RockyMtn
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
I poured plaster statues for a couple of years while I was in high school. Messy job.
Whats the most wacky or crazy job you have held?
- Thread starter cbo111
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2006
- Messages
- 23,057
I once had a job that revolved around practicing a couple times a week to kill tens of millions of people, and never knowing whether the next time would be just more practice or for real.
aja8888
Moderator Emeritus
And the hours are too.
My young job inseminating cows was kind of in the same camp, except the cows didn't talk back.
travelover
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2007
- Messages
- 14,328
Did you have to kiss them first?............
My young job inseminating cows was kind of in the same camp, except the cows didn't talk back.
Well, there was the time I worked as a stripper...
OK, it was just stripping paint off 150+ year old doors and windows at a renovation project. But it's more fun to say it the other way.
Now the young lady they hired to help me, that's a story for another day...
OK, it was just stripping paint off 150+ year old doors and windows at a renovation project. But it's more fun to say it the other way.
Now the young lady they hired to help me, that's a story for another day...
aja8888
Moderator Emeritus
Did you have to kiss them first?
Actually, you had to make them comfortable. Hay was a choice, but fresh cut grass in a feed sack was better.
No kissing, and be real careful being in the line of swing of a rear hoof!
REWahoo
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give
Actually, you had to make them comfortable. Hay was a choice, but fresh cut grass in a feed sack was better.
Ever lose a wristwatch?
harllee
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
When I was 11 years old my parents owned a small grocery store. My father bought my sister and I a snow cone machine. We made the syrup, kept it stocked and sold the snow cones in the summer (I guess it was child labor but we did not know it ). My sister and I got to keep all the money we made and my parents did not charge us rent! I remember it was a lot of fun until I got to be a teenager and then I thought it was kind of dumb but I liked the money.
Midpack
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
FUN, low $. I was a greenskeeper for a summer at a golf course between HS and college. It was actually a lot of fun, learning how to mow greens at the crack of dawn (really, not sarcastic) was the most fun. The reel mowers for greens are pretty remarkable. The actual full time greenskeepers did all the tricky stuff. Outside all day, and free golf when we got off after 3pm every weekdays (again we literally started at sun up), what’s not to like?
FUN, big $$$. I was a waiter in a pizza joint during school and then an upscale restaurant one summer off during college. I made a ton on money at the upscale restaurant, quite a bit more per month with tips than my starting pay as an engineer after graduating. The restaurant industry was fascinating to me, and the people who make a career of it know how to work, and how to party (at least IME). Being good at most (especially upscale) restaurant jobs isn’t nearly as easy as some think.
NOT FUN. I did residential (asphalt shingles) roofing for $3/hr in San Antonio as a summer job - yes it was HOT! That was pre-OSHA when there were no serious safety rules or equipment. The (chronically hung over) foreman had a pneumatic nail gun, we wore aprons with nails & caps and swung hammers, all manual. We, not the foreman, carried all the shingle bundles, felt rolls and tools up and down with ladders - mostly ranch homes but not all.
FUN, big $$$. I was a waiter in a pizza joint during school and then an upscale restaurant one summer off during college. I made a ton on money at the upscale restaurant, quite a bit more per month with tips than my starting pay as an engineer after graduating. The restaurant industry was fascinating to me, and the people who make a career of it know how to work, and how to party (at least IME). Being good at most (especially upscale) restaurant jobs isn’t nearly as easy as some think.
NOT FUN. I did residential (asphalt shingles) roofing for $3/hr in San Antonio as a summer job - yes it was HOT! That was pre-OSHA when there were no serious safety rules or equipment. The (chronically hung over) foreman had a pneumatic nail gun, we wore aprons with nails & caps and swung hammers, all manual. We, not the foreman, carried all the shingle bundles, felt rolls and tools up and down with ladders - mostly ranch homes but not all.
Last edited:
scrabbler1
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2009
- Messages
- 6,699
Two jobs I had in the early 1980s while a college student were crazy in their own ways.
The first was a job I held for 10 days in our local golf course's cafeteria. I had to be there at 5 AM on weekends for the early arriving golfers who would sign up for tee times then eat breakfast. The only problem was that they wouldn't tell me when I could leave. By 1 PM I was usually dragging along, as I rarely got enough sleep to arrive there so early. I didn't mind working there on some weeknights, as there was also a catering hall which hosted parties and I worked doing clean-up in the kitchen. The job also ruined any attempt at a social life on weekends.
