Spin Doctor Needed......

An acquaintance once mentioned that I change jobs more often than I change my underwear.  That is a bit of an exaggeration since I religiously change my underwear at least once per day.  This statement has made me a bit insecure about my job history.  I once dreamed of finding the right job and staying with it forever~fate had other plans.  Friends try to make me feel better by telling me that I am well rounded, have vast life experience and have picked up numerous skills.  Last night I tried to recount my employment history; in doing so I gave myself a massive headache and was shocked by the amount of jobs that I have held.  There may be cause for concern.  I attempted to count them all in my mind which was pretty much impossible since I was trying to go chronologically and kept remembering obscure jobs that I had blocked from my memory.   The only thing to do was to promise myself that this morning I would sit down and type out a list and try not to faint when I saw the final number.   The best way to look at it is to say that I have met a lot of amazing people through various jobs and have enjoyed the majority of them.  I don't remember ever being fired.  I was laid off once at a job where the company was closing forever--I was one of the last to go a few weeks before the doors closed.  I could have stayed with Sunmakers, my favorite job ever, but I would have had to move my husband and pregnant self up to Seattle which was not possibly since his job was here.  To the best of my memory, here is my list:

Before Turning 20:
1.  Picking Beans at Dickey Farms
2.  Babysitting for various people through jr high and high school
3.  Snack Shack at the high school
4.  Life Guard for the City of White Salmon
5.  Life Guard for Clark College
6.  Sales Clerk at a Sporting Good Store at Vancouver Mall
7.  Possibly lasted one day as a telemarketer--I have a vague and highly unpleasant memory of this
8.  Live in Nanny for a family in Vancouver
9.  Waitress at T & C Restaurant in White Salmon
10. Booking Agent for Portland Night and Day
11. Cashier at Flaky Jake's

From Age 21 til Marriage at 25
12. Photo Developer at Hour Photo Lab
13. Sales Clerk in Hallmark like store at Mall 205
14. Customer Service Rep for Larger Photo Lab (loved this-they went out of business though  :( )
15. Production Line for Different Large Photo Lab--worked all night so you'd have photos next day
16. Snack Counter at Movie Theater
17. Telemarketing again for a few days to help a friend--Hate it--reason I STILL hate talking on phone
18. Waitress at Farrell's
19.  Receptionist and switch board operator at Moyer Theater Main Offices--left to go to Travel School
20.  Receptionist/Agent in Training at a Travel Agency

From Right Before Marriage through 30's
21.  Agent and Mexico Group Coordinator for a Travel Wholesaler-Favorite Job EVER we were sold :(
22.  A/R person for an Office Supply Company (to get by until new job)
23. Accounting Manager at a Corporate Travel Agency---Liked a lot but left during 2nd pregnancy
24. Home Daycare Provider-----Hard Work-Not Favorite-Paid Bills with Toddlers in house
25. Group Coordinator for Summer Exchange Students--This was my longest running gig
26. After School Enrichment Class Teacher
27. Pre School Assistant Teacher in Lake Oswego
28. Booking Agent for Travel Wholesaler--didn't work with toddlers at home and newly preggo with 3rd
29. More Home Childcare
30. Community Coordinator for HS Exchange Students
31.  Regional Coordinator for 2 companies at once--Summer Students and Winter Students
32.  After School Program Leader for Grant Program---Grant Ended after 3 years

In my 40's
33.  2 Years of Americorps doing the Aspire Program at Colton High School
34.  1 Year Temp Job at Colton HS as Counseling Secretary---Loved it--temp position  :(
35.  Kinderday Leader at Holcomb Elem. for 1 year while also Homework Club Lead at Beavercreek
36.  Kinderday Leader at King Elem.
37.  District Sub for several years for Teacher's Assistant Position
38.  Bookkeeper helper for a friend for awhile--Not my thing.  :(  Decent at it--hated 8 hours of numbers
39.  Library Worker in Canby--Hated Working EVERY Saturday. Missed Family Time  :(
39.  Cashier at Target
41.  Cashier at Used Furniture Store--Loved the people and old furniture--heavy lifting and weekends again
42.  Assistant to a friend with a Travel Agency--She was helping me out between jobs.  :)
43.  Administrative Assistant at Creative Childcare Solutions currently

