I was tagged for this interview . . . well 2 years ago, and for some odd reason the backlink comment only just showed up today!!!! OMG! Why did it do that? Oh well, I figure I should answer it, better late than never, right?
Here is a copy of the MeMe I was tagged with:
In Richard Nelson Bolles – What Color Is Your Parachute?, Bolles wrote about Informational Interviewing. It’s where you contact your friends, family, etc and ask them for contacts in the field that you are interested in and gather information for your career change.
It can be a job you’d held in the past or currently. You can link back to this post but it’s not compulsory. The reason I post this is I’m researching on jobs and would love to know more about your jobs. I’ll comment on some of my job experiences too because I’m not a sucker that takes without giving :p
Job:
Co:
Duration in this position:
Salary & benefits:
Education:
Other factors that helped you in scoring this job:
The job is about:
How did you get this job?
What do you like most about it?
What do you hate about it?
What’s next? What do you need to achieve that?
Who else do this kind of work?
Well fact of the matter is, I have several jobs, all sort of helter skeltered together, so it's a bit difficult to clearly defin them all, but I'll try and see what happens. So here it goes:
Job: Writer/Author
Co: self employed; freelance
Duration in this position: since 1978; still working in 2009; 31 years!
Salary & benefits: varies from $0 - $200 per project
Education: I left public school at age 8; self taught after that
Other factors that helped you in scoring this job: it's a job I created for myself because I love to write
The job is about: writing (formaly I wrote fiction, but since 2006 I've only written non-fiction)
How did you get this job? I just started writing and than had it printed up (self-published) or sent to a publisher (traditionally published) or posted on a web page (web publishing) or posted on a blog (problogging). Being a freelancer, means I have a lot of ways to get published and I take advantage of every single one of them as often as possible. The more I write, the more I get paid.
What do you like most about it? I like that I can change my schedual to fit my needs: if I want to stay awake and write steady for 48 hours, I can. If I don't feel like writing for 2 or 3 weeks, I can do that too. I like that I can work around other jobs too. I guess you could call me a work-a-holic, because I'm not happy unless I've got lots of jobs all at once.
What do you hate about it? Lack of a steady income - you could end up going weeks or even months between pay checks; lack of any benafits: no social security, no retirment, no insurance, nothing, zip, nadda.
What’s next? What do you need to achieve that? Next? After getting approxamatly 600 fan requests for me to write an autobiography of my strange and multi faceted life with a focus on my time being homeless and the events that lead up to me becoming homeless and how I made it back up off the streets again, I started work on my book "For Fear of Little Men", to tell the story of how my sightening of what some called and alien and others called a demon (though I called a faerie) resulted in a group of religious fanatics taking matters into there own hands by burning me out of my house. Of course on the side libes of that, and as a result of their religious prejudices, I'm planning to get my 900 page rant about why I dislike religion, edited down to a magageable 250 book, and finally get it published - I started writing it in 2003, and it just kept getting bigger and bigger.
What do I need to achieve that? Not much. Pen. Paper. Word Processor. Memories of events in my life. Time to write it all down. And, since I own my own publishing house, well, I also need to publish it afterwards.
Who else does this kind of work? uhm, well, other writers, here locally we have Stephen King living near by, and you've more likely heard of him, so I'll use him as an example, only he's more focused on traditionally published novels, and I'm more focused on shorter self published chap books.
You can find out more about what I do for a living HERE.
Job: Artist/Painter
Co: self employed; freelance
Duration in this position: since 1978; still working in 2009; 31 years!
Salary & benefits: varies from $1 - $200 per project; no benifits; though I was working as a painter for 31 years, I did not recieve my first actual payment for my work until 2004, when I placed my art for sale online via CafePress and Zazzle.
Education: I left public school at age 8; self taught after that
Other factors that helped you in scoring this job: it's a job I created for myself because I love to draw and paint
The job is about: drawing and painting everything that pops into my head and asks me to recreate it on paper.