A more enjoyable but crazy in its own way job was an ushering job at a Broadway show I held for about 18 months in 1983-84. The show was "Oh! Calcutta!", the nudie show which was for a time the longest running show on Broadway. The ushering job was pretty informal. No official uniforms, for example. I got paid in cash + tips and it was off the books.
We ushers along with the bartenders and other staff often had a dinner feast from the nearby Nathan's. One of the managers was friends with someone in the Nathan's marketing department so he got lots of coupons for free and discounted food. That and the free soft drinks meant I, who made the food run, got to eat very cheap but good food.
I could bring my homework there and get some of it done, as it was quiet while the show was on. The ushers had to stay only through intermission.
The most memorable show I worked was in June of 1984 when the show celebrated its 15th anniversary. A local TV show did a segment on it. That was a crazy night.
The first was a job I held for 10 days in our local golf course's cafeteria. I had to be there at 5 AM on weekends for the early arriving golfers who would sign up for tee times then eat breakfast. The only problem was that they wouldn't tell me when I could leave. By 1 PM I was usually dragging along, as I rarely got enough sleep to arrive there so early. I didn't mind working there on some weeknights, as there was also a catering hall which hosted parties and I worked doing clean-up in the kitchen. The job also ruined any attempt at a social life on weekends.
A more enjoyable but crazy in its own way job was an ushering job at a Broadway show I held for about 18 months in 1983-84. The show was "Oh! Calcutta!", the nudie show which was for a time the longest running show on Broadway. The ushering job was pretty informal. No official uniforms, for example. I got paid in cash + tips and it was off the books.
We ushers along with the bartenders and other staff often had a dinner feast from the nearby Nathan's. One of the managers was friends with someone in the Nathan's marketing department so he got lots of coupons for free and discounted food. That and the free soft drinks meant I, who made the food run, got to eat very cheap but good food.
I could bring my homework there and get some of it done, as it was quiet while the show was on. The ushers had to stay only through intermission.
The most memorable show I worked was in June of 1984 when the show celebrated its 15th anniversary. A local TV show did a segment on it. That was a crazy night.
Not really crazy, but the only other job I had besides my lifelong occupation and getting paid to hang out in the school library during college, was working with the vaccinia virus in an NIAID lab one summer. Highlights included getting the smallpox vaccine, to which I found out I’m allergic, and formally presenting my research to Dr. Fauci, who is whip smart and had a laser focus IRL.
Last edited:
CoolRich59
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
My favorite wacky job was as a driver for an auto auction while I was still in high school.
The lot manager would say "Hey kid, go grab that car and take it through" (the auditorium where the auction was held). I got to drive all kinds of great cars: TransAms, Corvettes, Mustangs, etc. Sometimes the buyers would want a test drive to see what they got. They weren't allowed to drive the cars, so we'd take them out for a spin on the track surrounding the auction house.
I'm sure the pay was lousy, but I didn't care. That was a great job.
My worst job was as an attorney with an outsourcing firm. A very wacky place - and not in a good way.
They called me for an interview. Their HQ was in Dallas and they were looking for an attorney for a new office they were opening in Chicago (where I was). They asked me to come to Dallas to meet other members of their legal staff and some of the company execs. "No problem", I said, "just send me the details" (plane tickets, hotel reservation, etc.). They said "we're not really set up for that. Can you pay for everything, send us the receipts, and we'll reimburse you?"
That should have been a big red flag, but I ignored it. When I arrived for the interview, they'd "forgotten" I was coming and had no one ready to talk to me (another red flag).
During the interview, I stressed that travel was a big issue for me (the megacorp I'd been with had soured me on business travel). We even discussed how much travel would be "too much" (I said 2-3 days/month max). My first month, I was gone 21 days - and the other attorneys told me that I'd had an easy month because I was new.
Luckily, I used my network, quickly found another position, and quit at the end of the first month. Although I gave the normal 2 weeks notice, they demonstrated their unhappiness with me by reassigning all my work and let me sit in my office for those 2 weeks doing nothing.
Oh, and those out-of-pocket expenses for the trip to Dallas? I had to threaten to sue them before I finally got reimbursed.
