Monday 11 February 2013

Listmania 4 - what jobs have I rocked

Linking in with Deb from Home Life Simplified for Listmania #4 this week.

I'm not sure that I have actually rocked any jobs but I sure have had enough of them !!!!  I don't do boring / not learning very well so once I am competent at a job I tend to look around for something else !!

My first job was when I was in year 6 at school - I worked for Weigh Less (similar to Weight Watchers but different) - I used to collect people's money and stamp their books and listen to their stories about why they were up or down that week !!!  I met some lovely people there.

A couple of years later I worked in the local supermarket in the deli - this was not my most favourite job, but it earned me enough money to put petrol in my car so I figured it was worth staying there !!

Fast forward to the end of school and I applied for a job with one of the banks in South Africa because if you weren't going to be a nurse or a hair dresser, you worked in the bank !!!!  I moved around the departments quite a bit and didn't mind my stay there.

It was so long ago I can't even tell exactly how long I stayed there but I think it was a good couple of years as I got to move around to different departments.  Then I moved into the sugar industry as an assistant accountant and from there moved to a role where I was responsible for the cashflow of the company working with (at season end R500 million) - this was a really good job that made me think heaps and worry lots - a percentage point could have cost us lots of money if I got it wrong !!!!!

From there I went to work from a company that sold computers and printers - didn't last there too long as I had only been there about 3 months when they decided to centralise their accounts and moved them all to Johannesburg !!!

The last job I had before leaving South Africa was working for a company who stored containers - working conditions were cr*p and the work wasn't that exciting - I was glad to leave there to immigrate here !!!!

Within a week of arriving here I had a job as an AP clerk with a civil engineering company.  Cashflow was tight and it was awful having to make up payment plans that were never implemented because we had to pay for concrete and so nobody else could get paid !!

From there I moved to a perfume distributor where my job was nothing like what had been described at the interview.  All I basically did was a bank recon for 20 odd stores - trying to reconcile Amex and Diners statements was a total nightmare.  6 months into that job I was head hunted by the accountant that I had worked with in my first job here for a timeshare business.

I stayed there for a few years and after she left and went to a uni, she approached me to follow her there - which I did.  It was 7kms from home and a cruisy kind of job.  Then the accountant's job at a private school was advertised and I applied for that and worked there for a couple of years.  While it was a lovely environment, the work was not very stimulating and so it was time for me to move on.

In the meantime A and I had taken second jobs packing shelves at Coles in the evenings.  We had 9pm-1am shifts 4 nights a week and every second Saturday from 6-10pm.  We did this for 8 years - man I was so glad when we stopped packing shelves BUT having said that it certainly served it's purpose - we did outside renovations, we went on overseas holidays and, when we were unemployed, it kept some money coming in every single week.

My next stop was as the financial manager of a local private hospital.  Well that was a total nightmare.  I am not one to shirk work and certainly put in more than I take out but there I was working 70-80hr weeks and getting paid an hourly rate than was less than what I was getting paid to pack shelves at Coles.  This is the first job I have ever left without having another job to go to - it was just an awful job.  What I found out afterwards was that there used to be 3 people doing it and as people left, they just never replaced them !!!!

I studied Cert IV in Massage and then Diploma of Remedial Massage as I wanted to open a business working from home in the evenings.

After being unemployed for a couple of months I got some contract work which I did for about 3 years until I landed the role that I am currently in.  I am the accountant for a group of 6 companies and, while the work isn't the most stimulating, I have come to realise that working with nice people, for reasonable money, in a job that is from 7.30-4 every day, and I can leave my work at work and not have to bring it home with me has to count for something !!!!

I still have the massage / reflexology business that I run from home and I love treating clients in my therapy room - it really is a haven for me.

Have the best week everyone and take care !

TFTD : Sometimes we choose to be wrong, not because we really are wrong, but because we value our relationship more than our pride.

19 comments:

  1. You have been a bloody hard worker... and still are. That packing shelves must have been really hard yakka after a day at work too.

    Sorry not to have popped in more, feel as if I am running behind the 8 ball in every way... off to read your previous post.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Seana - it was hard to start with but once we were in the swing of it, it wasn't too bad.
      I know how busy you have been - it's all good !!!!
      Take care and look after yourself.
      Me

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  2. it definitely does count for something - I love that your two current jobs are almost polar opposites xx

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    1. Yes - they are almost polar opposites and I really enjoy them - one keeps my brain ticking over and then other soothes my soul !
      Have a great day !
      Me

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  3. Wow you have had all kinds of jobs. I am impressed you stuck with night fill for as long as you did although I always find it easy to work toward something like a holiday.

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    Replies
    1. Sometimes it was only the carrot at the end of the stick that got me to go in night after night !!
      Have the best week !
      Me

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  4. i actually think this: "I have come to realise that working with nice people, for reasonable money, in a job that is from 7.30-4 every day, and I can leave my work at work and not have to bring it home with me has to count for something !!!!" counts for a lot in this day and age... so few places have good hours, good people and work you can leave at the door xx

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    Replies
    1. Couldn't agree more Deb !
      Have a great Wednesday.
      Me

      Delete
  5. No kidding, out of all the jobs I've had - I still feel cheated that I never got to be a check out chick, using the scanners and cash registers. Seriously.

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    Replies
    1. Funny I have often thought the same thing - I would have rocked being a check out chick !!!!
      Have a great week and a drink for me !
      Me

      Delete
  6. Wow you've been busy throughout your working life haven't you? There is so much to be said about eventually working in a job where the people are nice, the money is ok, but it might not be the most stimulating and rewarding job. I think we've all been there at one point or another and then you just realise, hey I don't bring my work and stress home, yeah it's got to count for something.

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    Replies
    1. For sure - it counts for heaps for me now. I'm at the point in my life where it isn't all about my job - and my life outside my work is more important to me - I only work for the money !
      Have the best week !
      Me

      Delete
  7. I love that you have had such a wide range of jobs! I'm too scared of change to move about so much.

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    1. Thanks Bec - sometimes being bored is the kick in my butt that I need to get looking for another job !!
      Have the best day !
      Me

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  8. What a wide variety of jobs - and experiences!! I think it's so interesting to hear people's stories of what they've done and the opportunities they've had along the way. Good on you for having your own business. And I totally agree with your statement about working with nice people and not bringing your work home - it's not always so common these days to find those jobs.

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    Replies
    1. Those jobs working with nice people and leaving work at work certainly are few and far between - this is the first one in the 30 years since I left school that is like that !
      Have a great week !
      Me

      Delete
  9. I agree it's those you work with that makes working satisfying as well as enjoying your job. It gets you through those crap days. xxx Rae

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Rae - for sure !
      Have the best weekend !
      Me

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I love getting comments - please feel free to leave a comment to let me know you were here !
Have the best day.

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