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Happy Labor Day Survey

By September 6, 2010Business, Culture

It’s great celebrating Labor Day actually having a job from which I’m resting!

I’ve been out of work for a long period of time wondering what I was going to do and how we were going to survive financially. For those who are looking for work…I’m praying for you today.

If you are off today…rest well and be thankful for the job you have now.

I am curious though, on a day where we celebrate labor, what was the worst job you ever had? What was the best job?

Also, what’s the hardest thing you have ever done on a job?

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Ron Edmondson

Author Ron Edmondson

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Join the discussion 24 Comments

  • Mike says:

    Worst job … Walgreens distribution center

    Best… The one I have now (although my time in the USMC was pretty great). I love running a company that us part mine (ownership) and all mine to run. I love the team I have working with me.

    • ronedmondson says:

      Thanks. I would love to hear more about your company sometime. I owned my own company a couple times. Church planting is similar.

  • George Gibbs says:

    Worst job I ever had was working bridge construction, when it was hot it was Hot, and when it was cold it was COLD!!

    Best job I have ever had is my current job, multi site kids director for Bay Area Fellowship!!

    Hardest thing I have ever done on a job………well I am afraid of heights so the whole bridge contruction thing was hard lol!!!!!!

    • ronedmondson says:

      Yea the bridge thing sounds tough. I am interested in hearing more sometime about the multi site kids ministry thing.

  • Jason Curlee says:

    my first one…scraping paint off a two story house with hand scrapers….aggghhhh…

    best is my current one…getting to do what I love and seeing lives changed as a pastor.

  • bj Forwood says:

    The one I have now Ron

  • Marie Arcuri says:

    Worst job was working as a substitute cafeteria worker in an elementary school (1 week total!) It was hard work – the only good thing was seeing the kiddos, which I didn't get to do much since I was the hauler/washer/mopper.
    Best job is the one I have right now – residential real estate sales – even though at this moment in time the $$$ is not great (to say the least) it's a wonderful fit for my personality and gifts. And I get to help people – first-time homeowners, move-uppers, etc. And in this time of short sales and foreclosures, I also get to help people navigate through some tough times and hopefully come out somewhat whole!

    • ronedmondson says:

      Thanks for sharing. I could see the stress in an elementary cafeteria from the days I visited my boys.

  • Jen says:

    worst.. Arby's
    best.. my current gig…reading specialist at a middle school
    hardest..when I taught in a city high school and had to explain to a student what "statutory rape" was… she could barely read and wanted to know what the newspaper said about why her boyfriend was arrested

  • @lorencklein says:

    Worst job? Being a salesperson in a retail store selling clothes. I was hired to sell camping equipment, but ended up selling clothes. I never made my sales goal, so I never got my commission and just got a minimum wage pay packet. It's the only job where afterward I could say I got nothing out of the experience.

    Best job? My current job as a teacher. The job is extremely difficult, but I still get up every morning ready to go for it even after five years.

    Hardest thing I ever did? My name is on a technical document as the lead soil analyst that states that the soil on which a $8 million project sits is able to hold the weight of all of the buildings… on the edge of a marsh. Even if I'm not legally liable, the concept of my name being pointed at and expletives tossed my way if there's a foundation failure knots up my stomach even to this day.

    • ronedmondson says:

      I loved retail…but you have to be in the right place. Like another comment…I love when teachers love their work. We need you so much in society!

  • Royce Ogle says:

    A job as a car salesman. I soon learned that if you were honest, actually cared about the customer, you didn’t fit into their business model.

    • ronedmondson says:

      Interesting. Two car dealer comments. I wonder if this was the business specifically or true of the career. I do think that may be changing somewhat as consumers change. Do you?

  • The worst job I had was when I was a finance manager at a large Chevy dealership. I worked nearly 17-18 hours a day. I never got to see my family and it would break my heart when I was unable to get people approved for a car loan that I knew they desperately needed.

  • Ron, I was a trapper and furrier for a winter in Arkansas. My cousin and I would trap beaver and raccoon then take them to the furrier in the morning where we would get a small amount depending on the size and condition of the fur. In the afternoon we would go to work scraping the fat off of the hides at 50 cents per hide. We would then string the hides for tanning so they could be used to make coats and hats. It was gross and the stench was awful.

    Best job was being in the Navy. I loved what I did and got to see the world. The Navy was also the hardest thing I have every done and the reason I only did one four year term. Leaving my family behind for six months was unbearable for me. God bless those that can do it.

    • ronedmondson says:

      The trapper/furrier job sounds cool…guess not over time. My brother is retired Navy. That was hard, but he balanced it well. Thanks!

  • tommartinatl says:

    Worst: After our dealership group was aquired I became a management consultant for corporate regional office…..hard to watch culture and ethics become words used in a meeting and not in the market place…..wasn't there too long.

    Best: Operating a "concept" store for Ford Motor Company in the early 90's where we had the opportunity to test and measure different approaches to retailing and servicing cars such as "one-price, no haggle, no hassle", vip service priority…..truely a guest driven experience. Breath of fresh air in a stale retail environment.

    Hardest: Any job where my core beliefs and the companies core beliefs are out of line. That tension always makes everything harder, and unfortunately until your there and exposed to what goes on beyond the printed mission statement you never know.

    • ronedmondson says:

      Wow, the best job sounds awesome. I agree with the hardest part thing. I did that once and never again for long. Thanks

  • Alise_Wright says:

    Worst job: Teaching middle school music in downtown Cleveland. It was my first teaching job and I was NOT prepared for that.
    Best job: Waitress at a local restaurant. I loved the people I worked with and just had a great time.
    Hardest thing: Going to court to testify against a student in Cleveland. It was heart-wrenching to have to go and offer testimony against a child who was clearly smart, but just made so. many. wrong. choices. Hated it.

    • ronedmondson says:

      Thanks for sharing. It's interesting, because I would have similar answers as far as the best and worst. My "best" job was very low pressure, low paying, seemingly low skills required, but I loved being a sacker in a grocery store!