The lot manager would say "Hey kid, go grab that car and take it through" (the auditorium where the auction was held). I got to drive all kinds of great cars: TransAms, Corvettes, Mustangs, etc. Sometimes the buyers would want a test drive to see what they got. They weren't allowed to drive the cars, so we'd take them out for a spin on the track surrounding the auction house.
I'm sure the pay was lousy, but I didn't care. That was a great job.
My worst job was as an attorney with an outsourcing firm. A very wacky place - and not in a good way.
They called me for an interview. Their HQ was in Dallas and they were looking for an attorney for a new office they were opening in Chicago (where I was). They asked me to come to Dallas to meet other members of their legal staff and some of the company execs. "No problem", I said, "just send me the details" (plane tickets, hotel reservation, etc.). They said "we're not really set up for that. Can you pay for everything, send us the receipts, and we'll reimburse you?"
That should have been a big red flag, but I ignored it. When I arrived for the interview, they'd "forgotten" I was coming and had no one ready to talk to me (another red flag).
During the interview, I stressed that travel was a big issue for me (the megacorp I'd been with had soured me on business travel). We even discussed how much travel would be "too much" (I said 2-3 days/month max). My first month, I was gone 21 days - and the other attorneys told me that I'd had an easy month because I was new.
Luckily, I used my network, quickly found another position, and quit at the end of the first month. Although I gave the normal 2 weeks notice, they demonstrated their unhappiness with me by reassigning all my work and let me sit in my office for those 2 weeks doing nothing.
Oh, and those out-of-pocket expenses for the trip to Dallas? I had to threaten to sue them before I finally got reimbursed.
jfn111
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
jollystomper
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2012
- Messages
- 6,184
For about 6 years, during and after college, I was a disc jockey on the college's radio station (it was a "hybrid" student/community/commercial organization and could be heard across a large area, well beyond the campus). My initial interest getting involved was from the engineering perspective. I obtained an FCC broadcast license and the station needed engineers for various activities, but due to having a deep voice that impressed some of the others involved, I ended up on the air. While being on the air did not pay directly, I began getting hired to DJ parties, and with a few other DJs would promote and produce parties, due to "name recognition". I got into mixing records - the "old school" way with multiple turntables and vinyl records <grin>.
This was a fun time, but a lot of crazy things occurred related to this work. A few quick examples:
- Megacorp did not mind me being a DJ when I started. In fact a lot of folks in the office listened to my show, and I did sound and DJ'ed a lot of the local business and community functions Megacorp hosted. My clients would comment along the lines of "we know we can always reach you while you are on the air", and several times I was trying to answer their questions while running my show.
- I was not prepared for the level of female interest received. From the women who would call (especially when I did overnight "graveyard" shifts) and just wanted to talk (and at times offered more), to the ones who would stop by the station "because I had to see the man behind that voice", and then ask me out, to a few "stalkers" who would show up at parties I was DJ'ing and try to entice me into, shall I say, "something more", to after party "offers". This annoyed DW (whom I was dating at the time) to no end.
- It was the first time i saw cash in large quantities. I had a few paydays over $1000, all in cash. Once a promoter friend whom I DJ'ed for came to me after a party ended around 3AM and said a family emergency came up, he had to go out of town right now and did not want to take the cash received that night, could I hang onto it for a couple of days? It was over $20K, and I did not sleep until he came back for his money.
- Speaking of promoters, I was able to see "behind the scenes" of many of the dance clubs in the area. At times it was fun, at times it was scary. Organized crime was involved in a few of them. But, since I did not do drugs nor drink, I was labeled a "straight arrow" and that in a sense protected me in a lot of ways.
- The station at times would promote concerts, and I was able to meet many artists in person, some before they achieved national fame. A few even sent the station copies of their gold records, as we were one of the first to play their songs.
- When in college, the "rule" was all parties had to end at 2pm. Parties over a certain size had a police officer stationed to ensure security and that the party ended on time. A few friends and I befriended the officers, and would do this like making sure they had a comfortable place to sit and observe, offering them food and non-alcoholic drinks during the party, etc. Two particularly became good friends, and would fight over providing security for our parties. around 1AM they would say "everyone is having a good time, we are heading out now, be sure not to keep going too late". We would stretch the time, but not by much. As it turns out, when I started working for Megacorp the wife of one of the officers was in the same office, I ended up tutoring their daughter in math, their daughter developed a crush on me... funny.
