My worst job ever
What makes something the worst job ever? In my eyes, it’s a lack of excitement. The worst jobs in the world are boring. Yeah, Discovery’s Dirtiest Jobs Ever are pretty bad, but I’d like to think I’d pick one of those any day over boring work. Excitement = Happiness.
Before I describe the worst job I’ve ever had, let’s run down my list of employers and/or clients in chronological order: Chick-fil-A (first job), IBM (PC specialist), Lucent Technologies, Youth Soccer Coach (paid, baby!), Cingular Wireless (retail clerk), BYU Performing Arts (male secretary), BYU web developer, Griffio (my company, still a male secretary), Combat Films (freelancer), Weblogs Inc (blogger), Provo Labs (business incubator), Next-Generation (writer), GamePro (writer), and GigaOM (reporter/blogger). A large number of the latter gigs have been managed concurrently and are/were part-time.
I’m very blessed in terms of having or have had great gigs and jobs in my 11 years since first joining the workforce. But not everything has been gravy. What’s the worst job I’ve ever had? Lucent Technologies when I was 21. Easily the crappiest job Blake Snow has ever been associated with.
My formal title was “Inventory Specialist.” Sounds fancy, but here’s what I really did. I sat (pretty much all of the time) in a large fiber optics warehouse up to eight hours at a time. About 2-3 times during that shift, a worker from the assembly line would saunter back to my workspace and have me fetch a bag of fiber optic connectors that they could have easily gotten themselves. It took me about 15 seconds to locate the bag from a row of about 30 storage shelves then give it to the worker. Once in a blue moon I would also hop on a forklift (perhaps the only enjoyable thing I learned while at Lucent) and take a massive reel of fiber optic cable to the assembly line.
Once a month I would count inventory. That took a total of about 2-3 hours max. Just what did I do to fill the time then? Well, the internet wasn’t available to me so I couldn’t learn new things (read: watch lame web videos). Therefore, I kept that place clean as a whistle. It must have been the cleanest warehouse on the planet at the time. Sadly, even that didn’t eat up my time. There was simply no work for me. To make matter’s worse, I actually had a second “Inventory Specialist” that worked alongside me. Made for good conversation, but it was amazing how deficient the whole thing was. Despite what was then good money ($10/hour), it was the most boring job I’ve ever held, and I hated it. I worked there for six months before being laid off (laziness kept me from quitting). I then moved on to a very rewarding, outdoor job the following week teaching 5- and 10 year-olds how to play soccer.
What did I learn from my forgettable experience at Lucent? Don’t let good money and/or laziness keep you from doing what you love or what you think you may love. Do what excites you and you will live a much happier life. Excitement = Happiness.
What’s your worst job and why?
8 Comments
Oh, nvm, you fixed the typo. Now I look like an idiot… 🙂
“Provo Labs (business incubator)”
More like Provo Labs (business mortician)
But heck we had a good time while it lasted.
My worst job: cleaning our toilets.
Why: You have no control.
Amen Lindsey. Thats the funniest thing I’ve heard all day.
My worst job: Warehouse (NAPA auto)
Why: The ultimate micro management
I worked on a potato farm for three, hellish, miserable days.
Pita Jungle in Chandler, AZ. It was my junior year of high school and I was trying to earn money for the prom.
My boss hardly spoke English and he would never tell me what my schedule was. I only worked there two days before quitting. I could tell right away that it was going to be horrible.
I didn’t even come back to collect my measly paycheck.
Good to run across your blog, Blake! It’s been almost two years since I’ve seen you. Gotta change that.
My worst job ever was a couple of weeks at Silo (the old consumer electronics store) during the Christmas holidays. I was making ends meet during the early days of consulting. Those sales reps were vultures. A nice guy like me didn’t have a chance.
Someday I want to be a soccer couch, too! 😛