I have often wondered how many people actually get up in the morning excited to go to work. As the old saying goes, “if you love your job, you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” I think this could also be called:
The ‘I Would Rather Stab Myself in the Leg than Go to Work‘ theory.
I first discovered this feeling when I worked at Victoria’s Secret for about a minute* during my freshman year in college. I remember donning the black suit, spraying on a little ‘Very Sexy’ perfume (which to this day, makes me gag), and getting ready to head to work for an evening shift.
On that particular afternoon, I distinctly remember saying to my roommate/cousin, “I would literally rather stab myself in the leg than go to work right now.” And I honestly considered it. It was my thinking that by stabbing myself in the leg, I would certainly not have to go to work that night.
Now this is nothing against the company, but it was how I felt about that job at that point in my life. I was just starting college, and my top priority was socializing.** I wanted to get to know as many people as possible, and I didn’t have time for things like “jobs” that took away from that.
Now, I have somewhat of a reputation for having had many jobs in my day. Mostly only by close friends/ family, as my resume only portrays relevant work. But here’s a brief history of my non-relevant, non-internship positions:
Hornbacher’s- Grocery store clerk***
American Eagle- Sales associate
Victoria’s Secret- Sales associate***
Division Office- Secretary***+
Minervas Restaurant- Hostess
Nanny
Target- Cashier***
Yikes. So, in retrospect, I have had quite a few jobs I really did not care for. But overall, good or bad, I’ve had valuable work experience that has taught me a lot about life, and what I want to do.
So what are your favorite job experiences? Do you have any not-so-favorites that fit my theory? Feel free to share!
*exaggeration, I really worked there about 3 months
** and, so my mom doesn’t have a heart attack, studying
*** this was a prime example of a job that I would rather stab myself in the leg than work at
***+ really, this job was only bad the summer I worked there and had to wash the stairs with a rag and a bucket
My most relevant job experiences:
Bad – Painting the walls under the bleachers of Kyle Field (home of Texas A&M University’s Fightin’ Aggie Football Team). However, once underlings were hired, I just drove around in a golf cart all day and pretended to be running the show. I wasn’t.
Bad but worth the money – Beverage Distribution Engineer for Johnson Bros. / Famous Brands. I hated 6 hour days of putting liquor on the shelves of 8 different stores literally all around Sioux Falls (basically a giant loop around the city, 3 times a week), but I got paid enough to make it worthwhile.
Good – Working for Deep Bench.*
*Minus the fact that it’s typically around 62 degrees in our office and I have to wear a jacket, coat, blanket, and occasionally gloves. Which are not conducive to typing.
Good question though. It’s funny how different work experiences teach you what it is you want to do (or in my case, for the most part, what I don’t want to do). Glad you didn’t stab yourself. I bet it would have hurt more than you’d have thought.
Worst – My previous job*
Bad – Unemployment/Looking for jobs**
Good – Where I’m at now***
Best – Camp, paid and volunteer***+
* – The subject of many tweets several months ago.
** – Really, this takes for friggen ever.
*** – It’s only a temporary position and I will be unemployed** again in a couple months.
***+ – Not only were my bosses great and the actual amenities of the camp, but my coworkers have become my closest friends. Almost a dozen of whom were a part of our wedding.