What was your worst-ever job?
Someone posted that question on a writers’ LinkedIn group, and here’s my response:
Can’t decide which job of mine was worst. Working for [name of prominent religious organization in KC] and having to stop for a prayer/sermon twice a day was pretty bad. Two other sinners and I would go to the snack area downstairs on our breaks, smoke about a million cigarettes and complain.
Worse, though, was a short-lived copywriting job with a very small (seven employees), now-defunct consumer packaged-goods agency in KC. The owner/head AE had said before hiring me and my art partner that he wanted “good creative.” He beetled his brows at me when I was sitting at my typewriter (yes, it was that long ago) gazing at a blank sheet of paper. He’d ask the people in the outer office, “What’s she DOING in there?” Later, I realized there was no need for “thinking,” which is that thing I was doing. “Good creative” to him was an ad that looked just like one from a file cabinet full of P&G coupon ads he had collected while he worked at P&G. He fired me on my birthday, which was a fitting gift.
Oh, wait! It was MUCH worse working at Bozell in Omaha. But that’s a long, gut-wrenching story for another time. Preferably at a bar.
14 years old hanging Christmas lights on the outside of the five and dime store DURING a freezing rain. Nearly fell off the roof 3 times stringing 50′ of lights. The owner approved the work and gave me 75 cents suggesting I spend it in his store. At 14 I learned about pre-work negotiation. Never had a bad job since.
Working in the back room of a drycleaner for an entire summer. It must’ve been 130 degrees.