Jump to content

One of my more memorable job experiences


Borg warner
 Share

Recommended Posts

I have worked many jobs since I was about 14 and I'm 74 now and retired, but over the years I've worked on assembly lines, I've bagged groceries, worked a a fry cook, I've worked as a janitor, I worked in construction, I've been a department store Santa, I worked at a dynamite factory once, and I've worked in the oil fields in Bakersfield, CA. I've had jobs as a chauffeur and a bouncer. I've done stage lighting and worked in the motion picture industry moving and decorating sets. And I've sold things at swap meets and gun shows. I've worked as a silk screen printer and have probably done some other jobs I can't even remember. Some of these jobs were temporary but the longest job I had was working for a general contractor learning and eventually doing most all the building trades including concrete form building digging footings, building forms and tying rebar. And when business was slow, I found other jobs. Later in life I worked as a building maintenance and repairman at a nursing home for a couple of years and worked at a gun shop doing counter sales I've also produced and sold artwork, and managed an art gallery.

When first I got out of the military (another interesting job) I worked a number of temporary jobs through Manpower. One experience I had I thought it was too funny to be true, but I swear I'm not making this up.

One day I worked at a garbage disposal factory.  They asked me if I had any electrical experience and I had worked on generators in the military and that was agood enough qualification. My job was at the end of the assembly line using electrical leads with clamps and a button to turn the power on and off  to test the disposals to see if they rotated freely. If they didn't rotate freely I was provided with a large rubber mallet to whack them until they freed up and spun. after that, they were sent to the shipping department.  I worked there doing that for 3 days.

It amazed me that an established assembly procedure was to hit something with a hammer until it worked and then it was good to go! I guess it must have worked long term and they didn't get a lot of returns or complaints and once everything was lined up, it tended to stay that way.:599c64b15e0f8_thumbsup:

What were some of YOUR most interesting jobs?

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 2
  • Haha 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a kid peeling Cascara Bark. Later I cut cedar shake blocks. That was excellent money for a kid. At 16 I went to work for the DNR as a Forest Fire Fighter. Went back the next summer and was on the first Helitack crew in the state. Lied about my age in high school and went to work in the cedar mills doing just about every job there. Worked all shifts also. At 18 I went full time logging in the old growth. Did that right up until 1982 when I headed north to Alaska. I've done a variety of jobs in the oilfield including tramping all over the West Coast and Hawaii working turnarounds in an untold number of refineries. Started my own snow plow business. Built remote cabins for people in the Bush. Worked in commercial fishing and even acquired permits and ran my own fishing business. Started my gravel business which I am now downsizing 30 years later. 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a little kid I hung out at our gas stations back in the full service days. I started doing basic janitorial stuff at five years old then pumping gas and topping off oil, coolant etc. I did my first brake  job at eight then did oil changes. One day my grandmother saw me trying to break down a tire with a split rim and she banned me from the stations. 
 

After that I started working on our rental properties. All of the houses my grandfather and uncle built. The apartments and stores we purchased. Grandad was a master brick mason and contractor before he came here from England. I learned yard maintenance including cutting, trimming and planting trees and bushes. Paint, carpet tile, framing, roofing, masonry and concrete. The houses had low crawl spaces under them. I was little. So I got to do the plumbing and electrical under them. 
 

In my teens I did cabinet installation and finish carpentry for another company. I’ve  done almost everything in construction except high steel. 
 

When I went back to working at the stations we were self service but I learned a lot about customer service and salesmanship. I’ve done that in several other industries including industrial electronics, real estate, health insurance and building materials and hardware. 
 

I knew construction and building maintenance. I went to work as a a laborer and salesman at a commercial nursery selling trees and plants. One day a customer and an employee got zapped by some exposed wires. I fixed it and found myself we the maintenance guy. I overhauled the electrical and plumbing systems. Built new displays and demolished a massive greenhouse and converted it to an open air sales area. 
 

I went to work in a big box lumber and hardware store selling first paint and the flooring. Someone screwed up assembling a display in the electrical department. I fixed it. I then created the new position of Store Carpenter, showed my boss all the things that needed fixing including some serious OSHA issues. He approved the new post and let me run with it. The new position fell under management of shipping and receiving so I did a lot of that also. 
 

I was a professional photographer and darkroom technician and have had my own studio on a couple of occasions. With my photography background I fell into private investigation. Mostly bogus work comp claims. It felt real good when we proved it was a real claim and it was the employer trying to screw a good guy. Did some interesting stuff for the rail road and even the National Guard. 
 

