PhotoGal Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Besides being a homeschool mom or dad, of course. :D Mine was tutoring at a reading center. I quit that job to go get my teaching degree, but when I look back at it I really preferred tutoring one-on-one to teaching in a classroom environment. How about you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 The one I have now. I'm a classroom transcriber for hearing impaired students and I really enjoy it. I work both in-class and remote via Skype. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 What I do now...I teach dance and own my own studio. I love to dance, more than that...I love to help kids learn to love dance as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jubilation Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 The one I have now. :001_smile: I'm an RN and I work with new moms and their babies. I love it, even though it's busy and often stressful. I love my semi-flexible schedule, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 The one I've had for the last 8 years. I can imagine better, but I don't know if I'd be good at it. My job is interesting, challenging without being frantic, requires my brain, my senses, and a sense of humor, has a "trench warfare" camaraderie, and requires neither that I sit all day at a desk nor work all day on my feet. I get to walk about from place to place, and then sit and talk to people, research problems, and write my findings. The downside? Horrible human smells, a risk of bodily harm, and the state having a horrible financial crisis. A little more security would make it much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I haven't had a "best job" besides HSing. Hmmm... I've had other jobs, but none that were fulfilling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 (edited) Sit down children, and I'll tell you a story: I worked at a five-and-dime, decades ago. I was very young, and that store seemed so beautiful and magical to me! I felt so important at that job. Here were some of my duties: Run the cash register (I enjoyed that, because the people who shopped there were just as interested in the old-timey experience as they were in their purchases. Nothing like running into Walmart, disgruntled. It was better.) Weigh and package maple nut goodies and gumdrops behind the candy counter; we had every kind of bulk candy Measure and cut bolts of fabric, sell ribbons and lace by the yard in the fabric department Wrap and ship small parcels, sell stamps and money orders Set up holiday displays, especially the Christmas window Make fresh batches of popcorn (candy counter again) throughout the day Create flower arrangements and bows Measure and cut butcher paper and oilcloth Return the watering cans and vegetable seeds to the storeroom at the end of July and put out the notebooks and pencils for back-to-school, bring out the snow shovels in November, etc. By the way, all that figuring for shipping, money orders, fabric and ribbon, candy, popcorn, bows, etc. was done with pencil on a notepad. The owner thought that even calculators made a bad impression! You were to look confident, totting up the figures quickly and accurately every time, presenting the customer with a carbon copy to take up the cash register. And the cash register did not tell me how much change to give. It was not much more than an adding machine and a place to neatly lock up the cash. Long, long ago....I'd forgotten about that job until I saw this thread. Edited August 17, 2011 by Tibbie Dunbar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I haven't had a "best job" besides HSing. Hmmm... I've had other jobs, but none that were fulfilling. :iagree: If I had to chose one, I might choose a temp job for the mortgage department of a bank. DH knew the manager of the department. I had a very short interview that ended in "can you start tomorrow?" I couldn't but I did start the day after. I manned the reception desk which was extremely busy at that time (when EVERYONE was buying). Every day was 8 hours of 6 telephone lines on hold and a new call coming in the second I transferred or finished a call. There was very rarely a line open. While answering calls, I also had a regular stream of couriers needing items signed for. It was also my job to open those packages and organize the papers inside into binders in the proper order. There was NO down time. I had never slept better before and haven't since that job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHowell Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 My favorite job was when I was event coordinator at a local media company. I organized events for 5 different radio stations. The hours were crazy (40 a week in office plus weeknight and weekend events equaling about 70 hours per week), but I LOVED them! I had SO. MUCH. FUN!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanne in MN Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I was a teaching assistant in a juvenile correctional facility for juvenile delinquent boys. I loved working with those kids in an educational setting. I taught phys. ed. in the afternoons. The facility was in the woods on a lake. Had great co-workers and loved being able to get outside during the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiseOwlKnits Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Teaching. I loved the kids. Hated the politics, but loved the kids. Now I get the best of both worlds - teaching without the politics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I adore my job now. I work in management and development for a non-profit that I passionately believe in. I have had other non-profit jobs before and they were ok but I especially like this one. Favorite job from before graduating college and starting a more professional career? Either math tutoring, house cleaning or working in a ticket office for an opera company. I got so many free tickets, and not just to the opera, out of that job. It was great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bug's Mom Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Without a doubt, the 6 1/2 years that dh & I owned our guitar shop. We were in a small town (my hometown) and really got to know our customers. We did sales, repairs and lessons. Dh would often make kids tell him who was on the money they should be getting back for change. :D I'm still in touch either in real life or on facebook with a lot of our former customers. Some have "made it" (not HUGE, but have been on Letterman and done some shows with Weezer...pretty cool for small-town MN boys) or are on the verge of making it, which is pretty cool. Another former student/customer has gone on to a decent acting career. I freaked a little bit when the first of our customers who was still in high school when we opened our store turned 30. (please don't diagram that sentence...it's nearly 1am and I'm tired) It was sweet when all of these teen boys (because, really, it IS mostly guys who hang out at guitar shops) would stop by to see how I was doing when pg with dd. