What's a job that you immediately knew wasn't for you? What about the other way
7-Feb-23 8:20pm
#1 nonamesleft
I once tried ad sales. The type where you call companies in order to feature their product, or an article about them, in your magazine, that kind of thing. I knew almost immediately that it wasn't something I'd be doing long term. To call random companies and try to persuade them? I remember that hours after I was done calling, my nerves were still shot.
Wine pouring at a food convention, now that I really enjoyed. You meet a lot of people, learn interesting things. There was one guy I recall who really liked a certain kind of wine. After 2 or 3 tastes of it, and keep in mind that these events can be showcasing hundreds of wines, the guy hands me a glass and with a sly smile says that it's for the other guy. I didn't recall there being another person near him, but it could be that my back was turned at the time. But then I noticed that the guy started drinking it
. "The other guy" was himself.
#1 nonamesleft
I once tried ad sales. The type where you call companies in order to feature their product, or an article about them, in your magazine, that kind of thing. I knew almost immediately that it wasn't something I'd be doing long term. To call random companies and try to persuade them? I remember that hours after I was done calling, my nerves were still shot.
Wine pouring at a food convention, now that I really enjoyed. You meet a lot of people, learn interesting things. There was one guy I recall who really liked a certain kind of wine. After 2 or 3 tastes of it, and keep in mind that these events can be showcasing hundreds of wines, the guy hands me a glass and with a sly smile says that it's for the other guy. I didn't recall there being another person near him, but it could be that my back was turned at the time. But then I noticed that the guy started drinking it
. "The other guy" was himself.7-Feb-23 8:50pm
#2 Porksta
I went to a job interview for a debt collections agency. Listened to someone doing a good job on their call, and someone doing a bad job on their call. I could not tell the difference. The way I see it, you owe money, you pay. If you don't like the way someone talks to you, pay your debts.
#2 Porksta
I went to a job interview for a debt collections agency. Listened to someone doing a good job on their call, and someone doing a bad job on their call. I could not tell the difference. The way I see it, you owe money, you pay. If you don't like the way someone talks to you, pay your debts.
7-Feb-23 9:35pm
#3 shadyfozzie
Dry Cleaning Delivery Service.. They guy I worked with was an asshat.. Lasted one day..
#3 shadyfozzie
Dry Cleaning Delivery Service.. They guy I worked with was an asshat.. Lasted one day..
8-Feb-23 9:22am
#4 Scott
I'm not cut out for sales at all. When I worked at Circuit City, they really tried to push us to sell the extra warranties. I thought most of them were a waste of money and told people so. Even the ones that I thought were worth it, if the person said they weren't interested, I gave up immediately lol.
#4 Scott
I'm not cut out for sales at all. When I worked at Circuit City, they really tried to push us to sell the extra warranties. I thought most of them were a waste of money and told people so. Even the ones that I thought were worth it, if the person said they weren't interested, I gave up immediately lol.
8-Feb-23 10:19am
#5 Bleed_DukeBlue
Back in the day, I was in a punk band, and we played a show with this hardcore band my friend was in. Their bassist was the manager at the coffee shop at the Barnes and Noble near me and offered me a summer job there. I was excited about it, but, when I came in for training on the day she told me, she looked confused and then said “I’m really sorry. I completely forgot that I gave you the job.” She had already started training someone else. Since pretty much all of my fun money in high school came from working in the summer and on breaks, I was scrambling. I ended up getting hired to sell knives door to door for Vector Marketing (i.e., Cutco). While overpriced, the products were actually really good. (I still use the knives from my starter set, and they’re still going strong.) However, their training and sales tactics were really problematic. We had to call people in the morning to try to schedule home demos while they were getting ready for work for after work. A manager told me to try to get appointments with women during the day when their husbands were at work and then say “When was the last time you bought something for yourself? Has your husband ever bought something without asking you first? Don’t you deserve things you like?” I had to quit. I just wasn’t willing to treat people that way.
On the flip side, I love being a professor. I hope I can do it forever. The research is exciting, my students keep me on my toes, and my colleagues are really supportive of each other and friendly.