I was in the Marine Corps. Infantry, demolition, radio operator and motor transport. I got stuck teaching a lot of classes but I learned I loved teaching. I eventually became a high school history teacher. 
 

About the strangest was I sort of accidentally stumbled into a side business making fetish wear for the bondage crowd. It was never intended to be a business but the money was too good to walk away. I actually custom built the stuff right on the girl. Word spread word of mouth. I met some of the strangest and nicest people I’ve ever known. It just got too weird. 
 

Im sure I’ve missed a few. 

  • Like 4
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Borg warner said:

I have worked many jobs since I was about 14 and I'm 74 now and retired, but over the years I've worked on assembly lines, I've bagged groceries, worked a a fry cook, I've worked as a janitor, I worked in construction, I've been a department store Santa, I worked at a dynamite factory once, and I've worked in the oil fields in Bakersfield, CA. I've had jobs as a chauffeur and a bouncer. I've done stage lighting and worked in the motion picture industry moving and decorating sets. And I've sold things at swap meets and gun shows. I've worked as a silk screen printer and have probably done some other jobs I can't even remember. Some of these jobs were temporary but the longest job I had was working for a general contractor learning and eventually doing most all the building trades including concrete form building digging footings, building forms and tying rebar. And when business was slow, I found other jobs. Later in life I worked as a building maintenance and repairman at a nursing home for a couple of years and worked at a gun shop doing counter sales I've also produced and sold artwork, and managed an art gallery.

When first I got out of the military (another interesting job) I worked a number of temporary jobs through Manpower. One experience I had I thought it was too funny to be true, but I swear I'm not making this up.

One day I worked at a garbage disposal factory.  They asked me if I had any electrical experience and I had worked on generators in the military and that was agood enough qualification. My job was at the end of the assembly line using electrical leads with clamps and a button to turn the power on and off  to test the disposals to see if they rotated freely. If they didn't rotate freely I was provided with a large rubber mallet to whack them until they freed up and spun. after that, they were sent to the shipping department.  I worked there doing that for 3 days.

It amazed me that an established assembly procedure was to hit something with a hammer until it worked and then it was good to go! I guess it must have worked long term and they didn't get a lot of returns or complaints and once everything was lined up, it tended to stay that way.:599c64b15e0f8_thumbsup:

What were some of YOUR most interesting jobs?

 

What a GREAT story man!!  Not many can compare with all that you've done!!!:greensupergrin:  

Damn....You've sure had a great and interesting life!!!  I haven't heard "Manpower" since 67!!!:greensupergrin:  I worked Manpower too.  Just show up and get paid at the end of the day!!  All those jobs were just back bustin labor stuff.  Unloading boxcars or Trucks, diggin holes on construction sites, you name it.  That year I also got a Job operating a Screw Machine, making timing devices for Mortar shells.  Also after work, did a lot of hangin out at a pool hall, made almost as much there as I did at that JOB!!! :anim_lol:Got married at 20, and that started my carrier in Power Linework.  Worked in a couple states and then went overseas for 20 years. where I stayed till I retired.  

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/24/2022 at 2:02 PM, Borg warner said:

I have worked many jobs since I was about 14 and I'm 74 now and retired, but over the years I've worked on assembly lines, I've bagged groceries, worked a a fry cook, I've worked as a janitor, I worked in construction, I've been a department store Santa, I worked at a dynamite factory once, and I've worked in the oil fields in Bakersfield, CA. I've had jobs as a chauffeur and a bouncer. I've done stage lighting and worked in the motion picture industry moving and decorating sets. And I've sold things at swap meets and gun shows. I've worked as a silk screen printer and have probably done some other jobs I can't even remember. Some of these jobs were temporary but the longest job I had was working for a general contractor learning and eventually doing most all the building trades including concrete form building digging footings, building forms and tying rebar. And when business was slow, I found other jobs. Later in life I worked as a building maintenance and repairman at a nursing home for a couple of years and worked at a gun shop doing counter sales I've also produced and sold artwork, and managed an art gallery.

When first I got out of the military (another interesting job) I worked a number of temporary jobs through Manpower. One experience I had I thought it was too funny to be true, but I swear I'm not making this up.