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 The best job I ever had was being an "elf" for Santa in the mall. We dressed in cute costumes and played with kids and made magic for them and took pictures. I worked with a few of my friends, and it was absolutely the most fun job I've ever had. Wait . . . Was I supposed to say being a homeschooling mom? Ooops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newlifemom Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 It was kind of a love/hate job. I was a medical biller for a small DME/O2 company. I loved taking the difficult cases where $ had been misapplied and the account completely out of control with more than 20% past 120 days and getting it current. It was like solving a puzzle. I don't think medical billing is like that anymore. I miss it sometimes though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phathui5 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Doula! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Not counting stay-at-home and homeschool mom? It's a toss-up between two very different ones - teaching and veterinary technician. Teaching was my lifelong dream. I wanted to be a teacher for as long as I could remember, and chose the state university I attended based on their excellent exceptional ed. teacher's program. It was a career not a job, and I really loved "my" kids. At one point I quit teaching for 6 years because I suddenly started asking myself if it was really what I wanted to do. After all, I made the decision when I was around 9 years old, and never even explored anything else. While I was deciding if I wanted to continue teaching, I had several different jobs. One was in a one-doctor veterinary practice as a vet tech. I loved that one because I love animals (especially cats and dogs), and my co-workers were so much fun to work with. The veterinarian truly loved what he did, as did the other vet techs. I eventually went back to teaching, and stayed with it until I got pregnant with ds. I always knew I wanted to be a sahm (never dreamed we'd hs though), so I knew I'd quit when he was born. Though I love my current "career" and hope I never have to go back to work, I treasure the time I had in both of those jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 My job now... I am the Principal of an International Christian school in Malaysia. I love it!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I was a graphic artist for a publishing company. Think authors, editors and graphic artists all hanging out all the time. We had a very casual and fun work atmosphere. The work was deadline based, so when you had work, you worked hard and sometimes long hours, but then you passed it to the next person and may or may not have something else waiting. We worked hard and played hard and in the mean time talked books and art. It was great! Then I moved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmvaughan4 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Not fulfilling, but fun. During the summers of college, I worked at a state park activity center. It was two older ladies and a bunch of high school/college kids. We gave campers boat tours (why'd they trust me to drive the boat??!), nature talks, organize pool games. If we got hot, we'd go to the pool. Bored..we'd just go drive around the park in the Gator. We had so much fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 It was definitely my first job. I was a Recreation Aide at a local park. I signed out tennis courts, made leisure passes, drove the boat around the lake (it had 2 speeds-slow and slower), or office work-asnswering phones, giving permits for picnic areas, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad 4 Boys Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 During a period of unemployment, I worked at a pawn shop for a while. Every day was totally different, and there was no end to the variety of people you would meet and the stories you would hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMary2 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 My favorite job ever was as a Mary Kay Senior Sales Director. I had the free cars, big checks, nice clothes, traveled and was there for my kids in the morning and after school. It all changed when I became a homeschooler. I didn't have the discipline or the energy to do both and something had to give. I also, way back when, had a job as an answering service operator. I loved it because there was an old time switch board with the cords and all. It was fun to learn how to use it and somtimes it got crazy with cords going every which way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Homeschooling has been the most rewarding job I've had. Before this, though, I worked as a secretary in the office of my kids' preschool. That was an awesome job. The kids were so cute. The parents were mostly nice. My co-workers were super human beings. I loved that job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 During a period of unemployment, I worked at a pawn shop for a while. Every day was totally different, and there was no end to the variety of people you would meet and the stories you would hear. Real life Pawn Stars, eh? :lol: I know, I know. That's not what it's like in most pawn shops, but we enjoy the show (and learn some history while watching it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieH Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 The one I have now. :) I run my own internet business from home and