agility @ sea

Saw a meme on Brad Feld’s Blog and though I’d join in on posting my first seven jobs.

1. Camp Counselor – The best time of every year was when I went to summer camp. In 7th grade (Age 12) I started as a camper at Camp Kingsmont in West Stockbridge, Mass. I then progressed as a CIT (Counselor in training), Junior Counselor, Counselor, Senior Counselor and I think I may have been a division leader in charge of the mini slim division at age 17. It was a fat camp and mini slims were the “athletes” of the camp. I seem to recall being the youngest Junior Counselor ever hired at 14. Summer camp was the most joyful time of the year and for a decade or so I wanted to own and run my own summer camp.

2. Shrimp Boat Fisherman – I was asked by a fried to help out with a shrimp boat captain he knew. We went out about 10PM and returned at 4AM and dragged nets in the Gulf of Mexico and drug in tons of shrimp along with anything else the nets would dredge up. I sorted the shrimp from everything else the nets mercilessly drug up and put them into the live well. Did this several times and made good money – $50 per night.

3. Selling Encyclopedias – This only lasted 1 or two days, I’d sit in my car somewhere in West Minister and wait for a sales person to get a prospect willing to take a face to face meeting with me and I’d drive to their house to close a deal selling encyclopedias on a a payment plan. This really sucked and I hated trying to get people who couldn’t afford the products to buy.

4. Landscaper – Not a real job but worked for my brother-in-law helping him landscape and terrace his backyard in Breckenridge. I remember it starting at about 8:00AM which was 2 hours before I normally woke up at college. Was interesting and rewarding work for a couple weeks because you get to see how you could do serious landscaping projects with chainsaws and railroad ties and re-bar.

5. Realtor – 1987 – Got my license in Arizona after graduating from College. Worked for a commercial developer who I kind of forced to let me work for him but he didn’t have much work so I started selling residential Real Estate and sat at a condo subdivision that was being converted from apts to condos. Hated siting and waiting for people to come in. This caused me to go back and get an MBA.

6. Mgmt Consultant – 1989 – Great Job – got to learn about consulting in a small firm. On day two my boss had her baby and I was in charge of a 80 person medical records department in the middle of a reorganization and medical record shift. I fired my first employee and remember that crying every time that I’ve fired someone since. Also learned to fake it quickly as all good mgmt consultants do. Did this full time while finishing my MBA.

7. Research Associate Intern – 1991 – This was also full time while finishing my second Masters worked. Was at US West Advanced technologies research park building where I also work for different companies later in my career including InfoNow, BEA, and Rally in later years. Very happy to get this job. Did research on Agile programming with a psychologist and a cultural anthropologist who were trying to document the benefits of Agile. Was applying for a home loan when I asked my boss to talk with the lender to confirm that it was their intent to hire me full time after my internship. He refused so I quit the next day and joined RIA where I first worked with Ryan Martens and stuck with him pretty the rest of my professional career and the reset is history.