KirstenL4W

The Encyclopedia of Me series is back! I had to take some time off because I could not think of anything for the letter J. I finally took out my dictionary and going through the entire J section to find words that could be contenders. I ended up picking Jobs because so many of us are defined by what our jobs are, so I’ll tell you about some of the jobs I’ve had and how they shaped me.

Waitress at Friendly’s
For those who don’t know, Friendly’s is a chain of ice cream shops in the New England area. Besides having awesome ice cream sundaes, they serve typical fast casual fare like burgers and other sandwiches and just about anything that can be fried or cooked on a griddle. I got this job when I was 15, during the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of high school. It kept me busy, earned me some money (most of which I spent on New Kids on the Block paraphernalia) and taught me that summers aren’t just for play. Oh, and taught me that Fribbles made with iced milk are way better than the new recipe, which uses soft serve fro-yo, which I bitched about here.

Supermarket Checker at Shaw’s
After some babysitting jobs, which didn’t work out for me because I hate babysitting, I decided to get a job at the local food-mart. I was 17 and halfway through my senior year of high school. I actually stayed with Shaw’s for a long time. Not continuously, mind you, but it’s one job that was always there for me when I needed a job, and one that worked out best for me. Other retail jobs never really seemed to cut it, except 1, which I’ll mention further on down this list.

Anyway, while I was with Shaw’s, I worked my way up from bagger to cashier, then on to Checkout Assistant (aka “Bitch With The Keys”). After doing that for a few years, I finally got my chance to get into the Service Desk, which is where you learn more about the inner workings of the store than any other single department. I think being at the service desk helped improve my performance at the checkout as well, because I knew not only how to do what I needed to for the customer, I also knew how not to fuck things up for the store accounting. And speaking of accounting, I worked my way up to store bookkeeper while I was there. It’s a far cry from a more complete bookkeeping position that you’d find in an office setting, because all I really had to do was count the tills and enter the info into the computer, and a few other reporting things, but all that experience at Shaw’s helped get me where I am today.

Wallpaper store clerk
I actually worked in two different wallpaper stores at different times. Both jobs were short-lived, but considering my affinity for interior design. Back in the 90s, everyone was wallpapering their homes. The job was more customer service than design oriented, since my job duties mostly entailed trying to narrow down what the customer was looking for and pulling some sample books for them to help them make a selection and keep from being overwhelmed by the hundreds of books we had. But I did learn how to properly wallpaper, prep the wall to make it all go easier when you decide to take the stuff down, and I learned that there is wallpaper for just about any look you could hope for (or hoped you’d never have to see).

Temping
When I was trying to get out of Shaw’s and into office work, I went to a temp agency. My first assignment was at their office, catching them up on data entry. It was supposed to be for a month, but I worked too fast so it ended sooner. That agency didn’t have any more work for me since they do mostly manufacturing, but a few weeks later I ended up finding a front desk job with another temp agency. It helped me learn a lot about the staffing industry and the corporate world in general, including how not to get scammed by the job boards.

Receptionist at a graphic design firm
After I got a bit burned out working in the temp agency’s office, I switched it up a bit and went out on temp assignments for the same agency. I guess I really needed to see what a big world it was out there and wasn’t happy staying put in the same place every day - not yet, anyway. After a few assignments, I ended up at the design firm. They knew that the position would be opening up, and I liked it there so I asked the agency if I could submit my resume, which I did. Of course I was hired, since they already knew I had what it took to do the job. Being at that job taught me the finer points of graphic design, and I gained a huge appreciation for the field and creativity in general. I enjoyed my time there so much, that I still think about pursuing graphic design as a career, or at least taking some classes to learn a few things about it. But the job had to go - I got laid off just two weeks after 9/11.

Administrative Assistant for an executive search firm
This was another job I learned a lot about the corporate world from. It was a small office, and my co-workers were like a family. I had a great 2 1/2 years there. It’s where I was working when I started my blog, and I remember that time in my life as being a huge personal growth period. I still see my old boss every now and then (when we both happen to show up at church at the same time). In the end, I left because, being a small office, I had gone as far a I could and I needed to spread my wings even further.

Accounts Payable clerk for big company
I hesitate to list my current employer here, because they are a big company and I don’t want to find out the hard way that they don’t like the fact that I have a blog. It’s also why I don’t talk about work too much, not like I did when I was at the above-mentioned job. But this is a job that can take me far, if I want it to. The clerical and small amount of accounting-related jobs I’ve had in the past are a big part of what got me this job. My title is actually Administrative Assistant, because at a big company they have to fit you into a box, and that’s the one that fits me best. I’m not yet a full-fledged payables clerk, though I do know how to process some invoices. I’ve learned tons while I’m here, and there are always opportunities to learn more. And even though it’s a big company and there are hundreds of people there I don’t know, the A/P group is small and very close knit, so I have the best of both worlds. I’ve been there 2 years in December (plus 6 months on a contract basis), and have no plans on leaving. I want to learn everything I can there before I head out to my next employment adventure.

Those are a few of the jobs I’ve had, with many short-lived jobs in between that weren’t really for me. And even though some of the jobs I’ve held don’t seem to be related, the cumulative experience is what got me where I am today. What sort of jobs have you held that helped make you who you are today?

Other Posts Like Me:

• Encyclopedia of Me - I is for Interior Design
• Encyclopedia of Me - B is for Blog
• Encyclopedia of Me - C is for Child
• Encyclopedia of Me - K is for Kindergarten
• Encyclopedia of Me - A is for All About Me