How did you get this job? I just started drawing and painting. I wrote a really long and highly detailed article about how I got started HERE. Be warned though it well take you a few hours to read, it's a small novella leagth article.
What do you like most about it? I like that I can change my schedual to fit my needs: if I want to stay awake and paint steady for 48 hours, I can. If I don't feel like painting for 2 or 3 weeks, I can do that too. Because I never sell my originals, only prints, this is a repeat sale job, which means that I can paint one painting, and than continue to recieve payments, via royalties for many years after I made the painting. As a result I only need to paint one or two pictures each month. I like that I can work around other jobs too. I guess you could call me a work-a-holic, because I'm not happy unless I've got lots of jobs all at once.
What do you hate about it? Lack of a steady income - you could end up going weeks or even months between pay checks; lack of any benafits: no social security, no retirment, no insurance, nothing, zip, nadda.
What’s next? What do you need to achieve that? Next? Just more of the same thing really. More paintings, more drawings, more uploading them to CafePress and Zazzle, more marketing and advertising, more getting the word out about my art so more people can find it to buy it.
Job: Witch
Co: self employed; freelance
Duration in this position: since 1979; still working in 2009; 30 years!
Salary & benefits: varies from free volunteer work to $200 - $700 per session client; no benifits;
Education: I left public school at age 8; self taught after that - People have been calling me a witch, a poltergeist, or an evil demon possessed girl since I was 4 years old.
Other factors that helped you in scoring this job: It helps that I have Autism. Apperently as a result of my being autistic I am able to do things that non-autistic people can not do. It's a job I created for myself because I love to sew dolls, spend time with animals, protect those who can not protect themselves from harm, and listen to things my Faerie has to say to me.
The job is about: There are hundreds of types of Witches out there. So I must break it down so you know what type of Witch I am, as to not confuse me with other types out there. I have written articles detailing what I do and such, and I'm linking those to the words which match their topic, so if you want more info about my job description, simply click on each of the links to read what I do in more detail.
How did you get this job? I didn't seek out this career. It was sort of thrust on me when I was 4 years old. I was "born a freak", or so I'm often told.
What do you like most about it? That it has no schedual at all. I go where I'm needed and work when I'm needed.
What do you hate about it? I hate the vandalism at the hands of so-called "Good Christians" who claim it is their "God Given Duty" to "cast out my demons".
What’s next? What do you need to achieve that? Next? Well, because I'm always saying (preaching???) what people call "pretty radical" things, and because I'm always quoteing scripture, and because I spent 20 years studying the Bible, and because as a teenager my goal was to become a preacher, and because there is no religion that teaches the things I do, and because since 2003 I'v had more than 200 people tell me I should start a church of my own, that's what I'm going to do.
Who else does this kind of work? uhm, I've actually never come across another person who does what I do. I've encounted many "Witches" but none who are able to do the things I do. They just all seem to do rituals and chants and burn candels and stuff. They say I give other Witches a bad name and accuse me of being a poltergiest or working with a poltergeist. Christians call me an evil witch possessed by a demon, but when I turn to other Witches, they tell me I am evil too, and that I'm not a regular type of Witch like they are (whatever that means) that I'm some sort of freak of nataure. Sometimes they get mad because I do the things I do, without any rituals and such, I just say it and it happens, and me doing that freaks them out, because they say it's not the type of thing Witches normally do, they tell me I am supposed to be useing all sorts of herbs and rituals and candles. They point out that they studied Witchcraft for years and celbrate all the sabets and worship Goddesses, and get angry because they still can not do the things I do, and ask me how I do it, and I just say I don't know, because I've been doing these things since I was 4 years old and I've never studied Witchcraft, I don't know what Sabets are, and I'm a Christain who would never dream of worshipping a Goddess.
Job: Avon Sales Representative
Co: Avon Products, INC.