#5 Bleed_DukeBlue
Back in the day, I was in a punk band, and we played a show with this hardcore band my friend was in. Their bassist was the manager at the coffee shop at the Barnes and Noble near me and offered me a summer job there. I was excited about it, but, when I came in for training on the day she told me, she looked confused and then said “I’m really sorry. I completely forgot that I gave you the job.” She had already started training someone else. Since pretty much all of my fun money in high school came from working in the summer and on breaks, I was scrambling. I ended up getting hired to sell knives door to door for Vector Marketing (i.e., Cutco). While overpriced, the products were actually really good. (I still use the knives from my starter set, and they’re still going strong.) However, their training and sales tactics were really problematic. We had to call people in the morning to try to schedule home demos while they were getting ready for work for after work. A manager told me to try to get appointments with women during the day when their husbands were at work and then say “When was the last time you bought something for yourself? Has your husband ever bought something without asking you first? Don’t you deserve things you like?” I had to quit. I just wasn’t willing to treat people that way.
On the flip side, I love being a professor. I hope I can do it forever. The research is exciting, my students keep me on my toes, and my colleagues are really supportive of each other and friendly.
8-Feb-23 10:35am
#6 benstylus
Bleed_DukeBlue wrote:
“When was the last time you bought something for yourself? Has your husband ever bought something without asking you first? Don’t you deserve things you like?”
"And if he complains, let me show you the knife that will quickly and easily cut through bone"
#6 benstylus
Bleed_DukeBlue wrote:
“When was the last time you bought something for yourself? Has your husband ever bought something without asking you first? Don’t you deserve things you like?”
"And if he complains, let me show you the knife that will quickly and easily cut through bone"
8-Feb-23 11:03am
#7 Bleed_DukeBlue
Those demos were wild. One of the things I did for them was cut a penny into a spiral going up into the air with a pair of scissors. (They're great scissors.) One time I did actually cut my finger while showing how you could cut a rope in a couple of slices with one of the knives. I finished the demo while holding my fist clenched, trying to keep the blood from being visible. I got through the demo, and no one was the wiser. That was pretty rough.
benstylus wrote:
Bleed_DukeBlue wrote:> “When was the last time you bought something for yourself? > Has your husband ever bought something without asking you first? Don’t you deserve> things you like?” "And if he complains, let me show you the knife that will quickly and easily cut through bone"
#7 Bleed_DukeBlue
Those demos were wild. One of the things I did for them was cut a penny into a spiral going up into the air with a pair of scissors. (They're great scissors.) One time I did actually cut my finger while showing how you could cut a rope in a couple of slices with one of the knives. I finished the demo while holding my fist clenched, trying to keep the blood from being visible. I got through the demo, and no one was the wiser. That was pretty rough.
benstylus wrote:
Bleed_DukeBlue wrote:> “When was the last time you bought something for yourself? > Has your husband ever bought something without asking you first? Don’t you deserve> things you like?” "And if he complains, let me show you the knife that will quickly and easily cut through bone"
8-Feb-23 11:22am
#8 incubus421
After almost 5 years as an Assistant Manager at GameStop in my early twenties, and putting up with about all I could handle, I left and for some reason started at Best Buy. Two weeks in and the routine was the same, push preorders, push credit cards, etc. Not sure why I would expect anything different. You rarely see/talk to anyone that is actually into gaming and you routinely sell Call of Duty to kids under the age of 12 to parents uncaring of the content. I left Best Buy after a month. Right after I was handed my 3:00am scheduled start time for Black Friday. Bye!
Now, mid 30, I do the IT work at a school. I can't see myself working anywhere other than a school now. Lots of time off (Summer, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break) and great benefits package. Pay could be a bit better, but the benefits are tough to trade away.
#8 incubus421
After almost 5 years as an Assistant Manager at GameStop in my early twenties, and putting up with about all I could handle, I left and for some reason started at Best Buy. Two weeks in and the routine was the same, push preorders, push credit cards, etc. Not sure why I would expect anything different. You rarely see/talk to anyone that is actually into gaming and you routinely sell Call of Duty to kids under the age of 12 to parents uncaring of the content. I left Best Buy after a month. Right after I was handed my 3:00am scheduled start time for Black Friday. Bye!
