What job did you do the longest/shortest in your life?

[tvguy]

I worked for Dollar Rent A Car. We would wash cars and put them in our lot. Then when our lot at the airport got low or got several returns in that needed washing we would drive them over replacements. Not sure how those cars did not fall apart as hard as we drove them. We also had a lot for the public to use to park at and we would drive them to the airport in a big van. It was a fun job but a year was enough.

Our airport location was same ownership, but a whole different world. First, that location was Union. They had a fully automatic car wash, we washed our cars by hand. They did have to vacuum them just like us. We only ran cars to the airport to swap out for a car they had put out of service. I don't think they EVER checked oil and tires on cars out there. Usually the cars we picked up there had broken a/c but we would check them and they were thousands of miles overdue for an oil change, and the tires were shot. The tire shop guys liked me because I was always there having tires replaced. Our owner bought tires 100 at a time, so the tires were sitting there, they just needed to be mounted and balanced.

 

[Shelley Chiarats]

Soda Pop Production Planner - 13.75years

Picker / Packer - Less than a week. Went in for day shift and they asked for volunteers to go to night shift. I volunteered and thought I would go home and come back that evening. They thought I should work some on day shift first. As the day shift was half over, I again asked if I could go home to take a nap for night shift and go "If you feel like you have to". I said I did and left but never went back.

 

[disneychrista]

I've been in accounting over 25 years.
I worked fast food for about 5 years.

 

[Jayunit09]

Dishwasher at a breakfast place- one summer (14YO)

Supermarket Worker/Manager 22 years and counting (15-37)

 

[barkley]

answering service operator-1 shift. first day on the job and one of the contracts on the switchboard was a local medical practice that specialized in pediatrics. 1st call i get for the doctor on call i'm told when i call the doctor to connect- 'i'm eating dinner then i plan to watch the game, i don't care what anyone says when they call, just take a message and tell them i'm on another call-i'll call back when i'm ready to return calls'................6 hours later, dozens and dozens of calls from frantic parents of sick kids i could hear crying in the background.......told the employer 'thanks but no thanks-not when a human life is at risk'.

longest-15 years in a variety of classifications for social services.

Once I took a temp job doing inventory at a department store for about 4 hours. Not sure if that really qualifies. This was a big event and there were a lot of people doing this. But it was summer during college and I basically had all the time I needed to just goof off if I wanted.

BEST COLLEGE GIG EVER!!! i did these in college too! early 80's-minimum wage was about $3.35 per hour but i got paid $10 per hour cash for working 10 hour gigs at places like the big chain hardware stores. they would close up for a day, lock us in-bring in drinks and snacks as well as a meal (the mutant subway subs were popular) and we would count and visit and listen to music over the p.a. system. it was a great way to earn in one night what was equivalent to almost a weeks full time net pay. i did a department store once-mervyns. not as much fun, they just shoved us in the back, no meals and maybe 50 cents above minimum wage.

 

[bcla]

BEST COLLEGE GIG EVER!!! i did these in college too! early 80's-minimum wage was about $3.35 per hour but i got paid $10 per hour cash for working 10 hour gigs at places like the big chain hardware stores. they would close up for a day, lock us in-bring in drinks and snacks as well as a meal (the mutant subway subs were popular) and we would count and visit and listen to music over the p.a. system. it was a great way to earn in one night what was equivalent to almost a weeks full time net pay. i did a department store once-mervyns. not as much fun, they just shoved us in the back, no meals and maybe 50 cents above minimum wage.

Certainly better than my inventory gig, but I wasn't complaining. I was bored and it paid enough for the cost of transportation. But that four hour gig only had one break, but it wasn't bad since they fed us with Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia bars.

 

[barkley]

but it wasn't bad since they fed us with Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia bars.

throw in some chunky monkey bars and it's a done deal!

 

[cedricandsophie]

HR consultant, 30 years.

 

[georgina]

shortest - waitress at Denny's the summer after I graduated from HS. Worked the 3-11 shift and they were always short staffed and asking me to stay until 3 AM for the bar crowd. Customers always mad at you because servers had too many tables to cover. Lasted 3 weeks and quit as soon as I found another job.

 

[Dead2009]

2 weeks at a coffee company in their warehouse. It was too small and I always felt cramped.

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

Shortest was one (unpaid) shift as a hostess at a restaurant on the nautical mile on Long Island. It was clear the entire place was dysfunctional and I wanted nothing to do with it.

Longest - I just happened to stay in financial services in the same place approx 5 years at each place, but 15 years in the industry. .

 

[sasywtch]

Longest-state employee mostly with Consumer Affairs. I licensed a lot of people in CA in 25 years.
Shortest-maid at a nice ranch type motel in West Sacramento during my senior year of high school (it was nice back in the day). I lasted one day. Buck Owens accused one of the maids of stealing some expensive jewelry or watch. (can't remember). It wasn't on my side but, cleaning hotel rooms was not my thing. My boyfriend's dad offered me a job replanting plants in his nursery so I quit the maid job that day.

 

[KayMichigan]

Shortest - two weeks working at a newspaper doing paste-up work. I found out I didn't like getting out of work at 2 AM and driving home when the streets were mostly dark and empty.

Longest - my current job at a museum doing research and cataloguing. 22 years and counting.

 

[Snowysmom]

Shortest job: Dunkin Donuts. 2 weeks.
Longest job: The job I currently have, 15+ years same company, in accounting.

 

[CGB]

Shortest: Secretary/Receptionist for a Juvenile Probation Office. One month.

What I witnessed in that short time inspired my future.

Longest: Junior High social studies teacher. 19 years.