Quite awhile ago, one of my favorite blog friends Stephany did a post rounding up all the jobs she’s ever had. I loved it! It’s so fun to learn about people’s histories and how they got to where they are, so I thought “shoot, let me do that too!” Thanks for the inspiration, friend!
I’ve only ever worked at TWO places even though I’m 30 (what can I say? I don’t like change), but I’ve had a variety of jobs at each place. I’ve worked for Wegmans and I’ve worked for the library. Here’s what I did at each place.
Wegmans
May 2005 – October 2011
Wegmans is a grocery store / pharmacy / cafe that started out locally here in Rochester but has become somewhat renowned for their innovation and exceptional customer service standards. I started working there in 2005 when I was just 16 years old. When I left in 2011, it was because I had just started graduate school full time, plus I was already working at the library. Balancing school with two jobs was just getting to be too much. Here are the jobs I held while working at Wegmans.
Cashier
I started out as a cashier and did this for a couple of years. It was an okay first job but could be a little bit boring. I also had to get used to standing for extended periods of time. The worst was when people asked for paper bags, especially if they wanted them double bagged. So annoying, and a cashier’s worst nightmare.
Customer Service Desk
A short while later, I got promoted to the Customer Service Desk. They approached me about this opportunity and I didn’t even have to interview. This was when I first started to come out of my shell because I was forced to; I was painfully shy prior to this. I worked with a great staff and this is where I met one of my favorite friends, Angela.
We did a huge variety of things: returns and exchanges, answering and transferring the phones, money orders and moneygrams, lottery sales and redemptions, bottle returns, complaints, selling tickets to local events, signing customers up for Shoppers Club cards. I was a jack of all trades and I really enjoyed it. My favorite thing was when someone returned an almost entirely-eaten cake because it was “dry,” and yet, they had eaten the majority of it. Um, what? I also learned about the intensity of lotto players who spit numbers at you rapid fire, and were always waiting for us to open at 6 am so they could get their tickets. It was a somewhat stressful job, but I learned a lot and it ended up being a real turning point for me in terms of my shy-ness.
Photo Lab Technician
After this, I applied for an opening in the photo lab, was interviewed, and got it. This was an awesome job! I printed and packaged up people’s photos. Occasionally, we did passport photos too. It was an easy, low stress job and I usually worked on my own, occasionally with one other person. I left the photo department when they sadly closed.
Pharmacy Technician
After the photo lab shut down, I was approached by management to gauge my interest in becoming a Pharmacy Technician. I said yes, and started quite the adventure. As you can imagine, pharmacies have a lot of rules and regulations, and it was a steep learning curve. I was sent to the corporate offices for an intense few weeks of off-site job training with several other people. Once returning to the in-store pharmacy after training, I got to work.
Techs work at three different stations and rotate throughout them during the day: pick up (just cashing people out for the medications), drop-off (where people dropped off their prescriptions and I would input the data: med name, dosage, directions, etc.), and filling.
Y’all… filling medications was the sh*t! It was the best part of the job and was most coveted by the techs on a day to day basis because it was fun and you could be away from the customers for a bit. Basically, after the techs input the script info at drop-off, the pharmacist would verify it and send it off to filling. From there, we filled them. We’d print out the medication info, bag it, slap a label on the pill bottle, pull the medication from the shelves, run it through the pill counter, and bottle it up. We’d then pass it along to the pharmacists to verify our work. For controlled substances, we’d have to get the medication unlocked from the pharmacists, and hand count and back count the leftovers. This was all very fun.
It was a very fast paced, nonstop, high stress job. I really enjoyed it and made some good friends during that time. I’m still friends with one of the pharmacists who has now retired; I have lunch with him and his wife a few times a year.
Library
Setember 2010 – Present
When I was a wee baby of 20, I started working at my local public library which was such a dream! I work for the library in my hometown and it’s one of the biggest and best in the counties. We’re part of a 30+ library system countywide, and we have TWO branches in my town and I have worked at both (we’re all one staff at both town branches). For a short time, I also worked as a substitute librarian at one of the other county libraries, but that’s it.
Desk Aide
I was first hired on as a Desk Aide, which was a 12 hour a week position. I worked (3) 4 hour shifts a week at the check out desk. I did check outs, returns, and signed people up for new cards.
Library Clerk
A short while later, I took the Library Clerk civil service exam (Desk Aide does not require any test). Luckily, I scored a 100 and was promoted relatively quickly. Library Clerks work 28 hours a week, but receive benefits. This was also when I was able to enroll in NYS retirement, which is a great perk. Clerks do all the same stuff as desk aides but have a lot more responsibility. In addition to working at the Check Out Desk, I also had time off desk where I would work in the back and process new incoming books. I worked on adult fiction. This meant prepping all the new books that came in (adding labels and whatnot) and then linking them up to the catalog so they could go out and circulate. Clerks also deal with damaged items and billing for those.
Library Assistant
Once you have a Bachelor’s Degree, you can take the Library Assistant civil service exam, so I did that as soon as I could. The “exam” for this title is actually done at home and basically involves you submitting your resume. You are then awarded points for experience, and I scored a 100.
I waited a couple of years for an opening, but eventually got promoted. Assistants also work 28 hours a week but your responsibilities change A TON. You essentially do the work of a librarian but without the title and a little less pay. As an assistant, I no longer worked at the Check Out Desk and instead worked at the Information Desk. I answered research questions, placed holds, dealt with patron problems, etc. I also started ordering library materials during my off desk time and had my own cubicle (moving up in the world!). I ordered a variety of different things in my time as an assistant and also worked as Page Supervisor for a time.
Librarian I
In 2013, I graduated with my MLS Degree and also received my New York State Public Librarian Certificate. The next step was to also take the Librarian I civil service exam, which worked the same as the assistant exam. Though I was eligible to become a librarian, I had to wait for an opening and continued to work as an assistant.
In September 2016, one of our librarians retired and I was offered her job – hooray! I was promoted to full time too, and moved into her office which I share with an amazing office-mate. I now order all of the adult fiction for both branches (which was my DREAM), and I also run all of our social media. I’ve had a blast learning all about social media marketing, and am really passionate about it now, as a result. I also have some other small responsibilities like working as the Volunteer Coordinator and running our Forever YA book club. As always, I also work shifts at our Information Desk.
…and there you have it! My life history in jobs. It’s kind of boring because I’ve only worked at a couple of places, but that’s just how I am. If things go as planned, I’ll retire from my library too. I’m hoping for some promotions in the future (Librarian I is entry level and it goes all the way up to IV), but I love ordering fiction and managing the social media, so I hope those duties never change.
What are some of the jobs you’ve worked in your life?
No comments