Now, mid 30, I do the IT work at a school. I can't see myself working anywhere other than a school now. Lots of time off (Summer, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break) and great benefits package. Pay could be a bit better, but the benefits are tough to trade away.
8-Feb-23 12:06pm
#9 sa330206
I use to work for a large retailor selling electronics and it was a struggle. I love technology and really enjoyed helping people pick out items to meet their needs, however my problem was the extended warranties. Often we would have to try to sell a $300-400 warranty on a $1000 TV, ridiculous! Due to my conscious, there was no way I could sleep at night ripping off a family like that... especially older people who didnt know any better. I specifically remember 2 of the sales ladies were brutal - for example as a couple would come in they would say "here comes some suckers, watch this!." They would also steal sales, for example if you sold something and it had to be exchanged... they would do the return under the original reps name and then do the "exchange/new purchase" under their name to get the commission. So if you weren't there when an exachange of your item happened, you could get hit with a negative commission on your next paycheck.
I lasted about a year and then called it quits.
#9 sa330206
I use to work for a large retailor selling electronics and it was a struggle. I love technology and really enjoyed helping people pick out items to meet their needs, however my problem was the extended warranties. Often we would have to try to sell a $300-400 warranty on a $1000 TV, ridiculous! Due to my conscious, there was no way I could sleep at night ripping off a family like that... especially older people who didnt know any better. I specifically remember 2 of the sales ladies were brutal - for example as a couple would come in they would say "here comes some suckers, watch this!." They would also steal sales, for example if you sold something and it had to be exchanged... they would do the return under the original reps name and then do the "exchange/new purchase" under their name to get the commission. So if you weren't there when an exachange of your item happened, you could get hit with a negative commission on your next paycheck.
I lasted about a year and then called it quits.
8-Feb-23 2:20pm
#10 nonamesleft
@Bleed_DukeBlue You're a professor? Awesome. Of what?
I did teach in the past, and that was a pretty great job. You actually get to see the students making progress and applying what you've taught them. And you get to be a sounding board for some students who really need to be able to sort their thoughts. It's a job that, imo, doesn't feel empty.
#10 nonamesleft
@Bleed_DukeBlue You're a professor? Awesome. Of what?
I did teach in the past, and that was a pretty great job. You actually get to see the students making progress and applying what you've taught them. And you get to be a sounding board for some students who really need to be able to sort their thoughts. It's a job that, imo, doesn't feel empty.
8-Feb-23 2:21pm
#11 nonamesleft
incubus421 wrote:
After almost 5 years as an Assistant Manager at GameStop in my early twenties, and putting up with about all I could handle, I left and for some reason started at Best Buy. Two weeks in and the routine was the same, push preorders, push credit cards, etc. Not sure why I would expect anything different. You rarely see/talk to anyone that is actually into gaming and you routinely sell Call of Duty to kids under the age of 12 to parents uncaring of the content. I left Best Buy after a month. Right after I was handed my 3:00am scheduled start time for Black Friday. Bye! Now, mid 30, I do the IT work at a school. I can't see myself working anywhere other than a school now. Lots of time off (Summer, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break) and great benefits package. Pay could be a bit better, but the benefits are tough to trade away.I know a couple of people who work at schools, and most of them love it.
#11 nonamesleft
incubus421 wrote:
After almost 5 years as an Assistant Manager at GameStop in my early twenties, and putting up with about all I could handle, I left and for some reason started at Best Buy. Two weeks in and the routine was the same, push preorders, push credit cards, etc. Not sure why I would expect anything different. You rarely see/talk to anyone that is actually into gaming and you routinely sell Call of Duty to kids under the age of 12 to parents uncaring of the content. I left Best Buy after a month. Right after I was handed my 3:00am scheduled start time for Black Friday. Bye! Now, mid 30, I do the IT work at a school. I can't see myself working anywhere other than a school now. Lots of time off (Summer, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break) and great benefits package. Pay could be a bit better, but the benefits are tough to trade away.I know a couple of people who work at schools, and most of them love it.
