What is the coolest/craziest/most interesting job you've had?

[okarol]

    
What is the coolest/craziest/most interesting job you've had?

I was reading an article about the craziest thing a boss asked people to do made me realize that some of us here may have had jobs that entail some strange, weird, crazy, fun, obscure, interesting things. I was wondering what kinds of not-generally-known-to-the-public jobs others have had.

I had many jobs - this was a short but interesting one. When I was about 20 years old I went to Maui, Hawaii to spend a summer with some friends who had gone there to work. I ended up staying for 3 months and working on a double-masted schooner owned by Barron Hilton. The ship ran cruises twice a day, a lunch time snorkeling cruise and a drunken sunset cruise. I helped sew sails and repair things, and made the barrel of Mai Tai's for the sunset cruise. I got to sleep on the ship sometimes, and met a lot of fun people. It was fascinating to spend time on such a magnificent old wooden ship, and sailing between Maui and Molokai was really fun.
Here's a similar ship in the photo. Somewhere I have my own photos, but it was a long time ago and I don't know where they are at the moment.


How about you?

[Dianejt]

I do Body painting (you know like the Sports Illustrated swimsuits). I wish I knew how to upload a photo I would show you some of the Models I have painted.

[dwcrawford]

Mine are not quite so exciting or exotic but I thought immediatlly of two (note that I've never had a job that wasn't fun - at least in retrospect) but:

In High School I played the carillons at a local church (Sundays only).  How fun to wake everybody up in the morning.  This was a long, long time ago and the keyboard was kept up under the tower.  I had to climb up right under the bells (in all kinds of weather).

The second that came to mind is one summer Sophmore year of college, I played Italian songs in a Mom and Pop Italian restaurant.  I only made $10 per night for 2 nights per week and lived behind in a garage apartment that was $25. per  month.  They packed up enough food for me to take home to last till Tuesday.  Don't ever tell me that the POOR days were the miserable days.

[dwcrawford]

In the reply, select Additional  O

I do Body painting (you know like the Sports Illustrated swimsuits). I wish I knew how to upload a photo I would show you some of the Models I have painted.

ptions and then Attach:  Browse the file you want to show.  What a cool job!  I wanna see.

[willowtreewren]

I've been teaching Montessori for a loooong time and I think it is a pretty cool job.

But when I was in High School I was the news correspondent for the school to the local paper. That led to having my own weekly column in the same paper later on.

And when we first moved to Tennessee I was a cake decorator in a local grocery. I knew nothing about decorating cakes, but convinced the owner that I was a fast learner. Within a couple months I was doing those big elaborate wedding cakes. That was a great job, but there was no future in it.

And the most fun I have EVER had at any job was marrying folks. I still do that. One fellow whose wedding I performed loves to introduce me by saying, "Aleta married me." 

Aleta

[HubbysPartner]

It probably isn't the coolest job, but for a while I was a Tupperware lady.  I had a string of parties with one group on Saturday nights, and the guys came as well as the ladies.  When the demo was done, the music came on, the food came out and it was party time!      

[Hanify]

Before I went teaching I workd at Television NZ in the transmission area (called Cinetape).  We used to sit around basically watching TV.  Back on those days we used to check the quality of all programmes before they screened, and there were big fights when Days of our Lives, Young and the Restless and Santa Barbara came in to get checked.  Believe me  - when the alternative was Emmerdale Farm, Y & R seems pretty good! The best thing was that tvnz transmitted at that time from Avalon Studios which was built in the middle of a suburb near me.  Because of it being so far away the powers that be decided there should be a bar there.  Say no more...

[Dianejt]

OK this first one was me painted up for Halloween as a zombie. I did win some $$$ at a couple locale pubs.
2CD one is a model working on her portfolio & the 3rd one is in New Orleans for Mardi Gras a family hired me for the week to paint up everyone for festivities

[Des]

Back in the day I was a nurse........ Now that does not seem crazy but....

I had to spend 3 months in casualty as part of my training. (still not crazy) but....   the sister in charge disliked my so she ensured that I work in the OD (overdose room) I had to make people puke and watch them doing it...  FOR THREE MONTHS.

Well that was my worst job I think you all will agree.

[kitkatz]

High School Janitor's Assistant- dirtiest job I ever had.

Librarian's Assistant

Vacuum Cleaner Salesperson for the Rainbow Vacuum Cleaner for a few months.

[Jean]

While still in high school, I became a long distance phone operator. Had a person call one night screaming, she was going to die ( there was no 911 then ). Shook me up pretty bad, but I did what I was supposed to do, and fell apart afterwards. Loved it and would have stayed with it, but the hours just sucked!!!!

[YLGuy]

I do Body painting (you know like the Sports Illustrated swimsuits). I wish I knew how to upload a photo I would show you some of the Models I have painted.

Do you need an assistant?  I would volunteer my time.  Just my way of giving back! 

[YLGuy]

I worked at First Interstate Bank's 30 Minute Phone Loan Center.  People would call in from all over California and Texas and I would take applications for loans from a $500 personal loan, auto loans, boat loans, mortgages, RV loans and even floating home loans.  We had runners that would bring us everything like the people's credit repots while we were still taking the application.  I would then approve or decline the loans within my lending authority.  If it was approved I would have the approval faxed to the local branch with a list they had to follow up on.  At the end of the day I just turned my phone off.  I had no in basket, no work left over.  Every day was a new day.  We also had contests every month and everyone would dress up in the theme.  It was alot of fun. 