create machine embroidery designs. I only create designs that I love and it makes me happy to see them on beautiful handmade items that my customers make. Prior to this, I was a nurse for over 12 years. I loved that too, but what I do now allows me to be home for my kids and work around my family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bug's Mom Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 The best job I ever had was being an "elf" for Santa in the mall. We dressed in cute costumes and played with kids and made magic for them and took pictures. I worked with a few of my friends, and it was absolutely the most fun job I've ever had. Wait . . . Was I supposed to say being a homeschooling mom? Ooops. Oooh! I forgot about being an elf. When I was in 9th grade, the guy across the street who had started the local Santa Claus Club needed an elf to join him at some family parties. I was nearly as tall as he was, so it looked a bit odd...it was fun, but even more fun was while in the truck driving to the parties. The look on the faces of the kids (and some adults) in other vehicles when they spotted us. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Well the job I have had the most passion about has been homeschooling:D I did have a favorite hospital but we moved. This hospital was the first one that I worked that was well staffed. I never had a unbearable load. It was also owned by a Christian lady. I could ask patient if I could pray for them without loosing my job. Now after working E/R, recovery, all type of intensive care setting, I am getting ready to work for a Christian hospice organization. I don't know that I will love it because the nature of this type of nursing. But I hope that I can make the patients feel loved and comfortable in their final days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyable Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 The one I've had for the last 8 years. I can imagine better, but I don't know if I'd be good at it. My job is interesting, challenging without being frantic, requires my brain, my senses, and a sense of humor, has a "trench warfare" camaraderie, and requires neither that I sit all day at a desk nor work all day on my feet. I get to walk about from place to place, and then sit and talk to people, research problems, and write my findings. The downside? Horrible human smells, a risk of bodily harm, and the state having a horrible financial crisis. A little more security would make it much better. This describes my favorite job exactly - I was a speech-language pathologist for a state run residential facility for profoundly mentally retarded adults. I bet you do something different but it's eerie how closely this describes my old job. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 (edited) Working at my children's private school. That was absolutely the most pleasant & challenging job. The tone of the place was remarkable; the people were kind, smart and thoughtful. It remember thinking "Wow, what a great job!" many times. The worst job was waitressing around drunk guys. The level of sexaal harrasment, both from patrons and employer was stunning. I want my daughters to stay far, far away from the 'service' industry until they are well out of their teens years. At least I've warned them. My oldest has worked as a bouncer at a small town college bar...don't think I didn't make sure he understood what the women who worked there were often facing. I was glad to know he was of the hero sort. Edited August 17, 2011 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandelion Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Working for Intel Corporation (as in "Intel Inside" - the semiconductor company). I worked for Intel for 10 years (as a buyer, program manager, and ultimately department manager) up until 2009 when I decided to stay home in order to homeschool. Intel has a very distinct company culture and it suited me perfectly (the culture is really focused on results, constructive confrontation is welcomed, they're excellent about recognizing and rewarding strong performance, etc.). Working with so many intelligent, creative, passionate people in a very fast-paced environment was amazing. The 6-figure salary and outstanding benefits were just the icing on the cake. Even though I know homeschooling is what's best for my family at this time, I still miss it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raceNzanesmom Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I worked one on one with an autistic student for four years. Wonderful, fulfilling job!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 This describes my favorite job exactly - I was a speech-language pathologist for a state run residential facility for profoundly mentally retarded adults. I bet you do something different but it's eerie how closely this describes my old job. :) Intermist caring for the medical needs of the severely mentally ill at a large state facility. So, not that different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 (edited) I used to be a military rescue helo pilot. It was the second best job in the world. Saving lives, the teamwork, the challenges ... everything. Being a homeschool mom is the only job that could be better. Edited August 18, 2011 by Kayaking Mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 More than one answer for this question! Working as a competitive analyst in telecommunications. Head of the serials department at a college library. Typist and copy-editor for the official English-language translation of the [then] Soviet Union's chemical engineering monthly magazine. Data-entry for a U.S. government publication on geopressure-geothermal topics. First-and-last time I got my name on a published work! These are jobs that I absolutely LOVED ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise1mds Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 During a period of unemployment, I worked at a pawn shop for a while. Every day was totally different, and there was no end to the variety of people you would meet and the stories you would hear. :D My dad owns a pawn shop, and once in a while (before I started HSing) I'd go up there and crash for a few hours and help him out. They are amazing places. I'd also like to say that