Bottle Boy at a neighborhood market 14-18 did this until I moved away from home.
Fast food guy for one week when I was 16
Worked in a Nursing Home Kitchen, Dishwasher/Server 17-18
during the summers I would work at a cabinet factory doing grunt work, cleaning the roofs, vacuuming the walls, etc...
Worked at G.I. Joes (Sporting Goods)18 while forgetting to go to classes at college in Portland (can you say party?).
Went back to the home town, and worked in a cabinet factory on the finishing line for a couple of years. My Dad was the supervisor.19-21
Went off to Eugene and worked in the stock room at The Limited (Womens clothing)at night and as a prep-cook on the weekends at a Mexican Restaurant called Nacho's. I went to college part time during the episode too. During the summer took a job in Santa Cruz, CA working at the boardwalk as a ride operator (carnie), and left after the big earthquake in '89. Went back to Eugene and worked the same two jobs again. Went off to Seattle in '91 worked in a used clothing store (I loved that job)in a cool part of town. Later that year, I went back to Eugene and the same two jobs again and then quit them both to work in a coffee shop. I was a barista until '93 went to Portland, and worked for the Evil Empire as a barista and an assistant manager. I hated working for them so I took off for Sacramento, and worked in a coffee shop there too. In the spring of 1994. Decided one day to take a look at the Mortuary School in San Francisco, two weeks later I was living and working in a Funeral Home in the Mission District. I was there until I graduated in 1995. (All that part-time going to college had helped). Moved back to Portland, and couldn't find a job. They only wanted to hire people from the local mortuary school. I did a lot of temp. work for a couple of years, and ended up working for the State Retirement system. Stayed with them for nearly four years and by accident found an apprenticeship in a a Funeral Home. I was a Funeral Director/Embalmer for four years and realized, I hated corporation I was working for, totally unethical as far as I was concerned. I went part-time and went back to University and then found a great job allowing me to go to school and do what I was studying (Marketing/Communications)at Freightliner. I swore I would never work in the Funeral Industry again. (Never Swear). I got laid off right after graduation, and was offered a job working at another Funeral Home. The pay was way better, they were ethical and actually quite fun people to work with. And so here I am now, taking care of all of the people that don't make it when StretcherMonkey forgets to turn the petcock the right way on their IV.
Being a mortician would be great if it were only the dead people I had to work with. They never complain.
-Brent
