Butcher, baker, candlestick maker...surprisingly these are 3 jobs I have not held...yet.
I meant to write a long and hilarious account on the ups and downs of being a substitute teacher in Waukegan Public Schools (my job since March). It may still happen...we'll see. I just got caught up in time. Months piled up and now school's no longer in session. Musical jobs begins.
Musical jobs has made me start to think about all the jobs I've held in my 28 years on this planet. My first real job was at 12 so I guess just about 1/2 of my life so far has been touched by the working world. While I'm no Homer Simpson...I'm starting to amass quite a wacky list of trades.
To date I have been employed as:
paper delivery girl
veterinary assistant
secretary
textbook associate
note taker for university classes
summer camp counselor (arts & crafts director, nature assistant)
waitress
sheep farmer
phone interviewer for surveys
supervisor
stock girl for Toys R Us
foreclosure data collection
voiceover artist
research assistant
genetics lab monkey
pond manager
housesitter
petsitter
drunk lady sitter
meeting hostess
(and maybe a few other things)
Since I've been home I've worked as:
flower delivery person
substitute teacher
photo shoot assistant
driving instructor
"lead procurement" for local business
Many of the people I went to school w/in SA had never had jobs. I don't know if it's a cultural thing, as in Americans LOVE working (it's part of our identity). As in many African families take care of their kids and don't want them working (or don't expect it). As in the job market in SA is a bit tighter. Probably a combination of those things. All I know is that I know more people in SA who had never worked a day in their life, while at their age I had already had about 7-8 different jobs.
I was fortunate enough to not have to work while in school in SA. A first for me. So I can see the value of not working while in school. I get that argument. But I also thought about all the things (good and bad) these people have missed from not being a part of the working world: boss bullshit, time clocks, taxes, hungover summer morning wakeups for work, general job bullshit that comes from the "you pay me to do stuff" contract we enter into, financial freedom, all the people I've met, all the fun and random things I've done from raising dragonfly larvae to shearing sheep to cruising around bringing flower joy, all the skills I've acquired through job duties. I can't help but feel they've missed out a bit.
A friend of mine is your classic workaholic. He would spend 20 hours a day at work if they let him. We were once talking about work and freedom and he said "I don't know what I would do if I didn't work." My reply: "Anything you want!" Imagine if you didn't have to go to work everyday...you could literally do anything you wanted.
Our formative years are spent preparing us for the working world. Wake up early M-F. Go to this central location. Do what you are told (and certainly don't question the authority of those telling you). And we are told this is something you must do to get anywhere in life. While this may be good training for the masses who aren't thinking outside the box and crave being told what the structure of their life should be...I certainly think it's not a system set up with anyone's best interests in mind. It's just something we "have to do." Suck it up! This must be achieved!
Right now I'm supposed to be a most ferocious work machine. A model that has never suited me. I've almost always taken crappy pay jobs so I can retain a modicum of freedom and flexibility all while getting experience "for the future." That's why sheep farmer appears on my laundry list of employment as opposed to more lucrative positions. It's also why I'm broke as a joke. Win some, lose some.
So "school's out for summer" and I've hopscotched my way into a new job doing "lead procurement." Some fancy marketing word for getting the word out and enticing people with our services. I call folks on the phone or contact them otherwise to tell them about the business and services we offer. Anyone I contact that uses our services means bonus money for me! The company is a document storage and shredding company, so it's services I can get down with. I'm not working for the devil or selling people crap they couldn't use...like a new vacuum cleaner or knives. Seriously if you are in the market for storage/shredding...talk to me! We operate in Southern WI and the Chicagoland area...so get at me if you need something like that. It's a small company so no job is too big or too small. And there's a sweet reward in it for me :) You can check out their website at: accessyourdocs.com
I'm also training to be a driving instructor. Hilarious...considering I haven't owned a car in about 7 years. Provided I pass the test next week, I start teaching immediately.
Eish! The things we do for money...
If you take nothing else from this conglomeration of working words then take this and think about it:
What would you do if you didn't have to work???
...anything you want!
Keep the faith and spread it gently
Love Lynsee