Duration in this position: 1996 through 2003;
Salary & benefits: varies from 10% to 30% commision depending on ammount of sales that weekt; no benifits
Education: I left public school at age 8; self taught after that
Other factors that helped you in scoring this job: I had the $20 required to buy the starting kit. That's all there is to getting started working for Avon - no training, no interview, no questions; you just hand the Sales Manager a twenty dollar bill, she hands you the sales kit, and than you head door to door selling stuff.
The job is about: being a fast talking door to door sales man who carries around a brief case of products and testers and catalouges and tries to convince people they want to buy make-up, perfumes, lotions, and gift products that they never would have known existed if you had not knocked on their door and told the they could not survive without your wounderful product.
How did you get this job? I had the $20 required to buy the starting kit. That's all there is to getting started working for Avon - no training, no interview, no questions; you just hand the Sales Manager a twenty dollar bill, she hands you the sales kit, and than you head door to door selling stuff.
What do you like most about it? I like that I can change my schedual to fit my needs: if I want to stay awake and paint steady for 48 hours, I can. Pretty much it was a one day a week job - one day I deliver all the products to my customers, they gave me new orders, I didn't have to do anything until the next shippment arrived for me to deliver. I guess you could call me a work-a-holic, because I'm not happy unless I've got lots of jobs all at once.
What do you hate about it? Lack of a steady income - you could end up going weeks or even months between pay checks; lack of any benafits: no social security, no retirment, no insurance, nothing, zip, nadda. The fact that you have to try to get people to reorder something EVERY SINGLE WEEK!! Avon would be much better if the shipments were once a month not once a week.
What’s next? What do you need to achieve that? Next? From Avon I moved to Macy's.
Who else does this kind of work? uhm, Everybody else who sells beauty products door to door.
Job: Macy's Sales Associate (part time temp)
Co: Macy's Department Store
Duration in this position: 2006 through 2008;
Salary & benefits: $7.50 an hour; no benifits
Education: I left public school at age 8; self taught after that; had 2 years of college for fashion design and merchandising; took the "Give Them The Pickle" sales seminar
Other factors that helped you in scoring this job: my years as an Avon Sales Rep, my training in fashion design and merchandising, my training in sales via seminars
The job is about: running cash registers, cleaning fitting rooms, help customers find the perfect outfit, stocking racks of dresses.
How did you get this job? I walked into the store and asked if they had any job openings, and they hired me about 5 minutes later (she liked the way I was dressed, said I looked like some one who knew a thing or two about the fashion industry - I was wearing a black business suit with my hair tied in an Olive Oyl bun, and make up expertly applied to match my skin tonelearned via my many years of appling Avon products during my sales rep career with them -- if I had learned anything selling Avon, it was that you need to look the part if you want to be a sales rep, and though it's not what I wear outside of work, I can pull off one hell of a professional career woman look, when I really want to) After hireing me she rememberd that she was required to have me fill out a job application.
What do you like most about it? I like that I can change my schedual to fit my needs: being a temp, ment that I was only working 4 or 5 hours a day 2 or 3 days a week, usually to replace some one who called in sick, and I could fill out a calander of days I was unable to work, and they only asked me to come in on the other days.
What do you hate about it? Actually, I haven't bee able to come up with anything I actually hated about this job. I loved it. I think it was my favorite job of anything else I've ever done.
What’s next? What do you need to achieve that? I have to reapply every year for this job, because it's a temp job and not a regular job. I didn't reapply this year, because my dog was very ill and required my constant daily care. He died a few months ago. Since than, I just seem to have not been much motivated to do anything at all. He was my constant compainion for 13 years, he was the one who stayed by my side through the flood, the fire, and the ordeal of being homeless and living on the streets. I've had a hard time not having him with me any more and some how that effected my going back to work at Macy's. Or any place else for that matter.
Who else does this kind of work? uhm, Everybody else who sells beauty products door to door.
What's your take on this? I'd love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!
