She works hard for the money

A few weeks ago Lucy and I were asked by her hubby if we would get on the tools literally for a day and help him out with a “all hands on deck” situation he had on a large property he manages. The owners were flying in for the weekend with a big group of mates and so everything needed to look PERFECT. It’s been a while since I have done anything like this and I must say it absolutely killed me to just keep going. And then keep going in the hot sunshine. I mean I work hard in my own garden, but there’s corners to cut, shade to rest in in between you know? This? Well this was actual work and we went for it!

Weeding, mulching, pruning, digging, we got it done even if we did look like this at the end of the day! We were so hopeful at the start of the day in our cute uniforms!

Got me thinking about work experience as a kid and all those feelings of being out of your comfort zone and learning. You know all those feelings that you get when you start a new job? That’s what I felt like again! I remember doing work experience when I was in year 10…you know where I did it? In a nursery! Of course I did! I moved pots, watered, cleaned up – is there any wonder I love a good sweep and use of the leaf blower? I also did another round of work experience when I was at Uni studying. my bachelor of design and I worked at Channel 9 for the week – editing suite, out with the news readers holding the light reflector outside courtrooms, chasing stories throughout the day – working in the green rooms. I’ve worked in cafes, in retail ( I worked in a shop in North Sydney called Legs 11 for a long time) I’ve worked homeware shops, in food styling, in design firms, in big corporate companies, in financial planning, as executive assistants as account managers…there have been some jobs! Hardest of all being a stay at home Mum at times!

I’m never afraid of a little hard work – of feeling out of my comfort zone and learning and making mistakes as I go. I find it interesting that I have been able to create work for myself doing little bits of everything I’ve learnt along the way and am proud that we have a business at we run now that allows flexibility and creativity and is fulfilling. And I wonder what is ahead of me yet to come…what things will happen, what I will do – there are so many opportunities for change as we grow in our careers – remember being in year 12 and thinking that we had to choose what we were going to do as a job? This year alone I have been a caterer, a stylist, worked in retail, in finance, in marketing and now I can add landscape gardener for a day! I’m not sure I will be rushing back into that one anytime soon (nor that we will be asked to!)

It’s been a tough year for so many with work – I know for me, with my blog and any paid work that I used to get for that has completely stopped. Same with Rob who works in a creative industry of marketing and advertising, there is literally NO work. It’s so hard to have a job that you are skilled and work in just stop. And it being out of your control. I watched on the Project last night all those pilots that no longer have work and have trained as bus drivers. So many people left struggling and having to make changes.

I’d love to know about what you did as work experience?
Have you had some big changes this year with your work?
Had to (dare I say) pivot? And change direction?
What’s the strangest job you’ve had?

Comments

  1. I did work experience for a fashion magazine in the 90’s. It was as cliched and bitchy as you’d expect – turned me right off journalism. I was way too introverted for that world.

    Since then I’ve done everything. Retail, make up artistry, childcare, librarianship… I had to resign at the start of the year due to my own health issues and I am REALLY wondering what to do next.

    I’m tempted to start my own business but these are such strange times, and doing what exactly… !

  2. Wow, you guys did a fab job! Well done!!! I worked for Swaab Attorneys in the middle of Sydney as a 19 year old – circa 1999 … I am not sure who I thought I was or what I was doing…. I literally had no idea what I was doing. I was a conveyancing secretary and to this day I can’t even tell you what was involved, I had no idea but somehow fumbled my way through… so naive.

  3. I went to Sea World on the Gold Coast for a week! It was amazing, although my friend and I reeked of fish for the whole week.

  4. In year 10 I did a week of work experience at the local vet (South Gippsland in Victoria) where on my first day, first morning at said work experience we visited a farm where the vet had to remove a cow’s eye due to cancer….. I don’t think I have ever seen so much blood in my whole life. I quiet quickly learnt that being a vet wasn’t just playing with cute dogs and cats…… I then went to Uni to become a fashion designer! I now work in IT. Swings and round-a-bouts….

  5. For work experience In high school, I went to the the Hospital for Women as I wanted to do cancer research ( my younger cousin was dying from cancer). The labs made me realise that was not the thing for me. 2 doctors organised for me to spend a day in theatre & I grew up very quickly during those 8 hours. I saw 2 babies being born to heroin addicts and the babies were addicted (promised myself I’d never do this ) ; walked into a theatre where the patient had legs in stirrups as genital warts were being burnt off (promised myself I would not end up in that situation) and the staff saying to each other smells like bacon. I can barely cope with bacon now!
    Boy did I learn a lot as a 16 year old but the addicted babies broke me.,,
    Was offered a job a week before Covid lockdown which I accepted as a client success co- ordinator for a fabulous business coach. Not in my profession but I realised last year when I resigned from my corporate legal job that I wanted to be home whilst our daughter did the HSC. I was home whilst she did it and I am very happy I was here for her, not that she needed me. Intend to keep this job whilst our son does HSC next year as it’s flexible and I am here for him.
    So yes, I’ve pivoted and definitely changed direction.
    Strangest jobs I’ve ever done includes working in reception at a dental lab over summer uni holidays where I had to unwrap/ open packages containing dentures or false teeth along with some of the things I’ve done in law:
    *given advice to a colleague on what to do with a client who had a gun just before they walked into courthouse with major security
    *Sued a former prime ministers piggery.

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