Remembering All My Jobs - Part I

Earlier this year I found a series (or maybe this was on reddit, I don't remember) where a woman was recalling all her different jobs that she has had, and it made me want to do something similar, at the very least as a nice memory exercise. So without further ado...

Part I - the oughts.

The very very first job, one where I had to fill out a W-2, was in Midtown Atlanta at an office where doctors would come in overnight to read radiology films. All I had to do was keep the office clean and stocked with supplies. This was by far the easiest job I ever had. I want to say I was paid $5-6 per hour. It was, however, super boring because during the day it was just me and a receptionist, and she wasn't thrilled to have me there I think. I learned how to navigate Atlanta rush-hour morning traffic, which prepared me very well for adulthood.

During my senior year, a friend asked if I wanted to coach soccer for a public rec league. The kids were 8-10 years old. There was practice once a week and games every Saturday. This was easy for the most part, but I remember feeling I didn't like having to get kids to pay attention all the time. Pretty sure we won one game all season, but I think the kids had alot of fun anyway. All the parents were pretty cool too.

The next summer, thanks to a friend at school, I got a job as a cashier at the local barbecue restaurant. We had a pretty crazy crew, and things were never boring. I got to practice Spanish with the cook, José, because he didn't speak alot of English. My Spanish was obviously pretty basic but it felt exciting to practice. The only annoying part was that we had a jar that said 'Will oink for tips" and occasionally people would notice and ask us to do so. I don't ever remember actually doing it but I do remember feeling a little embarassed. But through tips, I learned how interacting with customers could be fun and rewarding. My one co-worker was maybe 15 years older than me, and she basically had us all cracking up the entire shift. And I always made tons of tips when we worked together.

After that summer, I was off to college in New Orleans.