In these tough times, people are having to compromise their education, training , experience, and principles, to make ends meet. I heard a story the other day about an investment banker who was laid off and had to get a job delivering pizza to provide for his family. He went from $350,000 a year to $16,000 a year.

It made me think about how lucky I am, and also about the worst job I've ever had to do.

Well, it was during my surveying career from 1980-1996,well, 1991 was the worst. I was single and making $12.00 an hour. We had a job that came up with The Dept of Interior, surveying the Okefenokee Swamp in south Georgia. It was a 9 week job, during the summer. The alligators were nesting, and all the other reptiles were active. Between the mosquitos, deer flies , we had to spray so much deet bug spray on us, our skin peeled. We worked hacking with machetes, in chest deep water, 10 hours a day. When we got to an
area where we saw alligators, we threw waterproof firecrackers in to scare them away before we trekked in. For part of the job, we were so far in a remote area, we camped down there. In the morning, we put on our wet clothes and started all over again. I'm actually glad I did it, because the work I do now, whenever I have a bad day, I think back to the swamp, and know that It'll never be as bad as that.

I'd like to hear what the worst job you've ever had was. It will make you appreciate the one you have now.

Scleros

Heh, my father, like you, had a summer of surveying. He was quickly motivated to became a machinist.

Myself, I don't consider any of the jobs I've had "bad" in the sense that I learned something from them and they always paid better than any other work I would have been able to attain at the time, but my first job was the most unpleasant. I did grounds-keeping for a 40 acre manufacturing facility during all my high-school years. The work was dirty, hot, tedious, never ending, the rougher grounds were filled with poison sumac and ivy, and the provided maintenance equipment was in poor repair. Topping it all off were my various allergies to many things floral. Sunbaked, stuffy nosed, misery it was. Looking back... my parents have no sense. However, it was a necessary stepping stone. While there, I started doing computer programming work for one of the engineers that worked at the plant and that set my path in information technology.

Forced hard work and dirtiness for all citizens is one thing that I think America lacks and is worse off for it. Many other countries require some sort of military or service experience once a citizen becomes an adult. I think it helps put life into the proper perspective. It's hard to appreciate everyday things like plumbing, clean water, soap, tissues and toilet paper if you've never had to get dirty in a non-air conditioned environment for any length of time.

justcurious55

i wouldn't say any of my jobs have been bad either. but every now and then i get a bad customer. like the guy who tries to get me in trouble with my manager and goes on about how "problematic" i'm being because i'm not allowed to sell him alcohol with is expired ID. and yells at me the "obviously i lost my wallet, otherwise i wouldn't be carrying around this bag!" sorry for not knowing you're one of those guys that usually has a regular wallet...that one was just the other night.
or the people who yell at me because i can't take their coupon because it's for something that my store doesn't even sell...
anyone after a customer that yells at me because i have to follow certain rules and/or laws just seems so wonderful. if the next customer just smiles at me even, i almost want to hug them and tell them how much more i like them.

Sylvanta Sybil

I work in a call center, luckily am a chat technical support representative for a well-known computer manufacturer. I used to take in calls (same company). That was hell, because you get these people screaming at you, and you have to apologize for something you never did. Furthermore, technical support is open 24/7 so sometimes you start at like 1, 2, or 3 am, it's especially difficult if you're a girl (like me), it could get really dangerous. Your schedule changes about every week, it stays the same for only 3 weeks maximum, which really ruins your body clock.

Luckily I transitioned to chat --- the schedules are all the same but people no longer call to shout at you, but the downside is you chat with 2 customers at the same time --- and you're not allowed to tell them. So if you gotta dispatch multiple parts on this one, you've got another 2 waiting, so there's almost no time for documentation (sometimes you have to render 1-2 hours overtime for these).

We also have to call customers back if they get disconnected, so you'll have one outbound call while chatting with another customer... It gets really difficult to concentrate.

We also don't get any holidays, if we're not lucky and our application for leave is not approved, we work on Christmas, New Year, etc etc.

And you sometimes have to deny support because the policy tells you to, and you have to obey but take all the blows, so it's kinda difficult cause the customer thinks you're the company when really, you're nowhere near the giants in the pyramid.

It's still better than taking calls, though.

Scleros

Yes, interacting with John Q. Public on an extended basis requires special talents. I think you have to learn to be a bit of an a$$ or people will walk all over you.

justcurious55

having had customers yell at me for things that aren't my fault, i'm much more conscientious (sp?) of how i treat people at the end of the phone line or employees when i go into other stores. i imagine you too sylvanta? i treat my customers how i want to be treated and i treat other places employees that way i want my customers to treat me

Wondergirl

After I quit teaching, I got a job in a suburban Chicago hospital working as an aide in their Physical Therapy department. I was assigned to Louisa, a massage therapist. My job was to set up the treatment tables and rooms, bring in the patients, set them up on the tables, and alert Louisa that they were ready. Then, after the patient was taken back up to his/her room, I cleaned up the room and put clean sheets on the table for the next patient. (This was before paper covers were used.) Or I would set up a patient in a jacuzzi or a Hubbard tank or get them into the right area and position to walk or do other exercises if they had had a stroke.

Unfortunately, the doctors ordered laxatives to be given to some of our patients before they ate breakfast, and with the lively activity we put them through, the laxative would work beautifully. Some days I spent most of the day cleaning up patients, floors, bedding, water tanks. (This was before Depends had been invented.)

We asked the doctors to make changes in this practice, but most refused.

justcurious55

oh wow. cleaning up things around my store doesn't seem so bad anymore. at all. eew. i don't think i'd have the stomach for that job wondergirl.

Scleros

Ever seen the show Dirty Jobs on Discovery Channel? Some of those are even hard to watch.

Sylvanta Sybil

Yes!! Ever since I had this job I've been waaaay nicer to people at McDonald's or Starbucks or 7-11 or when calling my phone service's customer service.
But I've also been pretty demanding when it comes to good customer service, LOL.