Nineteen Jobs

Almost forgot to post my nightly edition! Good thing I'm an insomniac....


There are a couple of hilarious things that happened today at our annual Board "retreat".... (I put in quotations because it wasn't really a "retreat". It was just an all day informational regurgitation of departmental updates off campus where relatively decent coffee and some fried hors d'oeuvres were served.) Unfortunately... I can't really write about that here because I don't want to incriminate anyone, namely me. (You others know who I'm talking about! Troublemakers....)


I love my job.... Seriously, I work with some of the best people on the planet. I will say this about today, if it would have been appropriate, I may have laughed until I cried peed.


But, I digress.


The Fire Chief asked me (and this isn't the first time), "How many jobs have you had?" (I mean, really? He is insinuating that I haven't held a job, which is just simply not the case. Ok, yes, there was a time that I couldn't stand to be in one place longer than a few months, but I've been working since I was 13 so throw me a bone!


It got me thinking, "Gee... How many jobs have I had?"  So, in an attempt to answer his question (which apparently he really wants to know the answer to since he's asked me this a few times), I am going to attempt to remember every job I've ever had. I will not include jobs that were paid via cash, like babysitting and house sitting because... there are just far too many of those. 

My first job was working for a little candy/popcorn shop in Corvallis, OR called Korn n' Kandy which was located in the PayLess store (which is now Rite Aid). I was 15. (This would mark the first job that I receive an actual wage with taxes withheld. Minimum wage was something like $3.18 at the time.) All you Oregonians with whom I grew up will remember this because several of you spent countless hours hanging out with me there (as long as my boss, Eric, wasn't around). One of my primary duties (besides selling candy, chocolate, ice cream (both hard and soft serve) and other snack items) was to make fresh caramel corn from scratch. We had this huge copper kettle that was set over a gas ... I don't what you call it... It was a huge ring in which the copper kettle would set, with a flame underneath.  Anyway, I had to measure all the ingredients just so (fresh butter, sugar, brown sugar, etc.) and mix it all together... and mix again... and then wait. There is a temperature at which the ingredients get this lovely, dark, bubbly color and texture, and that is when you know that it's ready. Off went the heat and in a huge amount of freshly popped plain popcorn would go. Then, the real work began. We had this big wooden paddle that we would use to mix the popcorn into the caramel. Only, you don't stir. You literally paddle like you would a canoe. It was hard work for sure! (Great shoulder exercise, by the way.) And you had to move pretty quickly because the caramel would immediately begin to set. Paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle, until it became one big, sticky popcorn ball. Once that was done, we'd take the kettle and pour the contents onto a long, metal counter top, and quickly spread it out to form a single layer to cool. After about 3-4 minutes it would cool and we'd take a big metal scooper and smack the caramel corn lightly to break it into smaller chunks. Voila! Fresh caramel corn! We also made a pecan variety (kind of like homemade Moose Munch). It was so freakin' yummy. The smell was incredible. As soon as the caramel would begin to bubble, the aroma would drift into the rest of the store, which was sure to attract many customers.  This was one sure-fire way to entice some business if it was slow.  I worked there for about, I don't know, maybe 6-7 months.

Then I moved to Los Angeles about a month after my 16th birthday. Within about a week of settling in, I got my second job at a retail coffee shop, Universal Coffee & Tea. Now, mind you, this was 1988 - long before Starbucks and the massive coffee shop craze. The only people that came to a coffee shop were hard-core coffee lovers... and a lot of Europeans.  We sold coffee and tea that was imported from all over the world, in addition to flavored coffees. Oh, how I loved the smell of that place. Sadly, within only a couple of weeks I was accustomed and could no longer smell the coffee. Here, I sold whole beans and varieties of tea, as well as all the coffee and tea paraphernalia. I also learned how to make the perfect espresso, cappuccino and latte. (This was before latte flavors, too...) I had my regular customers (mostly from places like France, Italy and Iran (for coffee) and several Asian countries for tea...). Go figure.  I remember the gal that trained me. She was my first homosexual co-worker. I think she had a crush on me because she made a few insinuations, if you know what I mean. (Just for the record, I did not respond to her nudges.) I worked there for about 6 months.


