Exploring Work and Career: Part One

This is Part One of a three part series sharing my exploration of work and career. In Part One I will focus on my early career exploration. In Part Two I will share with you my experiences and some of the negative and positives sides of choosing a career, and in Part Three I will share a new beginning.

Jobs I’ve held and things I’ve done over the years…(or, most of the ones I remember)

McDonalds clerk
Convenience store clerk
Assistant store manager
Grocery store cashier
Night stock clerk
Zoysa grass farm laborer
Duct cleaner and grill installer
Telephone book delivery
Deli clerk
Bakery clerk and donut maker
Breakfast short order cook
Inventory clerk
Avon sales representative
Department store softlines supervisor
Toy department store clerk
Quality control for fiber glass manufacturer
Meat packer in meat processing plant
Line worker in a food manufacturing plant (margarine)
Mix tank supervisor in a food manufacturing plant (margarine)
UPS lumper (loaded and unloaded trucks)
Truck driver helper
Auto parts warehouse selector
Warehouse receiving clerk
Selector/packer/shipper in a book warehouse
Hospital meal line supervisor
Draftsman/person – land and property surveys, housing developments and subdivisions
Dietetic Technician, Registered
Administrative clerk
Logistics clerk
Office Manager
Logistics Manager (and project manager)

As a teen I babysat, mowed lawns, washed windows and cleaned houses.

My first tax paying, ‘real’ job was at McDonalds. I didn’t like it a whole lot and it was the last time I worked in a fast food restaurant. During my late teens through my twenties I explored a variety of jobs and careers. One year I held thirteen different jobs.

During this exploration phase once I learned something, and could do it with ease, I’d become bored and quit. Sometimes I’d work two or three jobs at a time just to try and avoid the boredom and monotony of most of the jobs I held. I was never fired, but quit quite often.

I also had a little problem with authority and most times felt like I knew more than the person I worked for. I hated it. They didn’t fire me because I could out work just about everyone as long as they left me alone, but I usually ended up quitting.

At the time I didn’t look at this as exploring. I just hated being bored or under challenged or working for people I thought were less qualified than me. (I admit, I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder.)

In between jobs I went to college. I went to five different colleges and changed my major twice as many times. I have enough credits to graduate, but not enough in any one subject or area of concentration to earn a bachelor’s degree.

As I approached my late twenties everyone kept telling me I had to settle down and choose something.

And, so, I did…

Tomorrow I’ll share what happened next, when I finally ‘settled down’ in Exploring Work and Career: Part Two.