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job thread

i see a sitcom in the making: m0nkfish owns a bar and az is the regular that spends way too much time there

I have had two "jobs" so far: I tutored A-level students in chemistry/maths last year part-time and taught a bit of chemistry for a couple weeks at a sixth form over summer. Teaching is pretty fun for two reasons:
1. the satisfaction you get when the student "gets it"
2. there's a challenge in trying to get the kids to understand the damn stuff you're trying to teach, which isn't a trivial problem to solve. Solving problems is cool.

Teaching physics is currently my backup career option if everything else falls through after I graduate: having been used to summer holidays I would rather not give them up, ever. It's my backup because it's pretty much a dead cert: schools are desperate for teachers, science teachers in particular.
 
work as a host at a restaurant for my steady job, and also do modeling (both print and sometimes get commercials). the latter is not steady work (3 commercials in a year is like really good) and i often go to auditions just to hear something like "nose is too big" (cue sad face), or do prestige work with a well-connected photographer for my portfolio and connections, but when i do get work it pays incredibly well ($2000 to smile and eat a burger in a kfc commercial!!).

i live in toronto though and its not the most amazing city for modeling work--there's pretty much the bay catalog and stuff like canadian tire crap, but i still go to school and am applying for law school so whatever gives me extra cash. part of me wants to be an actor though because i think i have an instinctive talent for it, or go to nyc and give fashion modeling a shot--at least for 5 years while my lsat score is still valid because i'm not quite ready to basically forfeit fun and my early twenties to law school. only thing that holds me back is that i'm 6.05 feet, which is not "model tall". yeah, an extra half-inch makes a world of difference. that's not a problem for catalog modeling, or acting though. for fashion, it's really important.


fashion modeling is also kinda weird sometimes because the "in-look" is kinda arbitrary. it's not always about the best looking, but the most unusual looking nowadays. that's not necessarily the case either though, as long as you have something uniquely individuating about your "look", so to speak. for example, this guy is fashion model--oh, and he's only 5"11:

IMG_5242.jpg


he basically looks like a creepy weirdo, but that shit flies nowadays.
 
And for all you guys who moved to find a job, how was it, and how'd you go through with it? I'm hoping I can get a job someplace not in Indiana--preferably on the west coast or something--but I'm not sure it's really feasible. I'm not even entirely sure how the market is for neuroscience majors over there.

Well, I'm staying on the east coast for my neuroscience research (doing it at the med campus at Johns Hopkins), but apparently there's a lot of neuroscience research in California. Try the UCs-- a lot of the top researchers in the field do stuff there. Pretty much, the hot spots for neuro are in Boston, Baltimore, and California, so yeah. Good luck!
 
I wasn't aware Yu-Gi-Oh cards were worth much anything; I just assumed that was one thing kids with no business sense collected assuming they'd be worth a fortune later. Well I still got a shitload of cards laying around so maybe I can pawn 'em to get a new pair of headphones or something.

And for all you guys who moved to find a job, how was it, and how'd you go through with it? I'm hoping I can get a job someplace not in Indiana--preferably on the west coast or something--but I'm not sure it's really feasible. I'm not even entirely sure how the market is for neuroscience majors over there.

ebay lookup what you think is valuable, find a yugioh league, sell it off! also if you have any royal tribute it is worth like $4 and you probably have some!

Yeah that's kind of true I suppose (and definitely true about the large amount of competition), though the dealers that I know do a lot of business and definitely have a fairly high markup on their ratio of what they buy stuff at and what they sell it for (ex. I sold a card for $280 and was told they usually sell that card for high 300s)

that is just the power of knowing your prices and being willing to make the extra effort...also being not scared of the market helps, which a lot of individuals do not have the luxury of being able to feel like

i wish i was making it up. it's things like this that no one in a position of power in the company gives any fuck about. i'm sure complete lack of common sense worked fine back in 2005 or whatever when every girl wanted shiny leggings and the company was booming, but it's far past its prime, and that's why i expressed my doubts about the longevity of the company.

also i sell yugioh cards online too! definitely a good market. i can't speak for mons cards since i don't play that game, but i do recommend getting into yugioh selling if you don't mind spending either a fair amount of time figuring out stuff that's going to be valuable in the future, or playing the game well and having that knowledge as a by-product.