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If you liked reading this blog and want to read more stuff written by me, I have lots of websites, where you can read other things I write, here are a few of the ones I like the best:
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Job: Artist/Painter
Co: self employed; freelance
Duration in this position: since 1978; still working in 2009; 31 years!
Salary & benefits: varies from $1 - $200 per project; no benifits; though I was working as a painter for 31 years, I did not recieve my first actual payment for my work until 2004, when I placed my art for sale online via CafePress and Zazzle.
Education: I left public school at age 8; self taught after that
Other factors that helped you in scoring this job: it's a job I created for myself because I love to draw and paint
The job is about: drawing and painting everything that pops into my head and asks me to recreate it on paper.
How did you get this job? I just started drawing and painting. I wrote a really long and highly detailed article about how I got started HERE. Be warned though it well take you a few hours to read, it's a small novella leagth article.
What do you like most about it? I like that I can change my schedual to fit my needs: if I want to stay awake and paint steady for 48 hours, I can. If I don't feel like painting for 2 or 3 weeks, I can do that too. Because I never sell my originals, only prints, this is a repeat sale job, which means that I can paint one painting, and than continue to recieve payments, via royalties for many years after I made the painting. As a result I only need to paint one or two pictures each month. I like that I can work around other jobs too. I guess you could call me a work-a-holic, because I'm not happy unless I've got lots of jobs all at once.
What do you hate about it? Lack of a steady income - you could end up going weeks or even months between pay checks; lack of any benafits: no social security, no retirment, no insurance, nothing, zip, nadda.
What’s next? What do you need to achieve that? Next? Just more of the same thing really. More paintings, more drawings, more uploading them to CafePress and Zazzle, more marketing and advertising, more getting the word out about my art so more people can find it to buy it.
What do I need to achieve that? Not much. Pen. Paper. Crayons. Paints. Pencils. Time to paint. A camera for my photogray work. Lots and lots of marketing and SEO skills.
You can find out more about what I do for a living HERE.
Job: Witch
Co: self employed; freelance
Duration in this position: since 1979; still working in 2009; 30 years!
Salary & benefits: varies from free volunteer work to $200 - $700 per session client; no benifits;
Education: I left public school at age 8; self taught after that - People have been calling me a witch, a poltergeist, or an evil demon possessed girl since I was 4 years old.
I had a very good teacher in the art of casting spells and making Voodoo dolls.
Other factors that helped you in scoring this job: It helps that I have Autism. Apperently as a result of my being autistic I am able to do things that non-autistic people can not do. It's a job I created for myself because I love to sew dolls, spend time with animals, protect those who can not protect themselves from harm, and listen to things my Faerie has to say to me.
The job is about: There are hundreds of types of Witches out there. So I must break it down so you know what type of Witch I am, as to not confuse me with other types out there. I have written articles detailing what I do and such, and I'm linking those to the words which match their topic, so if you want more info about my job description, simply click on each of the links to read what I do in more detail.
I am a Sea Witch which is a type of Hedgewitch. This means that I work with Familiars to practice Sea Magic, which is a type of Grey Magic (different that White Magic or Black Magic, meaning I'm also knowwn as a Grey Witch rather than either a White Witch or a Black Witch.)
In short, I I heal broken auras with the use of spell casting, voodoo dolls, color therapy, crystals, and by channeling the energy created by Etiole.
For those who saw the job title of witch and instantly thought Wicca, please know that Witchcraft is a career and Wicca is a religion, and though I am a Witch, I am NOT a Wicca. If you don't know the differance between a Witch and a Wicca than please READ THIS.
How did you get this job? I didn't seek out this career. It was sort of thrust on me when I was 4 years old. I was "born a freak", or so I'm often told.
What do you like most about it? That it has no schedual at all. I go where I'm needed and work when I'm needed.
What do you hate about it? I hate the vandalism at the hands of so-called "Good Christians" who claim it is their "God Given Duty" to "cast out my demons".