it is AMAZING the variety of jobs and people that we have on this board... I am sitting here in awe of all of you. And I want to try at least half of the jobs! My favorite job ever... this is gonna sound really stupid... was working in a factory handpainting pottery when I was a teenager. There was no heater (other than the kiln that was about 15 feet behind our line) and no A/C (which was really bad in the summer). We had a quota that we were supposed to meet and had to really be on the ball to meet it, but despite all that, we were the lucky department. The only other people who got to sit and talk were the kiln operators - everyone else was either too far apart to talk or had to stand... or both! The women who worked with me were wonderful. My dad was the boss, but they recognized that I was my own person and treated me as an equal. Plus one of the kiln operators was young and extremely cute - and he MAY have ignored my father when he got warned to stay away from me :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumping In Puddles Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Working in the Food Network kitchens as a food stylist and recipe developer. After my son was born, I worked part time preparing food for the chefs on morning shows (like GMA and the View) because I could prep at my house for the show, then the next morning, the studio would send a car to my house to bring me/the food into NYC for the segment. I would tell the chef what was prepared, the chef would do the segment and I was home by 9am! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildiris Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 My best job was working at a flower stand, outside on a busy street corner. Everyone who came in was happy and going on to do something happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaz Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 I loved being a children's musical theater director. :) I worked at 10 different elementary schools as an after-school class teacher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Messing around with nitrate film at UCLA Film Archives in the old Technicolor building in Hollywood. I assisted Bob Gitt at the time, and learned to use a Movieola flatbed editor. Got to clean and fix torn sprocket holes on a warped 1910 Tarzan with Elmo Lincoln....scanned and fixed sprocket holes on original nitrate negative of some Von Sternberg films.... had to stop when the headaches became too much (apparently decaying nitrate film is not good to spend a lot of time with). This silent film nerd was in heaven!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 My favorite job of all time was my college summer job painting dorm rooms. It had a definite beginning and end. You could visually see/measure progress. I worked with a great group of people. It was so much fun and even though I only made minimum wage it was my favorite job of all time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silliness7 Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 (edited) The summer between graduating high school and going off to college I got a job at Santa's Workshop in Lake Placid, NY. I was part of the Mother Goose Guild. Basically we were the live entertainment. Singing. Dancing. and what-not. :D I rotated between Little Red Riding Hood, Alice in Wonderland, and a rag doll named Sandy. Her buddy was Sam. It was a spin-off of Raggedy Ann & Andy. She was great fun to play because it was just Sam and me doing the show. We sang our own songs (the other characters just lip-synched) and mingled with the kids in the crowd. The other characters were fun too, just different. But their shows had a lot more people and it was a different atmosphere. But you didn't have to be "ON" non-stop. So that was a perk. It was the BEST job ever!! An incredibly fun summer. Incredibly!! It's weird because I'm quite the introvert and especially in high school, painfully, painfully shy. I guess I had fun pretending to be someone fun. :D Edited August 18, 2011 by silliness7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 I've had a number of jobs I've liked. I think the best though was when I did environmental "detective" work for an engineering firm. I loved looking through the old records, looking at old aerial photos for signs of toxic waste dumps;) and interviewing people who lived there. It was amazing the things that people would "confess" to me about co-workers who would dump oil down the drains etc.! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Being the lead teacher in a daycare 1-year old room. I loved those babies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeekingHim77 Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 I really love teaching pre-k when I'm able to teach my style. My old church hired me to teach and I basically ran the place. My Pastor's wife did the paperwork and stayed at the preschool until 7:30 every morning since she lived next door. That was it. They were great about giving me the freedom to teach through play. We had lovely centers and circle time and the kids were so much fun! I really enjoyed teaching them and still run into them around town. They are excited to see me and give me a big hug. Of course they are almost grown now! I did have to cover daycare in afternoons though and that, I did not like! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Working as a high cost claims adjuster for the Patients' Compensation Fund of Louisiana, traveling all over the state to settlement conferences and trials; reading through depositions and medical records, looking for details that would indicate whether any malpractice actually took place, or whether an undesirable result simply led to a lawsuit, etc..... Also, when I went to part-time work, I got involved in researching mountains of documents from a building contractor associated with the building of a federal facility and found loads of funny business (ala Silkwood).... No case ever came to trial, but - funny thing, that contractor (which had been in business for decades) suddenly completely dismantled its business within a year of being presented with just a little of the info that was found.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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