Favorite/worst job?

[farnham54]

Shamus's Racket thread got me thinking:

What are your favorite jobs/work experiences? And what were your worst?

I'm lucky, I've overall really enjoyed every job I've had. I worked at a Tourist camp, where I did literally everything you can think of from Fishing to cleaning to cooking to construction to flying. It was amazing and my bosses treated me like family. I've worked for an exploration company, where I did drill hole survey, core cutting, and drove a forklift. I've been an Assistant Verger at a church, and for 4 years I ran my own bartending business and now I'm moving on into bartending.

Best experience? By far it was the Dee Jaying with my two best friends. It was absolutley wonderful to spend so much time with my friends, even better that we got paid for it And there's a certain satisfaction knowing that you made someone's evening by the music you've played.

So what are some of the Lounger's stories?

Cheers
Craig

 

[Nathan Flowers]

I get paid to play with computers, read books, and look up answers to wild questions. For me, it doesn't get any better than that

 

[flat-top]

My FAVORITE "job" was owning/ operating a vintage clothing shop. This was in the 90's, predating the Swing revival, so no one really knew what to make of us, and after only a year we has to close our doors for good. For someone who's always behind the times, this time I was ahead!
And oh yeah, after a day of looking for merchandise to stock the store, I came back and was told that earlier, Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon were in the shop!! AARRGH!!
flat-top

 

[Andykev]

My days of ink stained hands and rubber bands

My favorite job was throwing The Oakland Tribune newspapers as a kid. I got to read the front page as I banded and folded the wraps. Loaded my bags, and saddled my bicycle. Set off on an adventure every day. Memorized customers addresses, kept track of deliveries, and collected funds. Learned a great deal of the business world, and how some adults would cheat a 12 year old kid out of $3.75 for a months delivery, when the carrier still had to pay the newspaper out of his meager profits.

Spent many a morning up before dawn, rain or shine. Afternoons after school during the week. Seven days a week, including all holidays.

Met wonderful people, earned my own money. Too bad most of those paper routes are now guys in old cars doing "motor routes".

I cherish those days. How simple, how responsible I had to be. I can still fold and band a paper, and throw it with accuracy to this day. Ahaaaaaaaaaa.

 

[Johnnysan]

Favorite job was working at a TV station as an engineer in the mid-1980s. I was in my early 20s and most of my co-workers were too. As a result of working a 4 PM - Midnight shift, we were all rather close to one another...the people you worked with were the same people you hung out with, drank with and dated.

Least favorite was as a student worker at the local hospital during high school a few years earlier. I worked in the maintenance department and was given the routine assignemnt of repacking bearings on re-circulating pumps in a very dark, very dank, very isolated basement of the hospital's original ward built in 1909. I worked under bare incandescent bulbs with my back to the morgue door. Being a typical teenager and having seen too many "b" horror flicks in my youth, I practically crapped my pants every time I heard a strange noise (and there were plenty of them!) My co-workers also knew this and had much fun at my expense. Hazing at its finest!

 

[ITG]

High School-working in a movie theater. Getting to see movies for free and late at night with other employees after all the shows emptied out, rocked. Not to mention some of the cool double-sided movie posters I got once. Oh and taking leftover popcorn home in a plastic bag was pretty cool. I always came home smelling like popcorn though.

 

[shamus]

Best Job: Student DJ in the Public Radio station, 6-midnight shift. In the basement of the library all by myself and only had to change tapes once every hour.

Worst Job: Aluminum Foundry. I did a variety of jobs there. Was filthy, and I mean filthy as in black through 2 layers of clothes, had molton aluminum hit me almost twice and got a whopping 7 dollars an hour.


But I've had a lot of jobs.. I'll think of some more later...

 

[Biltmore Bob]

My favorite and worst job was working...

as a Police Officer.

 

[MudInYerEye]

Worst job: paperboy.

Ages eleven to thirteen. Delivering the Trenton Times. Waking up at 4:30 every morning, be it Christmas or Groundhog Day. Truding through the snow while squirrels laughed. Robbed at gunpoint for eight dollars, always carried my Crossman air pistol jammed in my waistband after that. Complaints after rainy days. Constantly swindled by old people on collection day, they'd pretend not to be home tho I could see them moving around. Crooked local distributer always dropping off too many papers for my route, I'd be charged for the extras he "mistakenly" left. Sundays were the worst. three trips! I blew all the dough on comic books.
Than at fifteen came Burger King.

 

[MissTayva]

My FAVORITE "job" was owning/ operating a vintage clothing shop. This was in the 90's, predating the Swing revival, so no one really knew what to make of us, and after only a year we has to close our doors for good. For someone who's always behind the times, this time I was ahead!
And oh yeah, after a day of looking for merchandise to stock the store, I came back and was told that earlier, Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon were in the shop!! AARRGH!!
flat-top

Funny, Julia Roberts used to frequent my friend's vintage store in L.A., as well!

As for my favorite job...
As much as I complain(ed) about it, I loved working in the newspaper biz. More specifically, as photo editor (because I had worked as both assistant editor and in advertising/graphics, as well). Simply put-- the darkroom. It was a sad day for me when we went digital...