I do not know what it means about the shape the company is in since stock markets are crazy fairy magic but falling from $15 to $1 cannot mean a lot of good things even with that aspect I bet. So yeah that looks to reflect a boom being more than over.

Yugioh is a great market. My brother is a "pro" at it/vends (Jonathan Moore if you have heard of him / run into him...he does not really get up to Canada since we are down in Texas!) so I was kind of hoping depending how fast we get big that I could maybe do just pokemon...unfortunately you are strapped to very few events at pokemon (you can only attend 4 big events), so I am going to have to see how leagues/online works as a buying source. If we get good enough at bringing in cards online, I could just do pokemon which would be awesome. I mean I loosely know values of the best cards (solemn judgement at $60?) and I recognize most of the old cards and can always tell when one is worth $2-5 and trade a $1 pokemon card for it...like Injection Fairy Lily or Sangan (particularly GLD) or holo Dark Hole et cetera. Pokemon has very few legal sets so it gets pretty hard to buy cards that everyone knows about, i.e. all the current ultra rares, all the current metagame stuff, whatever...but at the same time incredibly easy to buy old cards because of this, unfortunately those are always going to be in worse condition. Anyway going to stop before I totally derail the chat, there is just a lot of diligence that goes into it and it is really fun since the cards are fun. I feel like both Magic or Yugioh would take it from being "incredibly fun" for me to more tedious maybe, since those are not my cards!
 
I work as a host in a restaurant in a touristy part of where I live (area is called Sandestin if anyone has ever been there). It's called Cheeseburger in Paradise and its co-owned by Jimmy Buffet (hence the name), its pretty chill and I don't have to do much besides say "Hi, how are you?" "How many are there?" and "Follow me." I also get tip out so I'm basically like a huge leech on the servers but whatever. I haven't gotten a pay check yet since I've only worked for 2 days so far but its pretty cool, I guess. I really love working in restaurants because the people there are pretty cool, and, if the pay wasn't so shit, I could probably do it for a living, but, the pay is shit. ($4.23 + tips doesn't cut it) I eventually wanna try and get a bar tending job since I don't really know what I want to do with my life yet and I'm a sophomore in college so I really need to figure it the fuck out. I think I wanna go into medicine but a) I'm lazy b) its a lot of effort and c) I don't really think I would care about my patients since I'm just curious about diseases, which is not ideal doctor material.

The only thing I hate about my job right now is that they play the song "Cheeseburger in Paradise" every fucking hour and when you work a 7 hour shift it makes you want to kill yourself and everyone around you.
 
Well, I'm staying on the east coast for my neuroscience research (doing it at the med campus at Johns Hopkins), but apparently there's a lot of neuroscience research in California. Try the UCs-- a lot of the top researchers in the field do stuff there. Pretty much, the hot spots for neuro are in Boston, Baltimore, and California, so yeah. Good luck!

Really? I didn't know that, thanks! I think I'll go look to see what grad schools there are in those places today--yeah I know I still got two more years but I wanna have my shit together as soon as possible (I've probably already waited too late!).
 
Sick, m0nkfish! I totally have a couple bartenders on speed dial for the "what mixers do I need for x??! (And how do I make it taste good?!)" moments, lol.

On the other hand, I've been debating whether or not I'm becoming an alcoholic for the last month, so who knowwws (this is as I sit hungover at work with a large glass of water in front of me, probably NOT the best sign, haha).

It's practically impossible to get a job as a high school student, so no job for me. Everyone hires the piece of shit illegal immigrants or college students before high schoolers

Ahahahaha, seriously? Every High School student who I know who actually (seriously) looked for a job, got one. Don't blame people who are actually willing to work on your unemployment. Furthermore, it's not like you would actually WANT a job that the "piece of shit illegal immigrants" have. If you want a job, go for it aggressively. If not, then continue to blame everyone else for it. Your choice.


Where do you work?
Above & Beyond, a small business that works will developmentally disabled adults and children. We provide Supported Living (where up to 4 individuals live in a home operated by us) and Adult Habilitation (daytime community integration/meaningful activities) services.

What do you like about your job?
I like the pay. I like having the ability to flex my hours to the extent that I do. I like my paycheck. For the most part, I like my co-workers/colleagues. I like my bosses.

