Tell us about your job!

[speedydogs]

Well...this doesn't really count since I only work five hours a week, but hey.

Company's Name My college's financial aid office
Your position Student worker
Your duty/s Filing, logging, and related tasks
Your co-workers For the most part, great. Everyone is kind and helpful to the student workers, and my supervisor is wonderful.

Pros Quiet, relaxing, nice break from thinking and interacting with people
Cons It can be very dull and monotonous at times. Pay obviously is not much but that's standard for an on-campus job.

Favorite thing about your job It's really nice to get to work, turn on my iPod, and be able turn off my brain and do something easy and repetitive in between classes. Alphabetizing and sorting is strangely relaxing.

 

[Dogs6]

Your position : Groom/Exercise Rider/ Stable Manager
Your duty/s : Look after whatever horses happen to be in (at the moment that's two, over the summer it was four and in january it'll likely be five), that means I have to feed and turn out in the morning (but my boss is awesome and has someone else turn out if the horses eat slowly or can't be fed in the pasture), muck out, sort out hay and water at night and then bring in and feed again. I also get to ride and compete the rideable horses (2 are retired, 1 my boss won't let me ride).
Your co-workers There are none. I take the dogs with me but I don't think that counts lol.

Pros: I get to work with horses, I get to ride and compete, I get full use of the horse box whenever I want, my boss is awesome and sometimes takes me to shows and the pay is pretty good for what I do.
Cons: I work every day. Horses have to be fed even on Christmas Day. I am almost completely in charge, my boss rarely comes near the place so if something goes wrong I have to sort it. The fencing surrounding the field! It is awful and my boss won't fix it because she rents so horses can (and do!) escape.

Favorite thing about your job I get to ride and compete the horses. I can't wait to ride the third horse and then hopefully compete on him.

 

[SaraB]

Company's Name Follow The Leader Inc and a small animal/equine veterinary clinic

Your position Owner of Follow The Leader and vet assistant/behavior guru at the vet clinic

Your duty/s I'm a sub-contracted trainer for a fantastic agility facility in Minnesota, so I teach a lot of classes ranging from puppy kindergarten to some specialty agility classes as well as teach more basic classes at the vet clinic I work at. I also do private behavior consults for both locations as well. At the vet clinic, I'm the floater person. I can do receptionist, vet tech work and behavior consults (everything except anesthesia as I'm not a certified vet tech). This morning I have done everything from blood draws, radiographs, answering the phone, scheduling appointments, dealing with billing issues and talking to someone about separation anxiety.

Your co-workers I adore my coworkers at both jobs. The people I work with at the training facility are AMAZING. So many people share the same view on training as I do, we blend so well together. There are a ton of trainers that I admire as well and even some that make me a little star crazy. I have never stopped learning from them and hope I never do! We have a good mesh at the vet clinic as well, nobody is as dog nerdy as I am so that is a little disappointing but the drama is generally pretty low and that's all I can ask for.

Pros Pros at the training facility are obvious, I get paid to train dogs! I adore the people that are as into training as I am and I love teaching the people that are eager to learn. I love learning from my fellow trainers and I take advantage of all of the seminar opportunities that are presented. I get free access to a wonderful facility and fantastic equipment, free classes and a great discount on everything we sell. I love my boss and value all of the input she gives me about my dogs and my handling. The vet clinic has some awesome pros as well, huge discount on vet services and I get to bring my dogs with me to work everyday! Because we are a smaller clinic, we aren't ever terribly busy so I get to facebook and internet all day as well. I'm currently working on completing the Purdue Distance Vet-tech program and am able to do 90% of my homework at work.

Cons There are some minor cons as there are with everything. Teaching people who expect immediate or unrealistic results can be frustrating, or teaching people who don't trust your methods. I deal with a lot of crabby/upset/frustrated people at the vet clinic as well. Billing is always a headache and I wish we could just magically give vet care away for free but life doesn't work that way.

Favorite thing about your job Everything. I adore both of my jobs. I love being surrounded by dogs all day and I love having my girls with me pretty much 24/7. I work a lot but I'm very happy that way!

 

[Sweet72947]

Company's name: McLean Animal Hospital

Position: Kennel Attendant

Duties: Various animal care and janitorial duties.

Coworkers: I like most of the people I work with. There is one person my roommates hear me rant about I will refer to as Annoying Guy. Nobody who works with Annoying Guy likes him at all. He is really type A, an a general ass. But I am very used to dealing with such people because my dad is the same way, so I just ignore him most of the time. I am well-liked at my place of work, whereas Annoying Guy has almost gotten himself fired twice, so yeah. I'm not worried about what he thinks.

Pros: Playing with kittens and puppies when they board! And working with animals in general.

Cons: The dirty work, like cleaning up diarrhea. Ugh, lol.

Favorite thing: Playing with kittens and puppies! And hanging out with my new friend in the kennel. And basically, being in the kennel. Eventually I will find my way back to the shelter, that is where I really belong.

