Oh the places I’ve been! Haven’t we all?

Let’s discuss what jobs I have held, what I learned from them, how I quit them (I really enjoy quitting jobs…I ask my friends if I can quit theres for them), and what came next. Fun!

I have had a lot of jobs. I am a middle child and being free and independent has been of the utmost importance to me from roughly age 7. 

I guess I technically started “working” when I was 13, as any good middle-america girl, I was the neighborhood babysitter. This worked out well because I could walk to every house I worked at and my parents were always a block away at most, which is why it makes more sense to me now these parents trusted my barely-teenage self with the care of their tiny children. 

I naturally turned this into a summer camp counselor position (which ended up lasting about 8 years worth of summers and is by far one of the best decisions of my life), then a kid’s toy store when I was 16, a Denny’s hostess, American Eagle Outfitters for years, and so on and so forth.

So here is a list of money jobs I have held from college to now. *And here is the biggest take away I got from each (an honest resume if you will).*

College Jobs:

-Nanny: family of 4 girls, love them with my whole heart, I learned more from these ladies than I have in a lot of other jobs. They are very special people. *So much patience and kindness. And how to handle 4 different personalities in every situation.*

-Abercrombie and Fitch: After a great time at American Eagle, I attempted to get back in the retail game. They hired workers as “models” btw, so they could legally hire and fire according to looks. Me and my nose ring made the cut and I spent 2 miserable shifts folding t-shirts that were already folded. I never showed for my 3rd shift, this is the only job I have ever ghosted. *That their perfume sucks your life force and even with an employee discount their clothes aren’t worth it…sorry, not a lot else can come from 8 hours total.*

-After School Hangout Babysitter: I would meet a 13 year old at her house when she got dropped off from school and hang out till her dad got home. She never talked to me and always wanted to be alone in her room. So I had a lot of snacks and fell asleep on their couch with my film history book in my lap. *Free food, a consistent job to keep me out of trouble in college,  and paid time to do my homework.*

-Waitress @ Houlihans: chain restaurant, long hours serving long island iced teas by the pitcher and I begged for shifts. I love work. *I got this job for the sole purpose of having waiting experience on my resume for LA*

-Hawaiian Tans brand rep: yes I tanned a lot and got paid to go to events looking tan and cute. No, I will never do this again and have had to baby my skin since these college mistakes. *Free tanning (it was cool at the time) and my first semi-model appearances.*

-Jaegermeister rep (Jaegerette): I got paid $40 to give out free branded shit at bars while wearing tiny tank tops. This was SO worth it. I was not 21. And no one cared. *A lot of money and more alcohol work on my resume. It helps, trust me.*

I’m tired already. These jobs were all important in some way, because whether the next was a lateral move or not, they all taught me something. 

Some of them taught me how to quit. Which I think is fun (maybe because I love the idea of a new adventure. This is probably what makes me a good actor, because jobs last anywhere from a day to months at a time, but there is always an end point and a new potential on the horizon). I like to be upfront and give my higher-ups lots of notice. I like to make sure they know I have an opportunity I need to take and that I appreciate all they have taught me during my time with them. NEVER be ungrateful. You never know if the next job is going to fall though and you have to step down the ladder to a rung you previously left. Make sure you leave on a good note. BURN NO BRIDGES. 

I heard a story about how Zach Braff got the Scrubs lead and quit his job in big show-y way…and then the series didn’t start filming for months and he had to sleep on a friends couch because he had no money and no job. 

I have no idea on the legitimacy of that but it would make a lot of sense if it is true. 

*Abercrombie was a bad call on my part. But in all honesty, I promise you that the meek girl standing in the girl’s section re-folding the same stack of graphic tee’s was not missed that day.

That being said, do not let anyone guilt you into staying anywhere. Life is too short for shitty life sucking jobs. 

Up next, more of the same…West Coast style (see Part 2).