Then I took a little bit of time off from working to focus on school since I was now also involved in Drill Team, in addition to school orchestra, the youth symphony (CSUN Youth Symphony - where I was 2nd chair voila), and private viola lessons. I just didn't have the time to work for a while.

Until... I got bored in the summer time, so I got my third job at a little card/gift shop called Roc's (which was basically like a Hallmark store). I worked with a couple of other girls who were seriously bad influences. After the store would close, they smoked pot in the back room and then would do all the after-hours clean up, only half the time they were too stoned to really do anything, so they would just sit in one of the corners that the security camera didn't cover and giggle while I did the work. I was just too much of a goody-two-shoes to smoke dope with them. I worked there maybe for 3 or 4 months. I eventually quit because it was interfering with my symphony schedule. (I would tell my supervisor the days I needed off due to rehearsals or concerts, but she would schedule me anyway, and then I was a no-show (obviously) which got me in trouble... yada yada yada.)  I actually have some pretty funny stories about working there... One story involves those little capsules that dissolved in water and became sponge animals, but I'll save that for another time. 


I got my fourth job right out of high school working for a professional photography lab called California Color Lab - which is where my aunt & uncle took their film, etc. I had an "in".  I worked in customer service - basically answering phones and entering order data into their computer system. I really loved this job. I got to meet all the hoity-toity photographers in Southern California. This is also where I met my dear friend (photographer) Todd Anderson, who just happened to live a couple of blocks from me. This is how we met for the first time, and I kid you not.  I had seen him several times coming in to drop off and pick up his orders. At the time he was simply a freelance photographer (before he started his own business and quickly made six figures at the ripe old age of 28. He was AWESOME!). I was sitting at my computer entering order data when he came up behind me and started breathing in and nibbling my ear. Oh my goodness! It pretty much gave me the shiver-me-timbers... and we were friends ever since. Actually, we were sort of on-again-off-again dating, but the timing was never right. So... we just stayed really good friends until he passed of melanoma in 2003. That was a devastating loss for me. I still think about Todd. I have so many great memories of him. When I moved out of California, we used to meet "half way" in Vegas. He was always the gentleman, always ready to pamper (sent me off to the spa, took me to shows, took me to great dinners), and we always had a great time together. (I could probably write a book about Todd... He was the first person who really knew me. He was a great friend, a devoted husband and father. He is sorely missed.) Anyway... back to the job. I worked for CCL for about 8 or 9 months until I just couldn't take working for my boss (the owner) any longer. His name was Tony. He was from Iran. And, oh Lord have mercy, did he have a temper! We had it out one day when he heard from one of our clients (who I'm sure was trying to be helpful, but said too much) that I had been thinking about quitting. So, he confronted me in a very hostile way. The gist is that he got all up in my face saying I heard this and that, blah blah blah. I told him (very calmly) that, yes, I was getting fed up with his temper tantrums. He said, "Well, why don't you just quit then?" I paused for a moment thinking, "Yeah... Why don't I?" So I did. I got up, got my stuff, said, "I quit," and walked out. He was out of business about 4 months later. Good thing I quit.

So then I needed another job. I was in college full time during all of this, paying for my tuition, etc.  And I was at the point where I wanted the flexibility to work the hours I wanted to work.... like... hours that wouldn't interfere with my beach schedule.   So I got my fifth job at The Broadway I think in the spring of 1992.  (The Broadway was bought out by Robinsons-May, which I believe then got bought out by Macy's in 2005.)  The Broadway was a department store - kind of more upscale like a Macy's (as opposed to Kohl's or JC Penney's). I worked in the men's department. I had a great time working here... I worked here for maybe close to a year (if I remember correctly).  I worked with a guy named Tim Robinson. We used to study together at his apartment (we both were attending college at the same time). He was really cute. He was previously a Marine... I remember he used to purposefully brush up behind me (just casually "walking by") when I was with a customer to try to fluster me. It worked. Every time. (This was before Sexual Harassment policies....)  So... yeah... He had nice triceps.  I requested a modified schedule during finals (the week before and the week of). I was denied. So I quit. Take that, bastards!

