What are the INTERESTING Jobs you have had? (owner, career, companies)

[Jesse69]

What are the INTERESTING Jobs you have had? - Jobs that kept you interested or amused by what you did or see at work?

For me -

Platt Luggage - I made custom presentation suitcases for numerous devices and gizmos. So every new project was interesting to see what I'd be messing around with.

International Jensen - loudspeaker building was my hobby, and to work at a major loudspeaker manufacturer was just a DREAM COME TRUE!

Bike or Car Messenger Delivery - these jobs suck, but sometimes you run into unique and interesting businesses or see unique stuff. Like where the Channel 9 lady newscasters bought their skirt suits. It was funny going into a gay porno shop for a delivery.

Jacobs ESCG - my best job ever. Very interesting working on stuff that went into the Space Shutttle, Space Station, and Lunar Lander.

DESA International - it was interesting to have worked at the company that made those portable Buddy L Heaters you see in places like Menard's.

In general, I try to make work interesting by working at Product Design / Manufacturing companies... That's the nice reward I get for choosing a Mechanical Engineering career or CAD, Mech Eng or Designer or Technical Writer jobs.

[Magnolia Bloom]

You've had some interesting jobs!

The summer after HS graduation I worked in a "mental nursing home" (this is what they called it) in Ohio when my friend and I were traveling around the country. It was a big old house with about a dozen mentally ill seniors. It was a pleasant, but modest place and the residents were treated with respect. But some of the things that the residents would do were....crazy. It was a really fun job for me and interesting BC each day would bring something new and crazy.

[brightdoglover]

Groom at two racetracks. They had just begun allowing female people in the stable areas. Prior to that, even women owners weren't allowed- something about being concerned that hookers would encourage jockeys and trainers to throw races.

Copyeditor for TV news for deaf people. Rewriting the ABC national news to 50 percent of its wording and to a sixth-grade reading level. Great for a news wonk and people who love to argue about a comma or how to spell "South Molucca."

Copyediting web transcripts for FRONTLINE from home. Perfect.

Not much else.

[PurpleLove08]

Originally Posted by Jesse69

It was funny going into a gay porno shop for a delivery.

Ha ha.

I had a volunteer "job" at a hospital and it was my job to file claims in chronological and alphabetical order. [I am very squirmy around sick people so I chose to do clerical work] I absolutely loved it! I love organizing things and alphabetizing them (despite my room being a mess most days). I would read up on what made the people come to the hospital, if the claim was approved or denied and why.

I saw a lot of people coming in for things related to diabetes and the insurance companies would deny the claim saying it was "congenital" and therefore they didn't have to pay for it.
I enjoyed coming to volunteer every day.

The job I have right now is somewhat interesting. I work in a library. I love libraries so it's a great job for me. I love seeing what new books we've order (and being the first to get them) and learning what kind of books our patrons like.

[bande1102]

I worked as a police dispatcher in a small town. I'd be alone for my shift and was responsible for answering ALL calls (sometimes this included city hall calls if it was after hours), assigning officers to calls, tracking officers (we handwrote log books), and helping the officers with investigative work like running criminal histories,etc. Oh, and I also dealt with people who came in the lobby.

Our town didn't have ALI or ANI so when people called I had no idea what number they called from or their location. It was absolutely insane. At first, I loved the drama, the craziness,etc. Did I mention I was only 18 years old? After a few months, though, it really started to get to me. The shiftwork, the no potty breaks, the officers yelling at me for one thing or another, dealing with upset callers, having abused women walk in the station looking for a place to stay.....I just couldn't do it anymore. I think I lasted a year and how I have no idea how I lasted that long. Now that I'm older and my dispatcher friends tell me how much more organized it is, I do briefly consider getting back into that line of work.

[yellowsnow]

Love this thread. It's a welcome respite from all the gloom and doom of reality.

I've had some interesting jobs over the years too.

Police Officer
Nightclub Singer
Cordboard Telephone Operator
Research Scientist
Waitress

None of the above were my long term 'career type' job. They were just interesting detours.

[PurpleLove08]

Originally Posted by yellowsnow

Love this thread. It's a welcome respite from all the gloom and doom of reality.

I've had some interesting jobs over the years too.

Police Officer
Nightclub Singer
Cordboard Telephone Operator
Research Scientist
Waitress

None of the above were my long term 'career type' job. They were just interesting detours.

Nightclub singer? How cool. The only thing I couldn't deal with would be the smoke, if smoking was allowed.

[nicet4]

I delivered small airplanes. It's called being a ferry (not fairy) pilot.

Delivered airplanes in the Bahamas, Mexico, Central America, Canada, Alaska (as if it were a different country) and pretty much every state. The only state I never stepped foot in was Vermont... been everywhere else and flown over Vermont but never stopped.

I would fly over the Gulf of Mexico because the water was warm but chickened out taking one across the Atlantic. Single engine, small... loaded with fuel in bladder bags... days before GPS. Ice bergs. Nah, to cold for me.

For Central and South America you'd fly from Key West across Cuba (do never land) to Grand Cayman for fuel then wherever you were going.

I was a lot younger then. A lot younger.

Downtown Toronto with downtown airport.

San bar in the Bahamas about 100 miles south of Nassau.

I always liked sunsets. I think this was taken over Indiana somewhere.

Arizona Mexico border area looking south.

IFR into small airport. Flying wasn't always good weather but this wasn't so bad you can see the runway end lights about a mile ahead.

[nicet4]

A flying story.

Let's call it I was recruited for a job but turned it down. I would imagine the pay was good but it wasn't for me.

We're talking 1970's not the modern day.

Left Vero Beach with a brand new straight legged Cheerokee Six I had to deliver in San Jose, Costa Rica. Over Cuba, stopped at Grand Cayman for fuel, stopped again on the east coast of Costa Rica then a short hop into San Jose.

So I got there just before dark and shortly after I arrived three cars pull up with the Mercedes carrying the new owner who had to sign some papers I had with me. The way it worked the owner would sign, I would spend the night at a fleabag motel (cheap company) and fly commercial back home the next day. We were talking, the owner asked me where I was staying and when I told him he told me it was a real dive. I was not surprised. Anyway he suggested I spend that night at his place, that his driver would make sure I made the airport the next day and it sounded good to me.

I asked what the airplane was for and he told me to fly around his properties. Told me he had a banana plantation.

Later that night the owner suggested I stick around, that he would pay for my ticket back as I might want to check out Costa Rica.

I was dumb in the ways of the world. I really was.

So for almost a week this driver carts me around San Jose and I never spent a dime. Bought a leather jacket and he paid for it... parties, dinner... I never spend a dime and it seemed this driver had more cash on him than I made in a year.

We went to a show, it was one of those girlie shows, and the driver points out a table away sitting with two girls telling me he was the vice president of Guatemala.

The girls seemed really friendly and no, I didn't take one home but I did find out later I was in the best bordello in all of Central America.

I was being recruited... found this out around day five of my all expense paid vacation living in a house that would cost $20 million if it were in Florida. No money was worth it... no way, no how. I told him I was interested but all I wanted to do was go home. Cooked up a family emergency, promised to get back with him, got my flight and went home.

FYI the hot spot for flying back was not Florida but southern Alabama.

That was the strangest job in my lifetime.

[Ina Van Down By The River]

Security Guard
But then I quit when I realized the person I had been habitually stealing bag lunches from at work made me a canned dog food sandwich.