumbled word.

I've also volunteered at the local food co-op for three years.  I started both jobs on the same day.

As for "the future," not so much.  I completely gave up the idea that I could ever make a living doing something I enjoyed when I was 16 or so.
I did, however, receive a real, actual check for a cool $50 as the result of a submission I sent to a literary magazine that was later published in its anthology.  As such, a glimmer of hope may yet remain for other sad, talentless high school dropouts who want to be professional writers.  Get out there and live the dream for me, would you?

[John]

currently i am employed full time by rockst*r games and i am enjoying it thoroughly.  (s n andre s was my first project with them).

<geek>
oh my God I am so crazy starstruck now, I don't even play GTA but you are the mack. I wish you guys'd made Manhunt for the Gamecube though, I wanted to play that game
</geek>

[Johnp]

I promote and produce jazz, world and improvised music concerts here in Dublin. The last seven days saw gigs by The Necks (Dublin and Belfast) and Jane Birkin, while this Sunday sees the return to Dublin of Dave Liebman along with the best drummer I've seen all year, Chander Sardjoe, who manages to combine his two main influences, South Indian Classical music and Death Metal, into one monstrous, grooving, polyrhythmic whole!

Jp.

www.improvisedmusic.ie

[swilkes]

I promote and produce jazz, world and improvised music concerts here in Dublin. The last seven days saw gigs by The Necks (Dublin and Belfast) and Jane Birkin, while this Sunday sees the return to Dublin of Dave Liebman along with the best drummer I've seen all year, Chander Sardjoe, who manages to combine his two main influences, South Indian Classical music and Death Metal, into one monstrous, grooving, polyrhythmic whole!

Wow, JP, you're promoting Jane Birkin! I just read the thing on your website about her upcoming show, and I would LOVE to hear that lineup. She's got an oudist!  Is there a new JB CD coming out, with the oud and everything?

Chander Sardjoe sounds really cool, too.

[TheNames]

[Insert Bad Oudist Pun Here]

[K. Thor Jensen]

I write text for video games and do accounting and cry myself to sleep. In the past I have been a paperboy and a ditch digger and a blood and urine production facility and a telemarketer and a researcher and a J/O films actor and a title insurance manager and a trading floor assistant and an office manager and a writer and unemployed and a webmaster and a reality TV actor and stuff.

[El_Josharino]

Previously:
fast food (the one with the arches)
telemarketing
not as fast food (a local buffet chain.  the wages were terrible, but I made up for that by eating lots of steak, chicken, and cheesecake)
operating huge machines in a factory
construction
fast food (RIP Dave Thomas)
fast food (same chain different location)
janitor
(was also a computer programming student during the last two)
fast food (Dave's place again, back to the original location)

And starting a week from today:
Coiling and stripping wire/driving a forklift/doing some other things for a local electric company.

[SPACERACE]

Soon, I shall peddle outdoor-type stuffs from the majour outdoor chain that isn't EMS!

At least hopefully. I have an interview with them on Friday, but I'm not too worried.

[WhereTheSlimeLive]

Coleman?