My series of “odd jobs”
2020 has been such a year for me.
In a way, it feels like I’m starting ALL over again, giving up my “high powered” corporate role and entering this entrepreneur journey. The closest analogy I can use to describe this feeling is how I felt post graduating from college - a blank page, a fresh start. Yet at the same time, it’s not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison because the last 10 years wasn’t wasted. Not at all. The accumulated experience, knowledge, network and wealth have built and created a foundation that enabled me to take such a leap into starting my own business.
It’s funny reflecting and looking back at my career, because I forget about how far I’ve come, especially in the early days. I’m really proud of everything that I’ve accomplished in the corporate world, but I can’t help to reflect about all the “odd jobs” that I’ve held, all of which I probably haven’t given enough credit to. Because to me, odd jobs means discomfort, and where there is discomfort, there is also GROWTH.
So, here they are, the starter jobs no one ever talks about (that you definitely won’t find on my LinkedIn), but still are part of my story. They have taught me about being bold and brave, and overall the experiences is what makes me - me. I can see how all the dots line up and how everything I did back then still somehow attests to who I am now.
1) Coldstone creamery: My first ever W2 job was working at Coldstone Creamery / Wetzels Pretzels (2 stores combined into one!). I was 17 at the time, drove 30 minutes one way to work a 4 hour shift, and made $6.25/hour. My classmate’s parents newly took over the ownership of the store, so it was a time for me to help them out, while gaining some work experience. My parents hated that I worked there, saying that the pay and distance I traveled was barely enough to cover for gas; they insisted for me to spend my time studying instead.
I remember the days of singing for tips, screwing up orders, standing around all day, running back and forth between customers, my forearms tired after a day of scooping. Looking back, it was actually quite a bit of work for such small amount of pay, but I felt so proud of every single dollar I earned. It opened my eyes to see all the small intricate details that small business owners go through, day in and day out. I now have a lot of respect for small business owners and restauranteurs. After juggling 3 jobs that summer (Coldstone being one of them), I saved my first $1000 before entering college, and I felt on fire. Ever since that job and saving my first $1000, I knew I could rely on myself to hustle if I ever needed to, and that I always have my own back.
2) Building Manager at UCI - In college, I was that person who would open and close UCI’s student center. I had to wake up in the morning, open up the front doors, and lock up at night. In between, I walked around with my walkie talkie, counting and monitoring the number of people in each hall and location, on the lookout for suspicious activity. I was naive to not realize that there is some risk involved in being the first person in the morning, and last person at night, to open and lock the building; it might not have been the safest job, but I figured it was Irvine (how bad could it be?). Plus I felt semi confident in my martial arts skills (I had a black belt in tae kwon do, hopefully I could put it to good use), so all things aside, it was a pretty chill gig.
This job taught me the true meaning of responsibility, sacrifice and dedication - of not staying up partying too late because I had to wake up early in the morning to open up the student center, and of not being afraid to turn down or be late to social events because I had to work. Despite all the late night partying and shenanigans, I was reliable and always delivered in opening and closing up when needed.
3) Hoover “Marketing Intern” - This one is probably the most hilarious job I’ve ever held. I found this job on the campus career job site, and remember meeting my “manager” at the local Starbucks for an interview. I got hired for a 3 month “marketing intern” position paying me $12/hour, and my role entailed visiting the local Walmart and Best Buy, trying to sell Hoover vacuum cleaners to guests that walked by. And no, it wasn’t like the glamorous infomercial role you might be envisioning. There wasn’t a demo involved; it was just me, lingering around the vacuum cleaning section for hours on end (attempting to study on the side), waiting for people to come by who were in the market for a new vacuum cleaner. My job was to ask them about what they were looking for and to educate them about Hoover products. At the end of my self directed shifts, I had to get my hours signed off from the Walmart or Best Buy onsite manager, before faxing and reporting on the number of products I sold to Hoover.
This role taught me about integrity. Aside from that one interview, I barely had any interaction with Hoover. No one watched over my shift, no one double checked my hours, or checked on the accuracy of reported products. There were so many boring af days where I could have just skipped out and forged a manager signature, but I kept myself accountable because I knew the guilt of lying would eat me up inside. Integrity has always been huge value of mine, even if for such a seemingly small job.
4) CALPIRG activist - At UCI campus, there was an area called “ring road” where all the clubs and activities set up their main stalls (I’m sure most campuses have an area like this). While walking on ring road one day, I was stopped by an activist who recruited me for CALPIRG (a public interest group that fights for a number of social interests). Think Greenpeace, but less sexy. I really don’t know what she said to me, but somehow I got hooked and recruited, then I became that person passing out fliers on campus, raising money to push for certain social agendas. I got my cousin, friends and strangers to sign up for the cause, which meant they would get charged $5 per quarter (added into their tuition); I was scolded by my cousin later on about why he was getting charged.
Though I never formally got paid for my time, this experience taught me to cold call, talk to strangers and get sign-ups. It built my tenacity and made me less fearful of rejection, less fearful about what other people thought. Plus, something in my bones tells me now that social activism is something that I need to explore more, knowing that the 20 year old me was really into it at some point in time.
5) Fitness Instructor - This was a more recent job I held, from 2018-2019. While prepping and getting in shape for my wedding, I got super into Lagree pilates, and decided I wanted to get certified to be able to teach. I took the certification training and managed to somehow fit a teaching schedule in. I remember running from my corporate job to the studio, teaching 3 back to back classes, being so pumped after my classes (plus feeling like I was in amazing shape). But my crazy work schedule and travel stress eventually got to me. I remember there were several instances where I flew back from a work trip to Tokyo, only to teach pilates the next day. Even though it was something that brought me a lot of joy, between my intense work schedule and jet lag, I couldn’t commit to teaching anymore, so I stopped.
It was never for the money, but it made me realize that 1) I loved being in front of a group, motivating and inspiring others 2) I enjoyed seeing my clients make progress and become stronger along the way and 3) I learned how important it is to be surrounded by a strong, supportive and uplifting community - all of which has inspired me as I embark on this coaching journey.
So there you have it! 5 odd jobs that I’ve held through my course of my career so far, all with super valuable teachings. It just goes to show that you can always be learning, no matter how big or small the task.
What jobs have you held in the past that have shaped who you are today?! Comment below.