What you dislike about the job
At my previous jobs I worked with individuals around my same age (and who had similar interests), so I was really used to forging quick and concrete bonds with my previous co-workers. Now... I tend to work with people who tend to be a LOT older than me, and now that I'm a supervisor it can be awkward to "chill" with the direct care staff, which I dislike. I also dislike taking on-call (the administrative staff switches off on-call duties, so I'm on-call about once a month [more frequently sometimes, but yeah]). I dislike being the youngest administrative staff because a lot of the computer shit gets thrown on my desk and I'm always asked to troubleshoot stupid computer problems (all user stupidity), which can sometimes annoy me (particularly if I've showed this person a million times how to avoid it). I generally dislike the position I'm currently in as it's super boring, it's a lot of work but everything about it is mundane so it doesn't hold my attention. I treat it like I would any annoying project, wait until the last minute to get it done. ;)

Where do you hope to work in the future?
I have no idea! I was going back to school last year, but then work kinda got in the way (the state was up for renewing their services contract and a ton of crap ended up on my desk of new things that needed to be implemented and whatnot); I'm hoping to go back sometime this fall, but we'll see. I may just end up having to do the online route as I think my schedule has proven that it doesn't have the flexibility I need to really go back to uni.

Otherwise, I really like this industry and have become somewhat passionate about working with developmental disabilities, so I wouldn't be surprised if I find myself in 20 years providing services to individuals with developmental disabilities. :)
 
This is the only one that really applies to me at this point.

Where do you hope to work in the future?
No particular company in general but I am intending to apply for a business degree and following that acheiving my CGA (Cetified General Accountant) designation. CGAs are much less audit intensive and much more person based than a standard CA--and the pay is pretty darn good too!

I just find the prospect of consistent review of a companies finances to be rather depressing and a CGA seems like a good fit.
 
Currently I referee basketball and soccer up through U-18 and I generally enjoy it (especially being the same age as some girls, heh). The fun parts are when you get into arguments with the parents! You're not supposed to address them but it's so much fun; one time I almost got into a fist fight which would have been the highlight of my year, but he backed down :( [I probably would have lost my job anyway...]

It's rewarding because I get to ref the sports I play and learn more about the game, plus I've gained new respect for the refs the past two seasons I've been a referee. Sometimes you blink and miss something and you and your AR (or your head ref if you're an AR) need to make a split second decision together. I won't say that I haven't made some calls that have changed games, but I think I do a pretty good job anyway. Not only that, but watching for fouls, handballs, offside, traveling, carrying, etc. all at once is really hard to do and it's understandable how some refs miss calls.

Income is good. 15, 25 (depends on league) for a head ref job, 10, 20 for an AR. And I usually do 4-7 games per weekend, sometimes a little more if we're short on people. Generally I bring in at least $50. This is especially good when I do little kids games which are always like, 5 minute quarters or 10 minute halves and you get the head ref job since it's a 1 ref job; picking up 45 in a little over an hour isn't too shabby!

I've also applied to work at a local Kroger which seems to be in dire need of help with a girl who I know, so hopefully that goes well. My family is not as well off as they'd like to be, so any extra income I can bring in (even if it means giving up a lot of summer) is very good. I'm hoping to go to the future with this one since I'll likely attend UK (I've secured a full ride so!) and the Kroger is nearby, and maybe by my second or third year of college I'll be a manager! That'd be nice. But that's reading a lot into the future so I'll pretend like I'm not even going to get the job...
 
I havent had a job for 2 years, I did some research in a lab at UCI (go nepotism) in high school, and worked at the home depo center very briefly doing Galaxy games which was cool except i hate the galaxy.

I have a friend who works in the wine department at Che Panisse in Berkeley, and after I graduate (obviously you need to be 21 to work in wine) im going to try to get a job there (nepotism so strong) . Pretty much all i have to do between now and then (another 2 years or so) is drink a lot of wine.
 
I haven't found a job in a while (and who the fuck wants to hire a university student who can only work after 3 or 5pm?).

However, I doing a bit of volunteering. I volunteer at a pharmacy and a care center. The care center is pretty much a way to get volunteer hours and reference letters, and also to get some social skills with the... more hard to get along with part of society (not an insult to seniors) excluding Republicans. The nurses are nice here but the supervisors are a bit eccentric and snobby, which makes it hard for me to work with them sometimes.