After finals were over, I decided I should probably get another job - ya know... to pay for college. I eventually landed my sixth job working for a computer chip company in Hollywood - on the corner of Sunset and Vine as an account manager. This job definitely had potential. The owners loved me. I pretty much made bank. But... the owners were a husband and wife team and they argued constantly. Not to mention the commute was killing me. On a good day, it would take me maybe 15 minutes to get from campus to Hollywood. But... see... this was Los Angeles. Home of the traffic jam. It never took 15 minutes. It took 45. Bumper to bumper, moving inches at a time. Ugh, this sucked. So, after about a month, I quit.


I was dating a fella who was working for Wells Fargo. Another "in."  So, I got my seventh job as a teller for Wells Fargo for about 6 or 7 months, when I quit just shortly before I moved back to Oregon. I was 20 years old, and a sophomore in college. 


Quick recap: 7 jobs in 6 years. See? Averaging about a job each year. Not bad for just young'un.


Once back in Oregon, I applied for a few jobs, but didn't really want to work... which I believe probably showed in my interviews. I eventually got my seventh job working for an insurance company in Albany, OR. I worked in the quality control department. (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAA  Hilarious.)  I hated this job. Agonizing detail.... I just couldn't take it. So, after maybe 3 months, I quit.


I actually accepted my eighth job working for an answering service for physicians' offices, but... that lasted a whopping 4 hours.  I just knew it was not the job for me.


And then I took some time off. Life was a bit bumpy at this point in my life... So - fast forward through all of that....

Now 1995 (I think), I was living in Elko, NV (long story). Thinking back, I actually really enjoyed working retail. So, I got my ninth job working for a local clothing store (can't remember the name of it). After about a month or so, there was a gentleman walking through the store and we got to talking. He happened to be one of the managers for JC Penney (across the parking lot). We talked... he convinced me to apply. (My first experience actually getting recruited, haha.) So I applied. Got the job. I quit this little store and got my tenth job working for JC Penney assigned to where else but the men's department.  (Greg Annessi was his name... We actually remained friends for quite a few years. One of my roommates and I even went for a visit a few years after I had moved away.  I can totally picture him. He looked somewhat like Garth Brooks and taught me how to make the best Bloody Mary in the world - although there is no way to really know that.)  I worked here only for about 2 months because I eventually moved to Billings, MT.

This is where it gets really good. I got my eleventh job working for the step-mom of the guy I was engage to at the time. (His name was Ernie Sprague. Great dancer, but he was a total A-hole of the first order. Some of you know that long, sordid story. Needless to say, we never married. Thank you, Jesus!)  He came from a ranching family. (That was the best part.) Thousands of acres of land, and hundreds of head of cattle. I was asked to work on a cattle drive that the step-mom was catering for. It was one of these city-slicker vacation package things, and she was the cook. We had a huge horse trailer that had been converted into essentially a professional kitchen. Pretty cool, actually.  So, I went on a 2 week cattle drive (actually 2 separate 1-week cattle drives), where we slept under the stars and got up before the freakin' cows (who, if you know anything about cows, wake up extremely early) and cooked breakfast for all the cowboys and guests. We'd cook breakfast, then clean up, pack up, drive to the next camp, unpack set up, cook, clean up, stay up until the wee hours dancing (and secretly drinking... cuz she was Mormon) and having a good time, then hitting the sack, and up again the next morning to do it all over again.

Who doesn't want to spend $1500 for a vacuum?

