“What jobs have you had?” – Daily prompt-1953
5/29/2025
4:25 pm
This is a good prompt and helpful in getting some writing done. It has been a while.
I was discussing this very topic with my son the other day. All the skills that I acquired over 30 years of working before being fully retired this year.
I have worn many different hats as it pertains to work. At the base of all of it was providing customer service and support.
My work life started when I was 16 years-old and worked as a stocker for a bakery outlet store. I unloaded the truck and restocked shelves and was working for my mother. Looking back at it now, I should have realized that I was not actually an employee because she was paying me cash. I remember she got fired for having me there and paying me to do her job. We both lost work because of her inability to be honest. That is a different subject for a different day.
Shortly after that incident, I worked at our local mall. My very first paying job was being the Easter Bunny. I put on this costume and had kids sit with me while they had their pictures taken. I was offered an Elf position for Christmas and declined it. I did not like other people’s kids. I also found it boring. I did not have another job until I was 19 years-old when I went off to the military after high school.
Once again I was in a service position, not only as an Airman in the United States Air Force but as a weather observer/trainer. I trained the new unit members and provided weather observations in support of the planes on our base and local flying clubs. I did this job for approximately 3 years and traveled from one side of the country to the other then overseas for almost 6 months. I left my enlistment early to go home and became a mom to my first child.
When it was time for me to start work again after having my baby, I tried retail sales and customer service work. This did not go well in the mid 90’s in Oklahoma. I had to face racism almost daily not only from my coworkers but from customers as well. It was a trying time but I kept pushing on.
Later I attended a private vocational school to learn computer programming. It was an 18 month course. I graduated at the top of my class and earned an internship with a company that the school had worked with for years. The internship was supposed to lead to interviews with top companies in our city and a recommendation letter. I was so excited and dreamt of not only becoming financially stable and secure but also to begin work towards a college degree.
Those plans got pushed back and I encountered not only racism and harassment but misogyny as well at the internship. The director over that department did not believe that a woman was at the top of the class and it had to be a mistake. He said that women should not be programmers and were not capable or as smart as men.
He refused to train me then he told me I should go find a husband to take care of me and my kid because that was all that women were good for. I stuck it out and put up with the harassment for two weeks before I called my academic advisor telling him what happened and withdrew from the internship. I was so disappointed after the all the time and effort I put into it. I could not get any interviews without his recommendation.
I continued on and worked in various customer service call centers. I also met a person who introduced me to recruiter for the Air National Guard, a reserve component of the US Air Force. I reenlisted and continued on with my military path. I retired in 2013 after 20 years and 1 day of service.
During all those years, I gained knowledge and work experience. The skills I gained were centered around administrative and customer service. Skills to include: conflict resolution, time management, project management, training development, process improvement, auditing, management and supervision. Combined with computer software, database management, written communication, and public speaking. I have had numerous positions because of these skills.
I was a unit training manager, supervisor, and inspection auditor for the military. Providing support, development of programs and maintaining continuity of processes and procedures.
I worked as a customer service representative for several fortune 500 companies. Providing support for television/satellite providers, phone service, and financial/investment companies.
I was a program administrator for a Department of Labor program. Providing audit of program, records keeping, database management, and community programs support.
I briefly worked as a training specialist for a tribal administration. Providing audit of programs, revamping the new hire onboarding process, providing training of supervisors and managers, while supporting strategic planning objectives.
Then there were jobs that did not require most of these skills but were still centered around customer service.
I worked as a cashier, trainer, and then as a department head over a section for an arts and crafts retailer.
I worked as a stocker for a major retailer and worked overnight shifts.
I worked as a cashier and food prep for the morning shift of a local restaurant and market then later on as a morning shift supervisor.
I worked as a bakery assistant manager and a cake decorator for two different grocery stores.
I also had a fun job teaching cake decorating skills for a major brand as an independent contractor working for two different arts and crafts retailers.
That is a lot of different jobs over the last 30 plus years and it put a heavy toll on my physical health and mental well being. It was not the work itself that was the issue, it was the people I worked with. That was always the issue.
I think that a part of it was due to racism, bias, and misogyny but a majority of it was because as an employee, I took my job seriously, no matter what those duties were.
I would show up 15 minutes early, work through lunch sometimes, and stay late if needed. I always adjusted my schedule to meet my family’s needs because they were my priority.
I would strive to become the subject matter expert in whatever job position that I worked. I would read through the employee handbooks to keep myself in line with company objectives. I would learn everything about my job position and those that I worked for or with. I became knowledgeable in not only company policies but labor laws.
I put in the work to help others succeed and that became a personal issue for me.
I was taken advantage of, not paid enough, and dismissed when no longer needed.
In my opinion, there are no longer workers out there that put that much effort into their jobs for those very same reasons and this why some companies are failing.
They no longer see employees as the foundation of their businesses but just another number to add to their bottom line. It’s a shame that valuing an employee’s effort is no longer rewarded or seen as important, yet a company cannot exist without the work that is being done by them.
These companies and organizations cannot exist without customers and they do not stay if the customer service or the experience with that company is bad.
Customer service’s fundamental core is valuing the person in front of you and showing it in your interaction, demeanor, integrity, and knowledge.
These skills are useful but are becoming obsolete.
After all those years, I am now fully retired and just taking it one day at time. I every once and awhile will have someone contacting me about a position. Then when I ask if they can work with the disabilities with the hand and arm limitations, the weekly therapy appointments, and the future doctor appointments, the position is suddenly filled or no longer available.
The skills I have are useful but apparently I am not.
I continue on with my daily life and wake up every morning with a mindset to just be creative, take it easy, don’t overdo, and be grateful for not only the little things but for the life that I have.
Thank you for stopping by and supporting this blog.
Have a wonderful week!
Peace, love, happiness, and good vibes, always!
Suzanne
love to bake 