With the pharmacy, I only got the job because I'm Korean and Koreans only hire Koreans here. The people in the pharmacy are really nice and don't give me only shitty jobs like all grunt work. I actually learn how each medicine works and what it treats, and get to measure out medicine and mix em and all the other stuff. It's interesting, but I probably won't be a Pharmacist when I'm older.

I guess they'll be useful when trying to find a future job, and for medical school or graduate school.

I've been also trying to get a job as a tutor. I've done a good share of tutoring during school, including, spending one entire semester, giving up one of my free blocks to volunteer at a remedial math class which was honestly hell on Earth. The kids refused to learn, listen to me, swore at me, and could not do basic arithmetic (one could not add or subtract). The next year, I made sure to lessen my hours, and to also teach more willing kids in math, which went well.
 
I work as a cashier at a local amusement park. On a given day I'll work the cash register at the main gate and pass at wristbands and stuff, work in the gift shop or locker rentals for the water park. The gift shop is easily the worst, as we don't really get to sit down and have to constantly walk around keeping an eye on things and cleaning and whatnot. The only bad experience I've had in there, however, was when some kid in a wheelchair kept jacking candy from of the store. At the main gate I feel bad when I have to tell kids that they are too short to ride adult rides and stuff. Some parents are real douchey about that though and piss and moan. I encountered one family that left, stuffed their kid's shoes, and came back so he was tall enough to get an "adult' wristband. Working lockers can be a bit of a hassle if I work the morning shift on a hot day. The night shift is really nice, though, as I pretty much get to read or do homework as people gradually bring their keys back and I sign them in (the park closes about two hours after the waterpark, and people usually don't bother to bring their keys back until they leave.) All in all it's a pretty easy summer job and aside from a few minor things that I bitch about I like it a lot. The hours are nice, as is being outside. I also enjoy having a job where I get to make conversation and talk to people.
 
I'm technically too young to have a job, but got a CHSPE certificate 2 years ago (california high school proficiency exam) when i was 12, so if i ever move back there, i could theoretically get a job. To earn money right now I trade MTG cards and sell 'em on ebay, I usually make ~$10-50 per trade depending how clueless the person I'm trading with is. Pretty good except i have to spend money on registered mail which is a pain in the ass. Plus canada sucks to be a trader 'cause all the americans are too lazy to send mail to a different country, which locks me out of the people who are easiest to make money off of.
 
Everyone's posts are really interesting but I have to say card selling, whether you make a profession out of it like CK or just do it for side income like Glen (I think? sorry if I misunderstood), is pretty badass.

@CK: Since you go to irl Pokémon TCG events, do you really deal with a lot of kids? I imagine there are a lot of brats but looking at Smogon might be giving me a warped perception, since it seems like they attract a lot of teenagers/young adults as well, who I would assume are more mature and would actually be interested in buying the cards instead of just being like OMG LOOK HOLO GIMME GIMME.
 
I'm in the midst of receiving many rejections for various graduate programs. I only have the ACCC pending, which is my lowest choice of grad role (It's the consumer watchdog and anti-trust enforcer for the country).


I've applied to tax accounting firms, law firms, and a bank. It looks like I'm going to be unable to get an actual graduate position, but I might be able to get just an entry-level job. I'm trying to get work in either intellectual property and technology law (either as a solicitor, or as a patent attorney), taxation (especially indirect taxation and R&D incentives), or competition law, especially in as much as it relates to telecommunications or IP or tax.

To pass the time, I work 4 or so hours a weekend at a local supermarket where I've been for five or six years (I'm too expensive for them to give me more hours), and until this year I was a faculty tutorial staff for the School of Physics.
 
I'm not currently working right now, my last job was doing Federal income tax returns for a small business/accounting company though. It was an awesome job, good pay, interesting, you got to meet a bunch of different people. Probably the biggest downside is that you can only work it 3.5 months of the year!

The amount of rude/unhappy people was surprisingly small, though I did have one woman who came in, let me get halfway through her return, asked to have one thing explained, and then immediately left without paying. Another low was having to explain to a couple with $35k of combined income that they owed about $500 because they had very little tax withheld.

I've also worked at Universal Studios and Disney World doing some minimum wage stuff. Not a huge fan of either, though having worked at both is an advantage if I ever go back there looking for a bigger job.


Currently trying to get a part-time job in something computer-related while I finish my degree, though I haven't had any luck.
 
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