Lack of a steady income - you could end up going weeks or even months between pay checks; lack of any benafits: no social security, no retirment, no insurance, nothing, zip, nadda.
What’s next? What do you need to achieve that? Next? Well, because I'm always saying (preaching???) what people call "pretty radical" things, and because I'm always quoteing scripture, and because I spent 20 years studying the Bible, and because as a teenager my goal was to become a preacher, and because there is no religion that teaches the things I do, and because since 2003 I'v had more than 200 people tell me I should start a church of my own, that's what I'm going to do.
What do I need to achieve this? Well, a good working knowledge of the teachings of Jesus, which I have already. Knowledge of the laws regarding churches. In Maine you have to be legal ordained before you can start a church. As of yesterday, I am now an ordained minister, through a non-denominational church (therefor allowing me to start my own religion). I now have the title of Reverand in front of my name. Next step is to figure out how to actually start a church. In the mentime, though, I require a book of theogies, creeds, laws, and docrtines, and well, that's why the sudden move to publish my previously unpublished 900 page rant "Faith Not Religion" as mentioned in my writing job info above.
Who else does this kind of work? uhm, I've actually never come across another person who does what I do. I've encounted many "Witches" but none who are able to do the things I do. They just all seem to do rituals and chants and burn candels and stuff. They say I give other Witches a bad name and accuse me of being a poltergiest or working with a poltergeist. Christians call me an evil witch possessed by a demon, but when I turn to other Witches, they tell me I am evil too, and that I'm not a regular type of Witch like they are (whatever that means) that I'm some sort of freak of nataure. Sometimes they get mad because I do the things I do, without any rituals and such, I just say it and it happens, and me doing that freaks them out, because they say it's not the type of thing Witches normally do, they tell me I am supposed to be useing all sorts of herbs and rituals and candles. They point out that they studied Witchcraft for years and celbrate all the sabets and worship Goddesses, and get angry because they still can not do the things I do, and ask me how I do it, and I just say I don't know, because I've been doing these things since I was 4 years old and I've never studied Witchcraft, I don't know what Sabets are, and I'm a Christain who would never dream of worshipping a Goddess.
So, long story short, while I would like to find another Witch who was a natural born witch with REAL powers, I have yet to find one and am pretty much outcast by the rest of the Witch community because they think you can't be born a Witch they think you have to spend years learning how to do it. So I can not provide you with any one else to compare me with, unless of course you want to compare me with Jesus or one of the Old Testament Prophets or the ancient Priests of Egypt, because they are the only other ones I've ever heard of who did this type of stuff.
You can find out more about what I do for a living HERE.
Job: Avon Sales Representative
Co: Avon Products, INC.
Duration in this position: 1996 through 2003;
Salary & benefits: varies from 10% to 30% commision depending on ammount of sales that weekt; no benifits
Education: I left public school at age 8; self taught after that
Other factors that helped you in scoring this job: I had the $20 required to buy the starting kit. That's all there is to getting started working for Avon - no training, no interview, no questions; you just hand the Sales Manager a twenty dollar bill, she hands you the sales kit, and than you head door to door selling stuff.
(note - I sold Avon before they opened their web site and started selling online; when they first started the online store in 2003, they cancled the accounts of about 75% of their door-to-door sales personal, claiming that they were going to discontinue door to door sales, and that the few remaining sales reps were going to move on to regional managment jobs. A year later, they changed their minds, reenstated the door to door sales and wanted all their old sales reps back, but I never signed back up again.)
The job is about: being a fast talking door to door sales man who carries around a brief case of products and testers and catalouges and tries to convince people they want to buy make-up, perfumes, lotions, and gift products that they never would have known existed if you had not knocked on their door and told the they could not survive without your wounderful product.
How did you get this job? I had the $20 required to buy the starting kit. That's all there is to getting started working for Avon - no training, no interview, no questions; you just hand the Sales Manager a twenty dollar bill, she hands you the sales kit, and than you head door to door selling stuff.