 

[Panamabob]

Seems funny:

Best Job: Now, teaching those "vile" immigrants to "speak English!" Purely joking.

Funnest Job: Packing cookies at the "Archway" cookie factory in Fort Wayne.

Worst Job: Teaching at Colegio Americano de Guayaquil where I was lied to continually.

I'll never forget my paper route, either.

 

[shamus]

Hey.. I used to live in Fort wayne and remember going to Archway's "discount" store where you could buy the "extra" cookies in a brown paper bag or the beat up ones... I think it was a buck a bag... good eats

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Oh, boy, I have had a lot of jobs. Most I liked, some I didn't.

Best jobs: I loved working in publishing houses, worked at several publishing houses in NYC and one out here. Kept getting laid off as the places I worked folded or bought-out one another; finally got tired of losing my jobs in that field and got into County social work. The job is OK, but not as nice as being an editor in publishing. I try to help people on welfare get jobs, some rewards, but lots of bureaucratic b.s.; crazy bosses sent me to the union and am now a union steward for my worksite. I like that and have been on two negotiating teams and helped my program re-engineer rather than be privatized. We did it and are safe for a few years, but I will be gone. I am retiring next month.

I worked in a movie theatre, too, Holly. It was my first job. Got to see the movies, meet fun people, got burned twice on the popcorn machine. Made $12 a week part-time.

Also was a summer stock actress for two season, I loved it. But could not live on the salary.

Worst job: when I was in college a recession forced me to sell medical dictionaries by phone (an early telemarketing job). I hated it, hated calling people, hated getting cursed at and the phone slammed down in my face. I was a nervous wreck, went in two weeks later to quit and found the owners had split -- left town. Never did get paid and it was a miserable experience.

karol

 

[shamus]

I thought of another bad job I had...

In college I had a job where they had frozen pig guts and I had to band saw piece off then put them in a kiln to cook then weigh them for a sciece place. The smell was really bad as the pig guts thawed out...

 

[macawber]

I am an American but I migrated to Australia in 1971. Before that I did my time in the US Army in Viet Nam until I was wounded in a rocket attack. I got out of the Army and went back to Australia where I started up a career as a forest worker , I did this for a while and then became a ranger which I still am. By the way I have no side affects from the war except memories of the fallen that I knew. I suppose that is my grace.

 

[Prairie Shade]

R & R Destination Deluxe

I Can sympathize with you. Arriving in Sydney in July from the Jungle was a shocker. I had given thought to doing what you did. Lacked the courage tho. I was wondering if anyone had a worst job similar to mine, I think you might have come close. I really dont care to call back those days, but it is impossible to completely forget, only to say that I have never been so dirty, hungry, physically exhausted, hot, wet, mad, sad, and scared #@!&less since. All this for 120.00 a month plus 100 bucks combat pay. If you dont mind, what outfit were you with (Division), Corp area etc. Call me a 1st Cav guy, graduate (survivor)of 1968. I have always wanted to thank the people of Sydney for their hospitality to so many strangers. My biggest regret was not being able to take advantage of their stay at a private home offers. They were always full and the few guys I knew who were able to live with a family, really enjoyed it!!! Oh, almost forgot, Gday mite!! Im still thinking about my best job, let me work on it.

 

[macawber]

G'day Prairie Shade
I'm a !st Cav man of 1967-8 also. I was with HHC Ist aviation group. I was hit by rocket shrapnel whilst on guard duty. All my comrades envied me as it was a ticket out of there. We had just moved into the marine base called Camp Evans, and we were rocketed and mortared every day. I was wounded march 17th.I was quite happy to take the wound and get out of there, hasn't interfered with my life.
It wasn't so hard for me to settle in Australia as I had relatives there, that I knew. My mum was Australian who had married an American during WWll. It would be hard for anyone who didn't have relations there, but usually the guys who settled married Australian girls. Yes the Aussies are great people, and I have no regrets.

 

[ITG]

I worked in a movie theatre, too, Holly. It was my first job. Got to see the movies, meet fun people, got burned twice on the popcorn machine. Made $12 a week part-time.

Yeah been burned on the kettle too but not severely and burned my fair share of popcorn. I also dropped hot nacho cheese on my foot while wearing sandal-like shoes that covered most of my foot but burned the exposed parts. Ouch!

 

[Harry Marlowe]

Best Job/Worst Job

My worst job: Roy's taxi in Austin...it was owned by a real nice Mexican man. The only problem was...I didn't understand spanish...so by the time I finally understood where to go for a customer, the other drivers had already picked them up....didn't make much money at it.

My funniest job: Roy's taxi

My best job: http://www.hightones.com

 

[Badluck Brody]

I agree with Biltmore

Favorite and worst right now is my work as a Deputy Sheriff. I hate it when the pucker factor is right around 360 degrees of unbareable. but when you make it all work out and you're on the way home, you realize there's nothing you can't handle. You gotta luv it.... or it WILL drive you crazy!

As a kid I also worked as a carpet cutter. My arms were regularly shredded but the carpet backs and also the knives we used. Tough work for $3.25 an hour.

Brody