[root@ericbox ~ /career/random_jobs.lst]#

Post ID: 5292026 |
Category: EMPLOYMENT.CHAOS |
Status: SOMEHOW STILL EMPLOYED

People ask me what jobs I’ve had over the years and honestly I need a database server to keep track of them all. Like most Gen X kids, nobody handed us a career roadmap. The plan was basically, “Here’s a paycheck. Try not to die.” So that’s what we did.

One of the main jobs was screen printing. Long days surrounded by ink, screens, presses, and enough fumes to convince you colors probably have personalities. There was something satisfying about it though. You started with a blank shirt and ended with something real. Not a spreadsheet. Not a PowerPoint presentation. An actual thing that existed in the physical universe. Humanity seems to be moving away from that concept for some reason.

Then there was butcher work. If you’ve never worked in a meat department, let me save you some time. It’s cold. It’s hard work. Everything is heavy. Everything is sharp. Everybody smells vaguely like hamburger at the end of the day. There are no corporate buzzwords. No “synergy.” No “circle back.” Just meat and gravity fighting each other while you try to make it to lunch.

[root@ericbox ~ /logs/adulting_failed.sys]#

These days I drive for senior services delivering Meals on Wheels. Out of all the jobs I’ve had, this one probably means the most. Sure, you’re delivering meals, but sometimes you’re also delivering the only conversation somebody gets all day. That’s a lot more important than whatever middle manager is currently scheduling a meeting about another meeting somewhere.

The funny thing is none of these jobs have anything in common. Screen printer. Butcher. Meals on Wheels driver. It sounds less like a career path and more like somebody spinning a giant employment wheel at a county fair.

“Gen X career planning was basically throwing darts at a wall and hoping one of them paid hourly.”

Looking back, every job taught me something. Screen printing taught patience. Butchering taught work ethic. Delivering meals taught perspective. Every one of them involved dealing with people, and that’s where the real lessons always hide.

I never became a CEO. Never built a startup. Never sold an online course explaining how to become a millionaire before breakfast. What I did do was work. A lot. Different jobs. Different places. Different chapters.

And honestly? That’s enough for me.

[root@ericbox ~ /shutdown/paycheck.complete]#

The older I get, the less impressed I am by fancy job titles. I’d rather be known as somebody who showed up, did the work, and wasn’t a pain in the ass to be around. That’s a pretty solid resume in my book.

Tags:
genx,
work,
screenprinting,
butcher,
mealsonwheels

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