Number of different jobs you've had, type of jobs/positions

[GLC1968]

How many jobs or how many careers?

Let's see...since I completed my first college degree:

Retail - department manager Jordan Marsh
Retail - assistant buyer Bradlee's
Retail - various store management positions including general manager for Gap, Old Navy and then Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Stores
Bartending - at a Joe's Crab Shack
Retail - sales associate & stock manager while in school again Ann Taylor Loft
Engineering - engineering intern at a hospital supply company
Engineering - lab instructor at my university
Engineering - Systems Engineer for Raytheon
Engineering - Product Engineer for RFMicroDevices (or RFMD as they are called now)
Engineering - Product Engineer for my current company
HR - College Program Manager and technical recruiter for my current company

What's next? I still haven't ruled out Vet school, but I'm also considering an MBA and recognizing that I might be getting a little old to be making sweeping career changes again. But, never say never...

[OakLeaf]

Since college, or since high school? Not too many since college, and most of them were short-term and/or part-time.

Resident staff at natural living workshop center
Clerk at natural food store
Dishwasher at Chinese restaurant
Legal secretary
Legal intern
Staff attorney, Legal Services
Solo practice attorney
Legal writing instructor at community college
Group fitness instructor

And if we're counting barter work, I've done a good bit of typing and transcription.

[Koronin]

Here we go:
in college:
worked at a movie theater (box office, concessions, and )
worked several football games including one playoff game for ESPN and two for NCAA
did a sports segment for the college radio station (unpaid)
operated a camera for the coaches show (also unpaid)
after college:
K-Mart (cashier until I moved)
Cracker Barrel (cashier, shop)
O'Charlies (server, hostess)
AT&T (ran machines that send out bills)
Family Dollar (what didn't I do there?)
Roadhouse Bar and Grill (server, hostess and kitchen)
since then have worked for several merchandising companies.
Currently work for about 8-10 merchandising companies (one of which actually does offer a pension). Yes to make decent money doing this you do need to work for several companies.

[azfiddle]

After college-
2 temporary jobs for Calif Dept of Fish and Game -bird research
1 1/2 years censusing vertebrates on the lower Colorado River
2 seasons censusing vertebrates in N. California plus misc temporary jobs and assistantships during grad school
1 year substitute teaching
2 years working for a former professor who had a little software company
20+ years now teaching mostly middle school science, 2 years high school middle school combo in 4 different districts- 6 year were on an Indian reservation (tough!), 2 one year positions, and then the last 13 in the same district.

[maillotpois]

I worked full time as a paralegal through law school. Then I worked as a litigation attorney for 3 different civil litigation law firms over 15 + years. Two years ago, I left my firm and am now self employed as a private judge and mediator and will, I hope, continue to work until "post retirement age" - this is the sort of job I can do 2 - 3 days a week, as long as I still enjoy it, for another 20+ years.

This is really liked:

Now I bike, chase birds, and hang out on internet message boards.

[Melalvai]

This is an interesting topic. It's really cool to learn a little more about what our fellow TE'ers do in their day job. Why did you ask the question? Have you learned what you hoped to?

Through college & a little after I played french horn in the Army National Guard band. That meant combat boots and boot camp, as well as dress blues and concerts. I loved it for 11 of the 12 years I was in. That was part-time and overlaps several of these:

• Part-time as a receptionist at a drug abuse treatment center for a few months after college.
• Temp doing data entry in a contract lab.
• Grad school
• Postdoc...depending on how you count them, about 5 postdoc positions.
• Research assistant professor. (Is it worth grad school & postdoc servitude? Well, I like my job now, but NO. It is not worth the previous 12 years.)

[NbyNW]

Jobs during college:

• fast food - cashier, cook
• bibliographer's assistant at library
• GED tutor

Jobs after college:

• paralegal
• year abroad to study Mandarin
  
• english tutor
• SAT prep teacher

[Crankin]

Wow, I realized that compared to some, I've had very few jobs, besides my "professional" ones (but a lot of those). I was a nanny in high school and college, and then worked in the school of business at FIU and the School of Education at ASU, as a work study student, for my last 2 years. Oh, and I was a Grad Assistant in a preschool program for severely handicapped kids at ASU, during my brief foray as a doctoral student. That's it, besides my fitness instructor stuff, everything I've done was a professional teaching position, or my new career as a therapist. When I was younger, I swore there were 2 things I'd never do: learn to type well or be a waitress, mostly because I would suck at both and I was afraid I'd just get pissed at people and get fired for being mean!. Thankfully, there were plenty of people willing to pay me good $ to watch their kids.

[shootingstar]

Cool work backgrounds. We could create our own town....and run it par excellence with all our skill sets and knowledge.

I want to start making custom head badges for bikes, jewelry, sculpture, etc. Of course, this would be more of a hobby and for fun money--not a career.

Let us know limewave of your creations.

I probably sound like a dilettante / gypsy with 12 different jobs across 3 provinces. I was with 1 provincial government employer where I spent a total of 12 years, longest ever for 1 employer but total of 2 different jobs where I took a lateral transfer.

Otherwise I would look like a job butterfly. I've worked in engineering, legal, government and health care sectors, in public and private sectors. Yes, absolutely there are related overlaps/synergies for these disciplines which I have found helpful for my line of work.

[Brandi]

Trader Joe's (2 months)
Vet's office (1 year)
Shoe sales (2 years)
custome stationary (1 year)
electronic shop (1 year)
book store (6 months)
nanny (1 month) didn't like it
decorative painter (3 years)
sand sculptor (25 years) also the accountant for our business which I HATE!
In between the shoes sales and the painting I was sand sculpting on paid jobs. Which is probably why I didn't keep a lot of the jobs I had. Some where flexable with me leaving other's not so much.

[Pax]

Brandi - I'd say of everyone on TE. you have the absolute coolest job.

[Brandi]

Brandi - I'd say of everyone on TE. you have the absolute coolest job.

Aww thanks but it is still a job. It has it's pressure and deadlines as well as blunder's and what not's. I do feel blessed though. More so when I am home and get so much good time off. But when I work I have to work my A*s off every single day till the job is done. It balance's itself out in the end.

[shootingstar]

Very cool Syndrielah!

[bmccasland]

Now I'm in the military, active duty as a military musician. I play in a concert band and small ensemble at military ceremonies on base and travel around our local region performing. Not sure how much longer my job will last with the upcoming budget cuts (actually it's not looking good), so I may try to be an officer since I already have my master's degree. Or I may use my GI bill and go back to school for something else... but we'll have to wait and see.

Jen

Aw man don't cut the band! I have great memories of the military bands that I've heard over the years. First on base as a kid - remote locations means the military jazz band is the only "Pop" music you get to hear live - then as an adult. I really appreciated that my office commander could get the Army jazz group to come over and cheer us up in the post-Katrina first couple of years.
OK, I admit, I'm a band geek.