Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
~Confucius
~Confucius
Having just completed Day 2 of my latest (and greatest) job, I thought it would be appropriate to stop and reflect on all of the different jobs I have had in my 26 years. When taking into collective consideration, it appears as though I've developed quite a variety of skills and learned many different systems of "work" with their associated rules and expectations. I can also look a little deeper into what I truly learned from each position I've held, and I can immediately identify how my life was shaped by these experiences.
Position #1: Ballet Instructor (Age 13ish)
I consider this to be my very first job. Some may argue that "doing chores" or "being a student" may be the first job anyone has, but I think those are more like opportunities to learn responsibility. Let's just call them "pre-job jobs".
Position #2: Ice Cream Server (Age 17)
This was my first real experience with serving the public. Very quickly, I learned the in's and out's of management and the link between employee and customer satisfaction.
Position #3: Reading Tutor (Age 18)
As a work-study student, I was able to spend time at an elementary school working one-on-one with struggling readers. Being an education major, I thought this was the perfect job.
Position #4: Office Assistant (Age 19)
This position gave me the opportunity to network within the College of Education. I learned who all of the professors were, and they learned who I was.
Position #5: Summer Camp Horse Riding Instructor (Age 19)
Feeding, cleaning, and riding horses while sleeping in a tent for two months...you can imagine the skills acquired during this venture.
Position #6: Historian (Age 20)
Although this was a peer-elected position, I was paid for many hours of work on the Residence Hall Association executive board. I was also able to attend regional and national leadership conferences and gain experience in planning large-scale programs.
Position #7: Resident Assistant (Age 21)
I learned many lessons working as an RA in an upperclassman dorm. Many, many lessons...
Position #8: Jewelry Saleswoman (Age 22)
During my first week, I was the top seller. Though I wasn't there for too long, I definitely learned the art of sales.
Position #9: Waitress (Age 22)
Not only did I learn about the food industry, I gained a new appreciation for good service!
Position #10 and #11: Childcare provider x 2 (Age 22)
At this point, I was working three jobs at the same time, two of which were in childcare. Both positions were similar in responsibilities yet very different in nature of the work. In other words, some parents were very appreciative while others were not at all.
Position #12: Substitute Teacher (Age 22)
Finally! Something closely related to what I had spent four years studying for. My first day was a "baptism by fire" sort of experience, but I learned a lot about how to improv through a school day when there are no lesson plans to follow.
Position #13: Kindergarten Teacher (Age 22)
See above...and so much more.
Position #14: Summer Camp Lead Science Teacher (Age 23)
Although I felt more like a glorified babysitter at times, it did allow me opportunities to mentor high school students in the field of education.
Position #15: 4th Grade Teacher (Age 23)
In this position, I finally "settled in" -- I stayed in one place for three years. As you can clearly see, I have a track record which illustrates constant movement. There is definitely something to be said about doing (relatively) the same thing over an extended period of time...it's called a career.
Position #16: Senior Faculty Liaison (Age 26)
Although I have only been in this position for two days, I can already see how this will provide me with many opportunities to use skills I've developed in previous positions while also gaining new abilities.
The way I see it, the possibilities are endless when it comes to potential upward movement. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be adding to this list of job titles in the future. Watch out, world, here I come!
3 comments:
Didn't you work at J.C. Penney for a little while, too? Or am I on crack?
That's where I sold jewelry ;)
That wouldn't have been at age 22 though, right? I thought that was at the GP store, and the padres had long since moved to Portland by 2006.
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