I could go on and on... I am just too lazy to write a book <grin>. Even years later, things come up still related to that time. I have given presentations at technical have had people come up and ask me if I was that DJ they grew up with as they recognize my name and voice. At our last college class reunion, I stopped by the station (which is now much more commercial) just to see how things changed. The on air personality turned out to be one of the teenagers I had trained when I was at the station. I ended up doing an impromptu interview and show for about a hour, with people calling in who remembered listening to me and reminiscing about old times.
A fun "job" with crazy experiences that have become (mostly) good memories.
This was a fun time, but a lot of crazy things occurred related to this work. A few quick examples:
- Megacorp did not mind me being a DJ when I started. In fact a lot of folks in the office listened to my show, and I did sound and DJ'ed a lot of the local business and community functions Megacorp hosted. My clients would comment along the lines of "we know we can always reach you while you are on the air", and several times I was trying to answer their questions while running my show.
- I was not prepared for the level of female interest received. From the women who would call (especially when I did overnight "graveyard" shifts) and just wanted to talk (and at times offered more), to the ones who would stop by the station "because I had to see the man behind that voice", and then ask me out, to a few "stalkers" who would show up at parties I was DJ'ing and try to entice me into, shall I say, "something more", to after party "offers". This annoyed DW (whom I was dating at the time) to no end.
- It was the first time i saw cash in large quantities. I had a few paydays over $1000, all in cash. Once a promoter friend whom I DJ'ed for came to me after a party ended around 3AM and said a family emergency came up, he had to go out of town right now and did not want to take the cash received that night, could I hang onto it for a couple of days? It was over $20K, and I did not sleep until he came back for his money.
- Speaking of promoters, I was able to see "behind the scenes" of many of the dance clubs in the area. At times it was fun, at times it was scary. Organized crime was involved in a few of them. But, since I did not do drugs nor drink, I was labeled a "straight arrow" and that in a sense protected me in a lot of ways.
- The station at times would promote concerts, and I was able to meet many artists in person, some before they achieved national fame. A few even sent the station copies of their gold records, as we were one of the first to play their songs.
- When in college, the "rule" was all parties had to end at 2pm. Parties over a certain size had a police officer stationed to ensure security and that the party ended on time. A few friends and I befriended the officers, and would do this like making sure they had a comfortable place to sit and observe, offering them food and non-alcoholic drinks during the party, etc. Two particularly became good friends, and would fight over providing security for our parties. around 1AM they would say "everyone is having a good time, we are heading out now, be sure not to keep going too late". We would stretch the time, but not by much. As it turns out, when I started working for Megacorp the wife of one of the officers was in the same office, I ended up tutoring their daughter in math, their daughter developed a crush on me... funny.
I could go on and on... I am just too lazy to write a book <grin>. Even years later, things come up still related to that time. I have given presentations at technical have had people come up and ask me if I was that DJ they grew up with as they recognize my name and voice. At our last college class reunion, I stopped by the station (which is now much more commercial) just to see how things changed. The on air personality turned out to be one of the teenagers I had trained when I was at the station. I ended up doing an impromptu interview and show for about a hour, with people calling in who remembered listening to me and reminiscing about old times.
A fun "job" with crazy experiences that have become (mostly) good memories
.
Nemo2
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- May 14, 2011
- Messages
- 8,368
I was a nighttime & weekend 'hotel dick' in Toronto while back at school - interesting what went on under the oblivious noses of the regular guests.
This is going back 50 years ago, so the 'technology' in use is now antiquated:
One story....as part of ongoing procedure we'd check credit card numbers; found a room rented with a stolen card.....called the police...couple plain clothes showed up.
Listened in to the calls, (plug in switchboard and earphones) to and from the room. Turns out there were a bunch of guys and a doped up underage girl.
Installed a couple more plain clothes in the room directly across the hall so that they could monitor the comings & goings using the peephole.
Room gets an outside call from some of the room occupants' buddies....they'd just boosted some electronic equipment, (which one of them was attempting to hide under his coat), and were looking for a bag.
Cops in the room across the hall note the descriptions, and other cops nail them as they get off the down elevator in the lobby.
Another monitored call reveals that the young girl is going to be taken to a party where she's to be distributed freely among about twenty guys.
Cops decide it's time to go in....we open the door...(and stand back)...'active questioning' ensues.
Regular guests totally unaware.
This is going back 50 years ago, so the 'technology' in use is now antiquated:
One story....as part of ongoing procedure we'd check credit card numbers; found a room rented with a stolen card.....called the police...couple plain clothes showed up.