Another cool job is when I worked in the Northern California Corporate Banking Group for another Bank.  I was the personal banker for corporations as well as some wealthy individuals like Hall of fame baseball players Joe Morgan and Reggie Jackson.   I had unlimited signing authority and once signed a wire for over $100,000,000. (Yes, hundred million)

My favorite was working with animals though!

[fc2821]

   My coolest job was my longest. 23 1/2 years in police work.  All on the "mightnight shift", best time.  Got to see some interewting things. Like coyotes running in a field along side my car in the moonlight as I went down the road. They would race with the car, trying to keep up as long as they could. Every major astronomical event comets, meteor showers, lunar eclipses, and of course the best in people and the worest in people.  I really do miss working.
     Worest job was a sumer job I had when I was a Sophmore in college.  Wroked in a lock factory. Too many people all trying to be the boss.  Chemcial used smelled something awful, and it was hot and dirty. 

[Stoday]

In 1955 I was a 15 year old schoolboy and had a Saturday job working in a food shop. This is only ten years after the end of WW2 so shops had been starved of development funds for more than 15 years. My shop had no refrigeration.

One of my Saturday morning jobs was to pick out the flys' eggs that had been laid on the bacon during the week, before they turned into maggots. One Saturday in the summer, I noticed something wriggling in the paper wrapping some gammon joints. I turned it around to better see what it was and the joint fell off its hook onto the warehouse floor. Maggots scattered everywhere. This, I thought, was a job for the Bacon Man, so I fetched him from the shop floor.

The Bacon Man fixed everything. He took the garbage can from the yard and emptied it of garbage (which must have held 20 gallons) filled it with the joints and boiled them on the gas ring we used for brewing our tea. He cut out the maggots and sold the remains as boiled bacon, with a few pence surcharge. The extra pence paid for the bacon the maggots had eaten.

I didn't eat bacon for ten yers after that.       

[nursewratchet]

Hairdresser
Model
House painter
Drywaller
Bricklayer
Landscaper
Waitress
Nurse
Seamstress

Not in that order.

[Hanify]

In 1955 I was a 15 year old schoolboy and had a Saturday job working in a food shop. This is only ten years after the end of WW2 so shops had been starved of development funds for more than 15 years. My shop had no refrigeration.

One of my Saturday morning jobs was to pick out the flys' eggs that had been laid on the bacon during the week, before they turned into maggots. One Saturday in the summer, I noticed something wriggling in the paper wrapping some gammon joints. I turned it around to better see what it was and the joint fell off its hook onto the warehouse floor. Maggots scattered everywhere. This, I thought, was a job for the Bacon Man, so I fetched him from the shop floor.

The Bacon Man fixed everything. He took the garbage can from the yard and emptied it of garbage (which must have held 20 gallons) filled it with the joints and boiled them on the gas ring we used for brewing our tea. He cut out the maggots and sold the remains as boiled bacon, with a few pence surcharge. The extra pence paid for the bacon the maggots had eaten.

I didn't eat bacon for ten yers after that.       

And this is what we call 'the good old days' lol

[looneytunes]

Last year, hubby and I went as a team to work on the 2008 Presidential Campaign.  It was an eye-opening, interesting, fast paced job.  Got to be part of several candidate appearances in Missouri.  We lived in a hotel in St. Louis from April 1 to November 6th and came home for a day or two about 3 times a month. 

[Mizar]

In My other Life ( when I was Young ) I was a Travel Agent. The things, I Remember, most about that Job, was, Once a Man called and said, " He wanted to go to Disney in Florida, He wanted to stay in Orlando and He wanted an " OceanView " Room?
Another Man called and said, He wanted to go on a Cruise and Leave from Phoenix?  I called those Calls, Geography 101.
 
and last, a Person called and said, they wanted to book a Cruise and I asked, " Inside or Outside? " and He said, " Oh, I want to Sleep Inside!"  Funny thing is, I held that Job for Three Years and was so busy Working, I never went anywhere!

[Wallyz]

I was engineer on a 75 year old wooden boat, cruising in Alaska


www.pacificcatalyst.com



I've also run a high ropes course, Been a camp program director (Playing guitar and singing for hundreds of Kids every day is as close to Rockstar as I'm gonna get now) and taught 2's and 3's preschool, which was probably the most fun.

[sico]

I wouldn't say this was cool, crazy or interesting. But was the last job i had and i actually liked it.

Permanent night shift 6pm - 6am 3 nights a week, every weekend was a long one.

[kitkatz]

However the most craziest, looniest, bestest job has been teaching special education kids for the last fourteen years!

[Yvonne]

One of the 1st jobs I had on leaving school at 15 in 1956 about was working in Woolworths.  My Mum and 2 sisters also worked there at the same time. I loved this job and loved shopping there over the years, almost cried when they closed down.
The other job I loved was being an Avon lady from 1996 to 2002.

[texasstyle]

Magician's asst. for a spell in my younger days, but most of my years blues guitar player/singer. When my mother was alive she was a radio talk show host. I thought that was a pretty cool job. My daddy was a country guitar picker just for fun.