Van Driver, Visitor Services, Videographer, Violinist (#AtoZChallenge)

 

             Van driver might be an appropriate job label for me these days since I have a van that I frequently use to transport my wife and I and other family members around.  In fact, the first vehicle I ever owned was a van and I've owned one ever since.  I've logged many miles in my vans so I think I could qualify as a professional van driver.  And when I worked for the airport shuttle service in Knoxville TN I was usually driving a van filled with paying passengers.  That is professional van driving for sure.

       We don't get many visitors at our house, but when we do I try to show them a good time.  I might be good at visitor services.  Maybe I could work at a hotel, tourist office, or some other location where travelers were seeking information and help getting around.  One in that position would probably meet some interesting people, though I'd rather be the one doing the visiting.

        My oldest daughter works as a videographer on occasion.  I suppose I might have influenced her since I used to take a lot of videos of the family.  Doing video work might be a lot of fun and very interesting depending on what type of video I was shooting.  I'd need some better video equipment if I were going to seriously pursue the career of a videographer.  I guess I'd need to work another job to make the money to buy the equipment.  Or maybe I could just not be a videographer.

        Violinist has been a big part of my identity since I was a child.  My playing ability has never achieved any high level of skill, but I've managed to use this job persona to make a living to a certain degree. I will never be mistaken for a virtuoso, but I can honestly say that I've worked as a violinist.

      Are there any talents that you acquired in childhood that have helped you earn a living in your adult life?   Do you enjoy taking home movies or videos?  What was your first vehicle?

Underground Worker, Upholsterer, Undertaker, U.S. Government Worker ( #AtoZChallenge )

 

           Underground worker might mean a number of things.  In my youth I considered myself as somewhat of a Hippie.  Back then Hippies were considered part of an "underground movement" by some, but I wasn't really that serious of a Hippie--I just identified with the movement to a degree.  A small degree.  It was pretense mostly.  I wasn't really very underground back then other than when I was exploring caves.  Being claustrophobic as I am, caving wasn't too much in my comfort realm.  I stopped doing that after a while.  Being underground isn't so much my thing.

          When I was a kid living in San Diego. during our frequent visits to Tijuana Mexico I would see many shops advertising "tuck and roll upholstery for automobiles".   There were a ton of those places back then, but I was never lured by the world of upholsterers.   When I had furniture that needed to be upholstered I just got rid of it and bought new furniture.  I'm no upholsterer.

          Undertaker seems like a very bizarre job to do.  Sure, it's respectable and can be lucrative I suppose, but being around dead bodies in a very intimate way seems creepy to me.  Somebody's got to do it, but that person is not me.  

            Neither is United States Government worker.  We've already got too many of them anyway.  If I had spent my life as a government worker, I probably would be enjoying a better retirement than I do now.  That is, if I had survived the work.  I'm sure there's a lot of government jobs that could have suited me, I didn't do them or pursue them.  So much for government work.

        Were you ever involved in underground work in reality or metaphorically?   Have you ever had anything upholstered or done it yourself?   Did you do any work for a government?

Telephone Worker, Teacher, Tour Guide, Theater Manager ( #AtoZChallenge )

 

          Telephone worker?  Yeah, done that plenty.  Sales, research, customer service, fundraising--I've done it all.  Of course, much work involves the telephone so it's not surprising that most of us have used this tool in some capacity during our working lives.  It's not what I want to do to make a living, but it is a vital tool for work in our time and has been for decades.

           Teacher could have been a real possibility for me.  When I was attending University of Tennessee back in the early 1970s my major was English with a career goal of becoming credentialed to teach.  My plan was to teach high school or middle school so I ended up taking a lot of teaching courses. But then I dropped out of college to start working.  Although I tried substitute teaching, being a full-time educator is not something I think I would have enjoyed.  I'm glad I did what I did in my life.

           Touring the country with road shows might have been a good credential for being a tour guide.  In fact, each year with new travelers on my tour I often felt like a guide as I took these unseasoned travelers to visit sites across the country that I had enjoyed on previous tours.  I kind of enjoy being a tour guide for family and friends so I might enjoy this as a job.

         Similarly, theater manager might have been a good path for me to have taken.  I've played many a fine theater and visited many others.  As noted in previous posts, I am a show business guy at heart.  I love the theater and most of my working life was spent in management.  Theater manager sounds like the ideal placement for me!

         How have you used the telephone in your working life?  Have you had any experience in the field of teaching?   Can you recall any tour guides in your life that you thought were particularly outstanding?