Okay old friends--did I forget anything?  I am only 5 jobs away from my age!!  This is scary.   The funny thing is that besides my 17 years of working off and on with Compass USA, my longest running job is as a volunteer for PNBA.  I have worked for them once or twice a  year for 15 years. Not sure what I will do with this information.  Maybe I will use it as a teaching tool for my children.  I will tell them that if they want a decent retirement independent from their spouse they may want to think about longevity at a job.  I would not recommend job hopping to anyone.  Job hunting stresses me out but thankfully I have always ended up with something.  This list makes it extremely difficult to form a convincing resume'. Celebrities have publicity agents or "spin doctors" that help them to "spin" things into a positive light.  I need one of these to help with my resume'.  Yes, I am a writer, but when it comes to attempting a resume' for myself it always seems lacking.  If you are good at spinning, any help would be appreciated!!

In Search of.............

Once, long ago, I was actually described by someone as passionate.  That seems so foreign to me now.  In a world full of mortgages, college tuition, car payments and a ton of other bills I find myself mired in the drudgery of penny pinching and worrying that I will drop one of the many balls that I am juggling.  I wish that I could say that I was an expert at one thing, but the truth is that I am average at best when it comes to most everything I do.  I'm not trying to sell myself short, I am trying to see myself clearly so that I can move forward in life.  It is said that if you find the one thing in life that you are passionate about and pursue it, you can make it into your career.  I am 48 and have never actually had a career.  I have worked many jobs~some I have loved and some were just to get me by.  The ones that I have truly loved have disappeared by either the company being sold or by grant money running out.  It was always my intention to find a job that I loved and keep it forever.  That hasn't worked for me.  My current job is one of those instances.  I love it.  It utilizes my unique skill set and keeps me engaged.  I swear I have A.D.D. so keeping me engaged is important.  I don't like to be bored at work.  Anyone who has ever been bored at work will tell you that it makes the days drag by.  The company is going to be sold.  I completely understand.  My boss has been doing this for fifteen years and it has become more trouble than it is worth to her.  She is ready to make a big change and focus more on family.  It is bittersweet for me because even though I am thrilled that she will be starting a new chapter in her life, it means that I will be back to trying to find the right fit.  That is why my brain is trying to fathom just what it is that I am passionate about.  I guess you could say that I am passionate about my family, my dog (sadly only one of the three if I'm honest), my friends, good books, hard cider and chocolate. Writing should be in there but I have been going through a very dry spell lately and it needs to find its way back onto the list.  Writing is one thing that I do well when I take the time to actually do it.  Juggling bills and schedules sometimes exhausts me to the point that there is no energy left to write.
I always pictured myself with a cozy little bookstore where people could come to chat, browse and hopefully buy once in awhile.  There would be classes and meetings and people would be welcome to drink a cup of coffee and read a good book on their lunch hours.  Small independent books stores are becoming extinct though.  In order to pay those bills and keep the family afloat I have to actually bring home a paycheck. My small bookstore would have to have some other angle to it that would bring in money because the books themselves can be bought easily from the comfort of your own home on Amazon.  There is also the fact that I am a creative person and therefore lack a few essential qualities of running a successful business.  I would need a strong partner who isn't as warm, welcoming and accommodating as me.  Someone who understands money and how to make it.  I know how to spend it--frugally of course.
While this pipe dream winds its way through my brain, it doesn't really help with the question of what is next for me.  I have several months before I need to make any decisions.  I believe my job is secure until the end of the year.  That could change.  Maybe someone will come along, buy the company and decide that our awesome team of employees is worth keeping . We are a great team which makes it even harder.  I love what I do and who I work with.
Several friends are at a crossroads in their lives as well.  It is too bad that we can't come up with a business plan that would work for all of us. While most people are counting sheep I am categorizing possible career choices.  If only I were younger.  Casting director, funeral director, personal assistant, event coordinator, book buyer............heavy sigh.   My goal this year is to find my passion, it can't be gone, just misplaced.  I'm sure it is under a couch cushion, in the back of my closet or in a box in the attic.  The answers will come, the right opportunity will present itself and all will be harmonious again.   I need to remember to stay positive.  In the meantime I'll keep daydreaming and wondering if anyone besides me would frequent a cider bar that sells books and chocolate?