Listened in to the calls, (plug in switchboard and earphones) to and from the room. Turns out there were a bunch of guys and a doped up underage girl.
Installed a couple more plain clothes in the room directly across the hall so that they could monitor the comings & goings using the peephole.
Room gets an outside call from some of the room occupants' buddies....they'd just boosted some electronic equipment, (which one of them was attempting to hide under his coat), and were looking for a bag.
Cops in the room across the hall note the descriptions, and other cops nail them as they get off the down elevator in the lobby.
Another monitored call reveals that the young girl is going to be taken to a party where she's to be distributed freely among about twenty guys.
Cops decide it's time to go in....we open the door...(and stand back)...'active questioning' ensues.
Regular guests totally unaware.
Last edited:
eytonxav
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I was a night time security guard at the Windmill Club. This was an exclusive community in Armonk, NY that had many IBM Watson family members that came by the club house. Interesting the club house was also infested with dozens of raccoons, and they terrorized the place at night.
Speculator
Recycles dryer sheets
Back in September of 1969, I worked at the Aurora Plastics factory located in West Hempstead on Long Island, NY. The factory manufactured models of Universal Studios' monsters and my job was to sit near the end of an assembly line with a box of thousands of stickers proclaiming "Glow in The Dark!" As each model of Frankenstein or the Mummy passed me, I would attach a sticker to the box. This was the most boring job I have ever held (though I'll never forget it) and I lasted only two days before I left.
Another "interesting" job I thought of. Some friends who grew up in farm country (Minnesota) told me about a job they did in grade school. In the summer the Green Giant folks hired kids to sort through the beans on their way to processing and pick out any bugs they found. At the end of the day they got a penny for every bug they found.
So... (you see where this is going, right?) when they went to the plant in the morning they would walk through the fields and fill their pockets with bugs. Once they got on the job they had amazing success in collecting them!
So... (you see where this is going, right?) when they went to the plant in the morning they would walk through the fields and fill their pockets with bugs. Once they got on the job they had amazing success in collecting them!
I worked at a radio-pharmacy company in college, packing lead wrapped radioactive drugs into briefcases and delivering them to local hospitals daily. This was an early morning gig as doses had to be onsite usually by 8 am. Delivery cars had to be placarded with scary signs to go through tunnels and over bridges. Interestingly a car covered in radioactive hazard signs can park anywhere...
Biggest hazards on that j*b:
1. staying awake behind the wheel
2. waiting at the 3 minute light just outside the local Krispy kreme factory. They sold seconds and you could actually leave the car running at the light, run in, snag a few warm donuts and make it back to the car before the light changed.
Biggest hazards on that j*b:
1. staying awake behind the wheel
2. waiting at the 3 minute light just outside the local Krispy kreme factory. They sold seconds and you could actually leave the car running at the light, run in, snag a few warm donuts and make it back to the car before the light changed.
Nemo2
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- May 14, 2011
- Messages
- 8,368
Similar thing happened in, (I believe), India - the government paid a bounty for rats, so entrepreneurs started breeding them.
REWahoo
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give
Ah. That explains it...
ExFlyBoy5
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I worked as an assistant at a funeral home for a few weeks when in high school. Wasn't terribly exciting, but I sure didn't enjoy doing "removals". Thankfully, a better paying job working at the Winn Dixie warehouse came up and I bailed from the funeral home.
aja8888
Moderator Emeritus
aja8888
Moderator Emeritus
So you know a lot of golf caddy janitors?
As a matter of fact, I caddied at ages 12 - 14, then on weekends after high school. You listed "Golf Caddy", than "Janitor". Nothing unusual with both of those jobs.
I don't recall ever being a janitor, but I did work on a garbage truck in my teens.
Boose
Recycles dryer sheets
I don't know if this is wacky, but I was an apprentice electrician on the Ted Williams/Third Harbor Tunnel project in Boston. That's when I decided that 12 hour days, winter weather, and eating bag lunches in the near darkness was not for me.
Reading some of the experiences here... are these really the manufacturing jobs that will make America great again? I, too, grew up with grizzled old guys missing digits (and those were the lucky ones!).
Reading some of the experiences here... are these really the manufacturing jobs that will make America great again? I, too, grew up with grizzled old guys missing digits (and those were the lucky ones!).
Similar threads