One day I worked at a garbage disposal factory.  They asked me if I had any electrical experience and I had worked on generators in the military and that was agood enough qualification. My job was at the end of the assembly line using electrical leads with clamps and a button to turn the power on and off  to test the disposals to see if they rotated freely. If they didn't rotate freely I was provided with a large rubber mallet to whack them until they freed up and spun. after that, they were sent to the shipping department.  I worked there doing that for 3 days.

It amazed me that an established assembly procedure was to hit something with a hammer until it worked and then it was good to go! I guess it must have worked long term and they didn't get a lot of returns or complaints and once everything was lined up, it tended to stay that way.:599c64b15e0f8_thumbsup:

What were some of YOUR most interesting jobs?

Interesting story...mine is quite boring in comparison...Worked as a draftsman then Architect at one company for 30 years...Many interesting side businesses at the same time had a high end used car business, Imported "Grey Market" cars, bought and sold various properties and buildings...    BORING.....

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine is equally boring.  Since I was in the third grade I decided I wanted to be an engineer in research.  I devoted my entire life to that end.  Every decision I made was to accomplish what I wanted the most.

I spent some time in the Navy as a Radio Operator on a Minesweeper.  I took care of my own equipment since I was familiar with Radio Transmitters and Receivers from 4th grade when I got my first Ham license.  I built everything I had except for the receiver.

I got out of the Navy and for a moment in time, did spot welding at a company that made all brands of refrigerators while I looked for a job in electronics

I was employed at Medtronics when there were around 6 of us working out of a gutted house in Minneapolis.  I designed a couple of products and had free use of the machine shops mill and other stuff.  I loved using mills and lathes.

I left Medtronics after it was successful and I had spent roughly 5 years in their research department.  I had the honor of designing and building equipment for specialty heart research including implantable Bladder stimulators.  I was fortunate to be able to work for specialty products for Dr. C. Walton Lillehei the father of open heart research.  I accompanied some products into the operating theater in case they had some question on the operation of the product during surgery.

I went to another fledgling Medical company where we made the first patient monitoring system.  MY responsibility was the heart rate and blood pressure systems for the system.  Others did the respiration rate and temperature monitoring.  I tested our systems at the VA in Minneapolis.  Company was bought out and closed.

I went from there to a Public Health Department Research project to construct the first Ultrasonic Cancer ( Breast Cancer) system on the largest research grant the Health Service managed up to then.

We were successful and could detect a Cancer tumor 2 mm in diameter and we could tell whether it was malignant or not.  The Doctor in charge of the project was involved in questionable money management and the program was cancelled with the Ultrasonic system simply boxed up and sent to Bethesda, MD hospital.  No documentation meant it was forgotten.

From there I went to Univac Physics Research Labs With the emphasis on Metallic thin film Memories for the Navy standard Fire Control computer, which subsequently led to Physics Research for Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Avionics.  While there I also worked from Superconducting Magnetic Field Sensors, to Microwave systems 

While there I served on the Society of Mechanical Engineering (SAE) Committee writing the avionics standard for the Advanced Tactical Fighter (F23) and Joint Strike Fighter (J35) the with six other representatives from major Tactical aircraft manufacturing companies over the world.  I was offered chairmanship of the committee but my company wouldn't financially support the effort, too much travel.

I worked there for about 35 years and participated in efforts to discover new business ventures for the company.  I retired from Lockheed Martin with 19 Patents in widely dispersed fields of Physics Research.

I loved what I did and wouldn't change anything!  At my retirement I told my management they were fools since I would have paid them to do what I did.

 

 

 

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, DAKA said:

Interesting story...mine is quite boring in comparison...Worked as a draftsman then Architect at one company for 30 years...Many interesting side businesses at the same time had a high end used car business, Imported "Grey Market" cars, bought and sold various properties and buildings...    BORING.....

Nothing at all boring about a high end used car business, importing "Grey Market" cars, and buying and sellong various properties and buildings... 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My paternal grandfather lived to be 102 years old and constantly bragged about how proud he was that he made Cleveland Cliffs mining company (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) pay him for more years of retirement than he had worked for them.

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, tous said:

My paternal grandfather lived to be 102 years old and constantly bragged about how proud he was that he made Cleveland Cliffs mining company (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) pay him for more years of retirement than he had worked for them.

Gotta stick it to the Man.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

  • Please Donate To TBS

    Please donate to TBS.
    Your support is needed and it is greatly appreciated.
×
×
  • Create New...