8-Feb-23 2:59pm
#12 Bleed_DukeBlue
Sociology. That's cool. What did you teach?
nonamesleft wrote:
@Bleed_DukeBlue You're a professor? Awesome. Of what? I did teach in the past, and that was a pretty great job. You actually get to see the students making progress and applying what you've taught them. And you get to be a sounding board for some students who really need to be able to sort their thoughts. It's a job that, imo, doesn't feel empty.
#12 Bleed_DukeBlue
Sociology. That's cool. What did you teach?
nonamesleft wrote:
@Bleed_DukeBlue You're a professor? Awesome. Of what? I did teach in the past, and that was a pretty great job. You actually get to see the students making progress and applying what you've taught them. And you get to be a sounding board for some students who really need to be able to sort their thoughts. It's a job that, imo, doesn't feel empty.
8-Feb-23 3:50pm
#13 nonamesleft
Math and English.
Bleed_DukeBlue wrote:
Sociology. That's cool. What did you teach? nonamesleft wrote:> @Bleed_DukeBlue You're a professor? Awesome. Of what?> > I did teach in the past, and that was a pretty great job. You actually get to see> the students making progress and applying what you've taught them. And you get to> be a sounding board for some students who really need to be able to sort their thoughts.> It's a job that, imo, doesn't feel empty.
#13 nonamesleft
Math and English.
Bleed_DukeBlue wrote:
Sociology. That's cool. What did you teach? nonamesleft wrote:> @Bleed_DukeBlue You're a professor? Awesome. Of what?> > I did teach in the past, and that was a pretty great job. You actually get to see> the students making progress and applying what you've taught them. And you get to> be a sounding board for some students who really need to be able to sort their thoughts.> It's a job that, imo, doesn't feel empty.
8-Feb-23 3:51pm
#14 nonamesleft
@sa330206 That's terrible, with those sales ladies. No care for the other person.
#14 nonamesleft
@sa330206 That's terrible, with those sales ladies. No care for the other person.
8-Feb-23 6:41pm
#15 Alaisiagae
I lasted 1 week at a customer support/misc task stuff job. But mostly it was due to a health problem. The universe has a way of working out - the same day I was melting down, I got a call with a job offer for a role I'd interviewed for a few months prior, who had low-balled my salary. They offered me the job, at a higher salary, and agreed to pay my health insurance cost until their stupid probation period ended. I accepted the job, started after a month (gave me time to treat the health issue).
I think my dream job would be playing with Corgis all day.
My career has not been a straight line, it's more like the path of a drunk chipmunk. I seem to stumble from one job to another. Currently landed somewhere super nice, thankfully.
#15 Alaisiagae
I lasted 1 week at a customer support/misc task stuff job. But mostly it was due to a health problem. The universe has a way of working out - the same day I was melting down, I got a call with a job offer for a role I'd interviewed for a few months prior, who had low-balled my salary. They offered me the job, at a higher salary, and agreed to pay my health insurance cost until their stupid probation period ended. I accepted the job, started after a month (gave me time to treat the health issue).
I think my dream job would be playing with Corgis all day.
My career has not been a straight line, it's more like the path of a drunk chipmunk. I seem to stumble from one job to another. Currently landed somewhere super nice, thankfully.
8-Feb-23 7:22pm
#16 BucketofJustice
I worked doing collections at a crapty buy here, pay here car lot. They were racist AF so I dipped the second I could. I work at a Costco call center for online orders now. Not great, but I get paid decent for it so there’s that.
#16 BucketofJustice
I worked doing collections at a crapty buy here, pay here car lot. They were racist AF so I dipped the second I could. I work at a Costco call center for online orders now. Not great, but I get paid decent for it so there’s that.
8-Feb-23 7:50pm
#17 KCPenguins
LoL... if I could only tell you about all my jobs. My worst was without a doubt detasseling. Get up early, walk through corn fields that are soaking wet. Boots caked in mud after a few minutes. Spiders and all kinds of bugs. Hot and muggy later in the day. Crap was soaked in roundup. All for $6-7 an hour, good money for a kid at the time. Fudging criminal nowadays.
