First Seven Jobs

Lately, people have been posting their first seven jobs on Facebook. Reading the lists has made me feel a little regretful that I didn't have cooler jobs. I've been a classroom teacher, in some form or other, since fall of 2004, so it's not like I've experienced a great deal of variety. I've also noticed that I seem to be one of the few people who has never had a real physical, blue collar job. I've never painted houses or worked construction or done landscaping. (Actually, the first time I mowed the lawn was just a couple years ago, after I bought my house.) So I kind of feel like I missed out in that regard too. Still, I have had some interesting little gigs here and there. My chronology may be a little off, but here's my list:

1 - Camp Counselor

For probably too many summers, I worked as a camp counselor. I spent time at two different camps: three summers at a local day camp and I think five summers at a sleep away camp in the Poconos. Despite all this experience, I was never a big rah-rah summer camp guy. This was especially apparent at the sleep-away camp, where I always felt like the only guy who wasn't drinking the Kool-Aid. I have the fondest memories of my first and second summer at that day camp: I worked there with my best friends, Michael and Shawn, and our experiences there probably warrant their own post some other time.

2 - Intern at Medscape.com

After two years of playing dodge ball with kids, it was decided that I should find a job more likely to prepare me for the work force. A friend of my parents offered me an internship at Medscape.com, a kind of online database of medical news, not unlike WebMD. (Full disclosure: I'm still not entirely sure what the company does or who visits the website.) I worked in the Sales department and they didn't really have much for me to do, so for about a month, I would occasionally file things, while attempting to look busy for the rest of the time. The office was in Manhattan, which was probably the job's biggest perk. I felt very sophisticated taking NJ Transit into the city every day. After about a month, my parents' friend (my boss) called to tell me that he was sorry but the company was losing money and he could no longer afford to pay me. No one who has ever been laid off was ever as happy as I was. By the next week, I was back at day camp.

3 - Floor Model at Abercrombie & Fitch

Admittedly, this is a little misleading. I wasn't one of those guys who stood in the entrance flexing and looking bored. But I don't exactly remember what my responsibilities were, aside from wearing A&F clothing (only from the current season) and occasionally folding shirts. In fact, I think the managers gave us as little training as possible so we would appear too cool to answer customers' questions, when really we just didn't have any answers. So essentially, I was just a living, breathing mannequin, I guess. I worked here for only about three weeks, and I think I spent everything I earned on A&F stuff. It was actually even more boring than the website internship - but hey, it gave me some much-needed street cred with my students.



4 - Music Librarian

Most kids at Kenyon didn't even know the music library existed: it was a dingy, outdated office in the attic. But the handful of music majors went up there on a semi-regular basis, and because I was one of them, I was given first priority to work there. I worked maybe six hours a week and was paid maybe $5 an hour, which was about enough for beer money. There was a desktop computer in the office, which you weren't supposed to use while you were on duty, for some reason (lest one of your two or three customers think you unprofessional?)

5 - Substitute Teacher

In order to be a substitute teacher in Chatham, New Jersey, you must have two things: 1.) Two years of college experience, and 2.) A certificate proclaiming you don't have tuberculosis. By winter break of my junior year, I had both of these things and so, during my time off from school, I filled in as needed. The life of a substitute teacher is a strange one: I was at various times a kindergarten music teacher, an aid in a special ed class, and a gym coach. Weirdest of all, I once filled in for my sister's science teacher, and thus, wound up with her in my class. (I balked when she asked me if she could leave early to go to her car, until she reminded me that she was my ride home...)

6 - Middle School Music Teacher

In the fall after my college graduation, I received word that the conductor of the middle school string orchestra in Basking Ridge was about to go on maternity leave and that they were desperate for a replacement. I only played cello - but that was apparently one more string instrument than anyone else who could be hired on short notice. So I applied, and they gave it to me. I studied music in college but had never conducted an orchestra, so I was mostly faking my way through. The kids were nice though, and the big spring concert was quite an experience. I don't think I fully appreciated the lack of grading at the time.

7 - High School English Teacher

And the rest is history.