{"id":188,"date":"2003-08-09T05:12:00","date_gmt":"2003-08-09T05:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/brianjnoggle.com\/blog\/?p=188"},"modified":"2018-08-03T09:21:42","modified_gmt":"2018-08-03T14:21:42","slug":"188","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brianjnoggle.com\/blog\/2003\/08\/09\/188\/","title":{"rendered":"The Resume"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today was my last day at my current job, and the end of a personal era. Let me explain.<\/p>\n

I entered the work force in 1990 when I moved from a forsaken Marcellus (that is, not a town, not a village, not even a Hamlet<\/a><\/i>, but rather a minor character therein) to Milwaukee to attend the prestigious (to those in Milwaukee) Marquette University. I worked my way through college since I screwed off my way through scholarships (quickly), so I held that first job for the four years it took me to complete Writing Intensive English (WINE–who could ask for a better degree?) and Social Philosophy degrees.<\/p>\n

After that, though, I graduated with degrees that “prepare you for anything” but give you little in terms of an actual job path. As such, I held a number of positions, many in retail and many part time overlapping with other positions.<\/p>\n

I’ve often told stories of my varied resume for the amusement of my co-workers. However, the allusions to my resume can fail to capture the nature and breadth of the job bouncing I’ve done, so I provide the following accounting for their reckoning and your amusement:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Company<\/b><\/td>\nTitle<\/b><\/td>\nDuration<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gold’s\/Sheridan’s Shop Rite<\/td>\nBagger\/Checker\/Produce Clerk<\/b><\/td>\n47 months<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Blue Horseshoe Productions<\/td>\nTelemarketing Fund Raiser<\/b><\/td>\n1 months<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Price Chopper<\/td>\nUtility Clerk<\/b><\/td>\n3 months<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
National Systems, Inc.<\/td>\nMarketing Research Assistant<\/b><\/td>\n1 months<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Better Business World<\/td>\nGuy Friday\/Computer Assembler<\/td>\n3 months<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Artmart<\/td>\nShipping\/Receiving Clerk<\/td>\n8 months<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sappington Farmers Market<\/td>\nProduce Clerk<\/td>\n15 months<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Paint Dealer<\/i><\/td>\nAssistant Editor<\/td>\n4 months<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Drug Package, Inc.<\/td>\nClass II Web Printing Press Operator<\/td>\n24 months<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
TALX Corporation<\/td>\nDocumentation Specialist<\/td>\n8 months<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Data Research Associates, Inc.<\/td>\nTechnical Writer\/Automated Tester<\/td>\n21 months<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MetaMatrix, Incorporated<\/td>\nTechnical Writer<\/td>\n35 months<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tripos, Incorporated<\/td>\nQuality Assurance Engineer I<\/td>\n?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

It’s a lot of job bouncing, undoubtedly, but a lot of it took place in the early part of my “career,” when an extra fifty cents an hour meant a ten percent pay raise.<\/p>\n

Overall, within my employment history, jobs have been fluid, plentiful, and easily changed. In today’s economy, it’s important to keep this in mind. I’ve never felt that a single job’s going to provide for my retirement (nor will a single government system like Socialism Security). I’ve also been comfortable moving forward as well as backward or side-to-side to find something new, and I’ve worked at crummy jobs enough to realize that you can always find something if you’re willing to be honest and to work earnestly.<\/p>\n

It’s a big step, though, leaving a place I’ve worked for almost three years<\/i>. Don’t laugh; these have been three important, formative years in my life. They represent years 2-4 in my marriage and 1-3 in home ownership. I wrote my best novel manuscript yet, John Donnelly’s Gold<\/i>, while at this last job.<\/p>\n

So I’m moving on, and as I reflect on my job history, several things clarify:<\/p>\n