#17 KCPenguins
LoL... if I could only tell you about all my jobs. My worst was without a doubt detasseling. Get up early, walk through corn fields that are soaking wet. Boots caked in mud after a few minutes. Spiders and all kinds of bugs. Hot and muggy later in the day. Crap was soaked in roundup. All for $6-7 an hour, good money for a kid at the time. Fudging criminal nowadays.
9-Feb-23 3:34pm
#18 nonamesleft
KCPenguins wrote:
LoL... if I could only tell you about all my jobs. My worst was without a doubt detasseling. Get up early, walk through corn fields that are soaking wet. Boots caked in mud after a few minutes. Spiders and all kinds of bugs. Hot and muggy later in the day. Crap was soaked in roundup. All for $6-7 an hour, good money for a kid at the time. Fudging criminal nowadays.Very interesting. First time I heard someone say they used to detassle (corn I'm guessing?). Is it still done these days?
#18 nonamesleft
KCPenguins wrote:
LoL... if I could only tell you about all my jobs. My worst was without a doubt detasseling. Get up early, walk through corn fields that are soaking wet. Boots caked in mud after a few minutes. Spiders and all kinds of bugs. Hot and muggy later in the day. Crap was soaked in roundup. All for $6-7 an hour, good money for a kid at the time. Fudging criminal nowadays.Very interesting. First time I heard someone say they used to detassle (corn I'm guessing?). Is it still done these days?
9-Feb-23 3:36pm
#19 nonamesleft
Alaisiagae wrote:
I think my dream job would be playing with Corgis all day.:)
#19 nonamesleft
Alaisiagae wrote:
I think my dream job would be playing with Corgis all day.:)
9-Feb-23 5:45pm
#20 theJaw
Scott wrote:
I'm not cut out for sales at all. When I worked at Circuit City, they really tried to push us to sell the extra warranties. I thought most of them were a waste of money and told people so. Even the ones that I thought were worth it, if the person said they weren't interested, I gave up immediately lol.
Also worked at Circuit City, in the warehouse. Receiving, stocking shelves, etc etc. My manager was an absolute assdick, so I was out of there real fast.
#20 theJaw
Scott wrote:
I'm not cut out for sales at all. When I worked at Circuit City, they really tried to push us to sell the extra warranties. I thought most of them were a waste of money and told people so. Even the ones that I thought were worth it, if the person said they weren't interested, I gave up immediately lol.
Also worked at Circuit City, in the warehouse. Receiving, stocking shelves, etc etc. My manager was an absolute assdick, so I was out of there real fast.
9-Feb-23 5:56pm
#21 KCPenguins
nonamesleft wrote:
KCPenguins wrote:> LoL... if I could only tell you about all my jobs. My worst was without a doubt> detasseling. Get up early, walk through corn> fields that are soaking wet. Boots> caked in mud after a few minutes. Spiders and all kinds of bugs. Hot and muggy> later in the day. Crap was soaked in roundup. All for $6-7 an hour, good money> for a kid at the time. Fudging criminal nowadays. Very interesting. First time I heard someone say they used to detassle (corn I'm guessing?). Is it still done these days?
Yes, corn. I haven't seen it since moving back, but I'd assume so. I know they remove most of it mechanically nowadays, but I don't think they can get it completely.
#21 KCPenguins
nonamesleft wrote:
KCPenguins wrote:> LoL... if I could only tell you about all my jobs. My worst was without a doubt> detasseling. Get up early, walk through corn> fields that are soaking wet. Boots> caked in mud after a few minutes. Spiders and all kinds of bugs. Hot and muggy> later in the day. Crap was soaked in roundup. All for $6-7 an hour, good money> for a kid at the time. Fudging criminal nowadays. Very interesting. First time I heard someone say they used to detassle (corn I'm guessing?). Is it still done these days?
Yes, corn. I haven't seen it since moving back, but I'd assume so. I know they remove most of it mechanically nowadays, but I don't think they can get it completely.
What's a job that you immediately knew wasn't for you? What about the other way