Well, when that was all over, it was time to find a real job. So... I got my twelfth job working for the Kirby Company. HAHAHAHAA  HILARIOUS!!!!!  Yes, I went to people's homes and sold vacuum cleaners. Is this not the most hysterical thing ever?  Oh, my goodness. Well... apparently the owner of this franchise liked my style, so he promoted me to "Dealer Power Specialist" which is just a fancy title for what is basically doing the recruiting, hiring and sales training. (See??? I was already reaching into the HR field without even knowing it.) And that's what I did. I recruited, interviewed, hired and trained all of the new Kirby Company sales reps. And that lasted all of about 4 months.


... When I got my thirteenth job working for Billings Federal Credit Union as a teller. (I got mad money skills!)  There was another teller there who didn't like me very much. She pissed me off. So I quit after only 6 months or so.


I finally decided to work for a temp agency so they could do the work for me. So, my fourteenth job was working for... a temp agency basically doing customer service and administrative functions (receptionist, data entry, etc.). I worked for a few small companies as a temp until I landed a long-term temp job working for the oil pipeline. I worked in their offices for a couple of months, until I got transferred to another (what I thought would be a) temp job for a (what I thought was a) local accounting firm. 

What I soon discovered was, in all actuality, it was a temp-to-hire position for one of the Big Five (at the time) accounting firms, KPMG Peat Marwick, LLP. I was working as their receptionist (on a temporary basis) and I really didn't like it much simply because I was stuck in the front office behind a huge round desk with very little interaction (you know me)... but... I was convinced by my agent that this was an excellent job and I had my foot in the door and I really should think about accepting their job offer. 


So, I did. And I landed my fifteenth job as the receptionist for KPMG Peat Marwick, LLP in Billings, MT. My boss was Carol Bergquist. (I found her on Facebook a few months back.)  This was the fall of 1996. And this would be the job that propelled me out of a chaotic life and helped me get my feet back on firm ground. I am forever grateful. I worked as the receptionist for a few months until there was an opening as a Tax Secretary (preparing tax forms and basically acting as administrative support for the entire tax team). I later was promoted to "Senior" Tax Secretary (which didn't change the job responsibilities; I just got paid a lot more). It was in this job that I realized I was going nowhere fast. I was now working with a company who prided themselves on recruiting the top 1% of college accounting-major graduates. I saw the potential in them. And I knew I had potential, too. (Coincidentally, this is when I learned that I did not want to be an accountant.)  So... I decided to go back to college and finish the remaining 2 1/2 years (which I completed in 18 months) of my degree in Organizational Communications. I actually had interviewed with another company who offered to pay a portion of my tuition. I accepted. And when I told one of my managers at KPMG about my plan, she went and had a conversation with one of the Partners, who then called me into his office and gave me a lovely schpeel about how valuable I am to the organization and what would it take to get me to stay?  Um.... wow. That was new. A valuable employee? Wha???  So, I got bold, became my own advocate and laid it out there. I basically said that I had the goal of getting into marketing and public relations, and I planned to go back to school full time. I wasn't asking for tuition money, I just simply wanted a flexible schedule so that I could take my college classes. If they are willing to allow me to take classes and study on work time (during non-busy seasons), I would schedule my classes to try to minimize interference, such as taking classes early morning, noon hours, and evenings. 


To my surprise and delight, they agreed. So, I went back to college full time. I took a class in the morning (at 7am), came to work, had a couple of classes from 11am-1pm-ish, came back to work, then had another class or two in the evenings - every day, Monday thru Friday. When all my work was done, I used the rest of my work time to study - which my employer allowed. And because they were so generous, during the busy tax season (January through April), I only took 9 credits instead of 18-20. 


I "worked" 40 hours per week (meaning, I was in the office 40 hours, but sometimes I only worked 32...). I took 18 credits of class every semester (including summer), and they supported me even during my 20 hour per week internship at St. Vincent's Hospital in the Community Relations department. 


