My daughters are at the age where they are looking for and starting their first jobs. I find myself reminiscing my work journey.

I wonder what turns my path might have taken if I had made different choices along the way.

 

As I played back the years in my mind, I realize that there were gems in every job.

 

Here are 10 of them:

 

1. Babysitting. It’s the parents and their secrets that I remember most.

2. Dinner server at retirement home. There’s more going on in the walk-in fridge than pre-made salads.

3. Discount clothing store. Even the cutest clothes look and smell like hell when they arrive in overstuffed boxes full of plastic bags.

4. Bank teller. It’s the most unlikely and least flashy people who have the biggest bank account balances. You literally cannot tell by looking at someone how much they have in the bank.

5. Units Clothing Store. Creepy guys will stand for hours watching teenagers through large windows with no concern for how it makes them feel.

6. Insurance customer service. You will make one of your best friends for 25 years and counting through notes in a shared notebook working alternating shifts.

7. Fire Insurance Claims Adjuster. Insurance is not boring or awful when you see firsthand how it changes people’s lives in a tragedy.

8. Executive Assistant. Being a part of the most important conversations yet not having to “take work home” with me is a cool combo.

9. College Faculty. I am at my most shining best when I’m teaching, especially community college classes.

10. Entrepreneur/Speaking Coach/Facilitator. I have a sense the most important takeaway is in my future, but for now: It won’t be wild success and fun times that will keep you doing the work of your life… it’s bigger, deeper and way less sparkly than that. When you’re called, you’re called.

 

Now you: what jobs stand out from your work journey – and what gems did they bring to your life?