What do you like most about it? I like that I can change my schedual to fit my needs: if I want to stay awake and paint steady for 48 hours, I can. Pretty much it was a one day a week job - one day I deliver all the products to my customers, they gave me new orders, I didn't have to do anything until the next shippment arrived for me to deliver. I guess you could call me a work-a-holic, because I'm not happy unless I've got lots of jobs all at once.
What do you hate about it? Lack of a steady income - you could end up going weeks or even months between pay checks; lack of any benafits: no social security, no retirment, no insurance, nothing, zip, nadda. The fact that you have to try to get people to reorder something EVERY SINGLE WEEK!! Avon would be much better if the shipments were once a month not once a week.
What’s next? What do you need to achieve that? Next? From Avon I moved to Macy's.
Who else does this kind of work? uhm, Everybody else who sells beauty products door to door.
Job: Macy's Sales Associate (part time temp)
Co: Macy's Department Store
Duration in this position: 2006 through 2008;
Salary & benefits: $7.50 an hour; no benifits
Education: I left public school at age 8; self taught after that; had 2 years of college for fashion design and merchandising; took the "Give Them The Pickle" sales seminar
Other factors that helped you in scoring this job: my years as an Avon Sales Rep, my training in fashion design and merchandising, my training in sales via seminars
The job is about: running cash registers, cleaning fitting rooms, help customers find the perfect outfit, stocking racks of dresses.
How did you get this job? I walked into the store and asked if they had any job openings, and they hired me about 5 minutes later (she liked the way I was dressed, said I looked like some one who knew a thing or two about the fashion industry - I was wearing a black business suit with my hair tied in an Olive Oyl bun, and make up expertly applied to match my skin tonelearned via my many years of appling Avon products during my sales rep career with them -- if I had learned anything selling Avon, it was that you need to look the part if you want to be a sales rep, and though it's not what I wear outside of work, I can pull off one hell of a professional career woman look, when I really want to) After hireing me she rememberd that she was required to have me fill out a job application.
What do you like most about it? I like that I can change my schedual to fit my needs: being a temp, ment that I was only working 4 or 5 hours a day 2 or 3 days a week, usually to replace some one who called in sick, and I could fill out a calander of days I was unable to work, and they only asked me to come in on the other days.
For the first time in my life I had a steady income and a weekly pay check I could count on. Loved that.
What do you hate about it? Actually, I haven't bee able to come up with anything I actually hated about this job. I loved it. I think it was my favorite job of anything else I've ever done.
What’s next? What do you need to achieve that? I have to reapply every year for this job, because it's a temp job and not a regular job. I didn't reapply this year, because my dog was very ill and required my constant daily care. He died a few months ago. Since than, I just seem to have not been much motivated to do anything at all. He was my constant compainion for 13 years, he was the one who stayed by my side through the flood, the fire, and the ordeal of being homeless and living on the streets. I've had a hard time not having him with me any more and some how that effected my going back to work at Macy's. Or any place else for that matter.
Who else does this kind of work? uhm, Everybody else who sells beauty products door to door.
What's your take on this? I'd love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!
. . .-------------
If you liked reading this blog and want to read more stuff written by me, I have lots of websites, where you can read other things I write, here are a few of the ones I like the best:
...
![[image]](http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/4052/grammy1a7oa.jpg)
![[image]](http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/5968/grammy2ab3ma.jpg)
![[image]](http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/9651/grammy3a4kk.jpg)
![[image]](http://img488.imageshack.us/img488/5282/grammy55gm.jpg)
![[image]](http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/4448/grammy46om.jpg)
I've signed up for this year's NaNoWriMo 2007 (my third year at NaNo!) and this is my blog for it, where I talk about my thoughts about writing, my ideas for NaNo, and the progress of my contest entry for this year's National Novel Writing Month contest.
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