I worked for KPMG for 5 1/2 years. I was totally committed and loyal to them because they were committed to seeing me grow personally and professionally. **ding ding ding**  Not only that, but it was a great place to work. Carol was one of the best bosses I could have ever hoped to work with. Definitely one of the Top 3. She made the work environment so fun, and did a lot to ensure that the entire admin staff worked together cohesively and productively.


And the rest of the staff were pretty awesome too. I have so many great memories of KPMG - working into the wee hours of the morning during tax season, sitting in Jeremy's office with the lights off telling stories just to take a break from all the number-crunching and copy-making. Every year on Administrative Professional's Day (formerly known as Secretary's Day), Carol would take the entire admin team for a half day out of the office, which typically meant a nice lunch, fun picture sessions, games, prizes, cocktails....  So, so, so fun.


I learned a lot about how to lead a team and manage people from Carol and my experiences in this job. I'm not sure I ever told her that. But, Carol, if you're reading this, thank you. I cannot begin to tell you the way you touched my life. I'm deeply blessed, honored and grateful to have worked for and with you all those years. 


Ok. Moving on. I graduated in December of 2001 (finally - after 6 years of hiatus) with a degree in Org Communications. My plan was to, as I mentioned before, get into public relations and/or marketing. My mother was very ill at the time (breast cancer) and... through a series of events, I ended up moving back to Oregon in March of 2002 to be closer to her. This meant, unfortunately, leaving my job at KPMG. (In all honesty, I was hoping to simply transfer with the company and work in their marketing department for the rest of my life...)


However, one of managers that I supported at KPMG was on the board of directors for the American Cancer Society. He knew of my plan to move to Oregon, so he made a few phone calls, scheduled an interview, and... I was offered a job. 

My sixteenth job was Cancer Control Manager (specifically breast cancer) for the American Cancer Society in Portland, OR. This really is just another fancy name for public speaker and volunteer coordinator. I mean, seriously, people. Stop with the convoluted titles and just stick with what it really is.   It was a fine job. I thoroughly enjoyed recruiting volunteers, doing all their training, working closely with them, managing their work, etc. I even recruited a few interns to work with me, as well. I didn't mind the public speaking - every October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, as you probably know since we're well into the month and being bombarded with breast cancer awareness messages as we speak. I had speaking engagements almost daily during the month of October - some small groups (5), some large groups (100+). I even brought in other speakers - breast cancer survivors, physicians, nurses, oncologists, etc. I learned a lot about breast cancer. And I learned that this job was far too emotionally taxing for me. I lost a lot friends to cancer during this time (for obvious reasons), including my friend Todd, whom I mentioned previously, on top of my having to deal with my own mother's breast cancer issues (never minding the fact that I had already lost my father and grandfather to cancer). So, yeah... I was done with that.


After about 18 months, I hooked up with a headhunting agency in Portland. I told them what I was looking for, salary, job duties, work environment, etc.  And, wouldn't ya know it, I got a call. They scheduled an interview for me with a small, growing, locally-owned company who needed sort of a "catch-all" kind of person. My agent was very direct with me about what kind of opportunity this would be. Since I'm very teachable, I had my ears wide open. 


