I've worked one month in a big grocery store, one month in a moving company and a couple weeks in a dogsledding farm.

They were all bad for different reasons, it's hard to pick one.

Why was it your least favourite job?

Cold, wet, Cement dries your skin to the point where you get cracks (painful), minimal pay & the boss was a complete asshole.

Cold, wet, Cement dries your skin to the point where you get cracks (painful), minimal pay & the boss was a complete asshole.

So, you worked in the construction industry?

 

I heard it's relatively easy to get a job in this field even if you have a criminal record, at least where I am from. Is this something you have noticed in your country as well?

Do I feel guilty? No, not in the slightest. I've got four college educations left to pay for - I'll take it any way I can get it.

 

Actually I found myself thinking a bit more about this as I got coffee. I feel worth the salary I am paid. I've earned that sort of salary across multiple jobs and over quite a few years, in management / executive roles that I filled very successfully. Projects were finished on time and on budget, and architectures were clean. The corporation I spoke of that acquired us in 2012 knows all about that background, but they choose to utilize me in a different way. Management styles here are very different - I don't know how well I'd perform managing in this environment. But none of that is really my fault. If they approached me wanting to lower my salary I'd leave and find something else, but as long as they're willing to pay I'm willing to stay.

 

Actually I found myself thinking a bit more about this as I got coffee. I feel worth the salary I am paid. I've earned that sort of salary across multiple jobs and over quite a few years, in management / executive roles that I filled very successfully. Projects were finished on time and on budget, and architectures were clean. The corporation I spoke of that acquired us in 2012 knows all about that background, but they choose to utilize me in a different way. Management styles here are very different - I don't know how well I'd perform managing in this environment. But none of that is really my fault. If they approached me wanting to lower my salary I'd leave and find something else, but as long as they're willing to pay I'm willing to stay.

How did you become such an amazing person?

 

How did you get the skills to become the person that you are now?

 

Did your parents encourage you much?

 

What was it that directed you towards the careers that you have had throughout your life?

:-| I don't consider myself amazing. I just love learning and studied hard while getting my engineering degree. The management thing was a total surprise - I would have told you in earlier years that "I'd never want to be in management." Then I joined this little company as a senior engineer, and one engineering manager after another failed to please the owner. Finally I was next in line, and I just rolled up my sleeves and did my best. And things worked out, and I found out I enjoyed managing after all - it was really great to be able to see "larger things" come into existence compared to what I could do single-handedly.

 

If t here was anything that characterized me I'd say it was that for me it was always about the product and its technical integrity. I paid attention to the engineering details and made sure they were right, rather than let the job become a bureaucratic "political dance." And it just happened that's what that owner wanted. As I alluded to above, I think I'd fail miserably in this company as a manager, because that more fluffy stuff is important to success here. I was just really lucky to find a few environments over the years I could thrive in.

When I was a teenager I worked weekends for a while for a local farmer. One of the jobs he had me do was shovel out this large stall just full of pig manure. Now I grew up on a farm, and was used to most of the smells that animals can produce, but pig manure absolutely reeks!

When I was a teenager I worked weekends for a while for a local farmer. One of the jobs he had me do was shovel out this large stall just full of pig manure. Now I grew up on a farm, and was used to most of the smells that animals can produce, but pig manure absolutely reeks!

 

You win. I cannot imagine a worse job.

So, you worked in the construction industry?

 

I heard it's relatively easy to get a job in this field even if you have a criminal record, at least where I am from. Is this something you have noticed in your country as well?

Just one of many short term jobs between school and university.

Just one of many short term jobs between school and university.

Ah I see.

I don't really know the pain of manual, hard physical work but I hate office jobs where I have nothing to do. I used to have jobs where I was literally doing nothing 7 out of 8 hours.

I could feel my brain numbing.

what's kind of job you did ? why you got paid for doing nothing ?