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My jobs.
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1: 1966–summer. Worked in a plant nursery.
2: 1968–1970. Worked at high school sweeping floors after school.
3: 1970. First summer after high school, worked as a laborer laying blocks with my dad.
4: 1971. First summer after college, worked laying telephone cable.
5: 1972–1974. Lab assistant setting up general biology labs.
6: 1972. Building houses with dad.
7: 1973. Floor supervisor in university library. I only supervised books.
8: 1974. Summer and fall. Graduate research assistant on lake research project.
9: 1975. Grocery store clerk.
10: 1975. Summer camp “nature” teacher.
11: 1975. Graduate teaching assistant.
12: 1976. Building houses with dad.
13: 1976–1977. Salesman, children’s Bible books.
14: 1977. Janitor. Fired on first day for refusing to work Saturdays for religious reasons.
15: 1977. Construction laborer.
16: 1977–1978. Construction laborer.
17: 1978. Construction laborer.
18: 1978–1980. Headstart teacher, government program for 3 to 5 year old children.
19: 1980–1983. Elementary school teacher, grades 1 to 8, small one room private school.
20: 1983–1984. Self-employed home remodeling contractor.
21: 1985. Gas station attendant.
22: 1985. Construction laborer.
23: 1985. Self-employed home remodeling contractor, new city.
24: 1985. Construction laborer. Fired / quit after first day.
25: 1985. Construction laborer. Fired / quit after first day.
26: 1985. Grocery clerk.
27: 1985. (1985 again?) Can you tell my life was not stable? Construction laborer.
28: 1986–1989. Part time intermittent self-employed remodeling contractor, new city.
29: 1986–1988. Hospital ward clerk in intensive care unit.
30: 1987–1988. Part time small community college biology instructor.
31: 1988. School bus driver.
32: 1988–1989. Dry wall construction laborer.
33: 1989. Construction laborer.
34: 1989–1991. Graduate teaching assistant.
35: 1990. Construction laborer, one week.
36: 1990. Summer job as field botanist.
37: 1991–1993. Botanist / Ecologist, Sylamore District, Ozark National Forest.
38: 1993–1995. Botany Program Manager, Savannah River Forest Station.
39: 1995–2003. Forest Botanist / Ecologist, Kisatchie National Forest.
40: 2003–2008. Biologist, Appeals and Litigation Specialist, Southern Region, US Forest Service.
41: 2008–2009. Retired. Supervised home remodeling crew.
42: 2009–2011. Wal-mart garden center clerk (mostly).
43: 2009–2011. Freelance writer / editor.
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Post comment Comment (23 replies)
- Reply Haiena
- A frank disclosure of your past occupations with humble beginnings and respectful present. A job is a job and you contributed in different fields like everyone else. Seems you are happy in your retired life doing what you like to do. I don't think you would be happier being the CEO of a multinational company. Wish you the best.
- Reply sedgehead
- Haiena: A frank disclosure of your past occupations with humble beginnings and respectful present. A job is a job and you contributed in different fields likeYou are right! I have absolutely no desire to be a CEO! In 2005 I almost became botanist for the National Forests of California and Hawaii, indirectly supervising 30 other botanists. I've delighted I didn't get the job! I'm much happier being relaxed and writing books.
- Reply lucyqian
- coloful life and you can learn something in any job ,you may proficient in many field.definitely a erudite man !
- Reply bluephoebe
- impressive
- Reply kinzhang
- hi!man!you are really fantastic ！how could you get through the life with colourful experiences , i think it is what make you become sagacious...
- Reply sedgehead
- kinzhang: hi!man!you are really fantastic ！how could you get through the life with colourful experiences , i think it is what make you become sagacious...Perhaps there is a reason my autobiography has 200,200 words now and only covers 1952 to 1993. I have much more to write!
- Reply sedgehead
- 异物: I am expecting your three-digit entries.Ha! Actually I hope to only have two more entries. 44) fully retired, 45) died. But I don't plan to make those entries any time soon, especially number 45!
- Reply sedgehead
- lucyqian: coloful life and you can learn something in any job ,you may proficient in many field.definitely a erudite man !As one person said, "I won't tell you why I can't hold down a job!" I've had fun and been willing to do many jobs. I know I forgot a couple!
- Reply sedgehead
- O'Bright: Your splendid life is exactly the source of your writing~~I've enjoyed it!
- Reply sedgehead
- buynow: what is the meaning?It is a list. It is the list of jobs I have done during my life.
- Reply sedgehead
- kinzhang: hi!man!you are really fantastic ！how could you get through the life with colourful experiences , i think it is what make you become sagacious...Dang! Now I will have to find out what sagacious means!
- Reply 异物
- sedgehead: Ha! Actually I hope to only have two more entries. 44) fully retired, 45) died. But I don't plan to make those entries any time soon, especially nu
- Reply buynow
- sedgehead: It is a list. It is the list of jobs I have done during my life.oh,i see,hehe,the experience is so many,so you are a geezer now haha
- Reply sedgehead
- buynow: oh,i see,hehe,the experience is so many,so you are a geezer now hahaYou'll like this "geezer" story from my autobiography:
A random phone call
For a period of time in Alice I lived alone in late 1984. After Gail moved out I rented a house from a family who was leaving the country for a few months. My goal in writing Windsong is to tell stories. Here’s one.
One evening I received an unusual phone call. A young woman identified herself as being 18 years old and at a party with several 18–20 year old female friends. They wanted to talk and passed the phone around from person to person for a while. They were having a party on the weekend and had just called my number randomly.
Finally, after 10–15 minutes one asked, “How old are you?” I’d been truthful in saying I had a couple children, etc. She wondered out loud about how old I really might be. Even today, in 2011, my Chinese friends can’t believe my age from my voice and I’ve always also looked younger than my age.
“32.”
“Oh! You’re an old geezer!” she exclaimed. I gladly accepted the title and have called myself an old geezer ever since. We continued talking for a while and an older woman, who said she was 26, came on the line. She sounded exactly like my sister, Ellen. This woman explained she was sort of chaperoning the group.