I interviewed... and was offered the job. After some salary negotiations, I accepted my seventeenth job with Empire Pacific Risk Management in Lake Oswego, OR. I initially acted as executive assistant to the President, Vice President and CFO, but also started taking on marketing and public relations responsibilities. Over time, I saw a gap in their HR processes, primarily because I was supposed to have been enrolled in their benefits but the paperwork never got filed. Whoopsy. The wife of the owner usually took care of this, but... she just had their third baby (which is why I was hired - to take over her responsibilities) and was pretty much checked out at this point. After about 2 years, I decided that HR was where it was at for me. With my employer's blessing (and financial backing) I took some classes and then sat for the PHR exam - which I passed with flying colors the first time. I worked for Empire Pacific for 3 1/2 years in this crazy capacity - HR manager, communications manager, office manager, marketing, PR, etc., etc.  The hours were nuts. Way too many responsibilities for one person. I had asked several times to hire an assistant, and when it was finally approved, she was absorbed by another department, with only about 2 of my responsibilities being transferred to her. I had also asked several times to just focus on HR and delegate the marketing responsibilities to another employee. Didn't happen. I was 8 months pregnant with Jeffrey, and then ... there was an incident (which I wrote about a couple of years ago, so no need to rehash that) that made me realize that we just weren't seeing eye-to-eye. I tendered my resignation, accompanied by many tears. (It was probably one of the most agonizing decisions I've ever had to make.) However, I was asked to stay on in a part time capacity to continue preparing marketing materials (all their newsletters, association ads, and so forth) while they make the transition to a new HR person. I agreed because I really did love the company and senior management. (I actually miss working with the President, Todd Hennelly. We laughed a lot. He was a lot of fun. Oh the stories I could tell! My favorite involves Todd and my spousal unit having a little too much to drink together one night at a charity event. I can't write about that story, but if you want to know, come see me. I'll never put it in writing.) At any rate, I worked part time from home for the next 4 or 5 months, and finally went our separate ways almost exactly 4 years to the day.


Meanwhile, a year prior (yes, rewind a bit), I was contacted by a friend of mine who was (and still is) working for our church who let me know that their HR person was going to be resigning due to having a baby and her desire to be a stay at home mom. So, I called to inquire and a conversation began. I interviewed... they offered me the job, but we just couldn't get through the negotiations. They couldn't pay me the salary I wanted and the job duties weren't focused, among other things. But over the course of that year, we kept the conversation going. The church was making some changes to the position, and the Executive Pastor was driving some sweeping changes to the salary structure of the entire organization. I interviewed again in December... and again in February (with Scott this time since he was now on staff there)... Finally, due to the "incident" with my current employer (at the time), I called and just let them know that I would be available. Sure enough, they came through with an acceptable job offer. 

I was 8 1/2 months pregnant with Jeffrey. I began my eighteenth job as the Director of HR for Salem Alliance Church in mid-June of 2007. Three weeks later I had Jeffrey (who surprised us when he arrived 3 weeks early), and so while I was on maternity leave, I was working part time for Empire Pacific. Worked out pretty well!


No need to go into the whole how-we-left-Salem-Alliance story since that pretty much has been covered in my blog for the past 2 years. Needless to say, God uprooted us based upon some very specific prayers, almost 3 years to the day I began working for the church.

So, here I am in Colorado, working as the HR Manager for Mountain View Fire Protection District - my nineteenth job - and with God's mercy and blessing, perhaps my last.


There you have it, folks. Nineteen jobs in almost 23 years. True, that's a lot of jobs. But, really, if you look it from just the last 15 years or so, I've only had 4 jobs - all either directly in my field, or playing some part in my current career. And had it not been for certain circumstances, I could have easily kept the jobs with KPMG, Empire Pacific or the church (minus ACS - I wouldn't have stayed with that organization regardless). But... God had another plan for me. And it's just as well. So far as I can tell, my current position is by far the best fit. By now, you would expect the honeymoon to come to an end, but I can tell you I'm even more pumped now than I was when I first started. Some exciting stuff is coming up and I can't wait to dig my heels in! I freakin' love what I do - both generally speaking, but also specifically for this organization. That's much more than most people can say about their jobs. I don't take it for granted in any way. I'm truly blessed.


*One "job" I only briefly mentioned was my internship. That lasted 3 months and was unpaid, which is the reason I didn't count it. But that was 3 months of intense community relations training. Packed a big ol' punch in a short period of time!

**I forgot to mention my job with Eddie Bauer.... I worked there as a seasonal second job during the Christmas season in 1999 - just for about 4 months. It was a nice way to make extra cash to help pay for school. So... I guess that makes 20 jobs total.