 

[Moth]

Company's Name: Genes Diffusion
Your position: Lab Technician
Your duty/s: Quality assurance testing
Your co-workers: I am alone in my lab There is our receptionist and she is made of awesome and occasionally I see my boss when he is not on the road somewhere

Pros: I love lab work and I do not have to deal with people.
Cons: I wish I had more hours...at the moment I only have enough stuff coming in to work about 3 days a week.

 

[Red.Apricot]

Right now I'm a TA at a university, teaching a lab.

Your duty/s: Each lab class, I give a quick quiz, then I give a lecture on the background materials for the week, usually about 40 minutes long, and then supervise the students as they complete the lab exercises. I answer questions, and then take their lab exercises and quizzes home to grade.
Your co-workers: I don't really work 'with' people now, I'm the only one in the room. Since I'm also a grad student at the school, I get to be around basically the whole department, though. They're all great.

Pros: I'm finding I love teaching! It's great fun--I even like grading, lol.
Cons: I haven't yet learned to have a lot of presence, and I hate disciplining people.

 

[JustaLilBitaLuck]

Position: I work at a pet food and supply store.

Duties: The main part of my job is selling pet food and supplies, and advising customers on choosing good food, treats, and supplements. I also do a lot of stocking, cleaning, and paperwork-type stuff.

Coworkers: I like them, and we get along well for the most part. Some days they can be irritating, but there's no one that I actively dislike.

Pros: I get to talk to people all day about their pets, and get paid for it. I get awesome discounts and free stuff. My schedule is awesome.

Cons: We often have way too much to do, and not nearly enough time to do it. And we occasionally get downright awful customers. But overall, I can't complain.

Favorite Thing: I LOVE learning new things, and trying new things, and there are always new products to research, and new customers to help. Every single day is different.

 

[Georgygirl]

Company: software company

Duties: Employee relations, running reports, managing employee information, planning events, visas, performance management, employee success programs, facilities

Position: HR Generalist

Coworkers: I love my coworkers. They're smart and fun. Just a great group that works hard.

Pros: I've learned a lot and I have been given a lot of responsibility for my age and level of experience

Cons: A lot of responsibility leads to a lot of hours. I tend to get consumed by work and I'm sure if it weren't for my dogs I wouldn't have a life outside it. I also tend to get less appreciation than I deserve. Nothing I do is big news or brings in a lot of money for the company, but without me it would be very difficult for it function. People tend to forget that. Plus is sucks knowing how much everyone gets paid especially when they all get paid more than you do.

 

[Southpaw]

I don't work here much longer but meh I still want to play lol.

Company's Name An awesomesauce specialty pet food/supply store

Your position I believe my official title is simply "team member" LOL

Your duty/s Chit chatting with customers, answering their questions and trying to be a rockstar at customer service. Putting away shipments (boo). Cleaning (boo). Wishing I could snuggle with the foster kittens ALL DAY.

Your co-workers Are awesome. I've worked at 2 different locations and have genuinely liked every single person I have worked with. And plus they're all knowledgeable and I feel like every day, at least one of them has taught me something new or cool... and it is nice working with people who are on the same page as me and don't think a raw diet = death or that my dog is going to break all her teeth if she gets an antler. etc.

Pros The discount and free food, obviously! Getting to meet other peoples dogs, and the best part is when people listen to your advice and then come back later to tell you how awesome their pet is doing because of what you suggested. And again, my coworkers. Because this is the only job I have had where I can freely admit I made a mistake, where I don't hesitate to ask questions, because I know my head isn't going to get ripped off because of it.

Cons The hours and pay.... it's retail. I work every Saturday and just about every Sunday, which gets aggravating really quickly. During the week we are open till 9pm and I hate working so late, but fortunately it's been pretty rare that I get scheduled a closing shift. There's no rhyme or reason to the scheduling, I can never guarantee what day of the week I'll have off, or what hours I'll be scheduled for. And for what I do, I think I actually get paid more than I should, but it's still not something I could ever actually live on or anything. And then of course, sometimes the customers make you cringe.

I feel like I went pretty in depth here.

 

[Izzy's Valkyrie]

Company's Name: Chapel Hill Quest Martial Arts
Your position: Program Manager/Director

Your duty/s: I run the front desk during the afternoons and evenings. I welcome new people to our dojo, tell them about our programs and tuition structures. Set up student accounts and billing, freeze accounts, cancel accounts, and modify memberships. Most of the website updates are done by me as well as a large amount of the facebook interactions and web inquiries about the school. I also order supplies like uniforms, kicking targets, incense, etc. A little bit of everything except for teaching!

Your co-workers: Are overall fantastic people! Most of them are men so there are always the frustrations with communicating what I need done but they're all generally willing to help and super nice people. My boss is probably one of the most inspiring people I've met in my life after my parents.

Pros: I get to meet a wide network of people in the Triangle area which lends itself nicely to networking. I also get to train in any of our classes at no charge Not to mention I get to bring my dog to work with me every day!

Cons: Poorly raised children. There are parents who literally lets their kids in the door then put on headphones and ignore them even before class starts. Some of these kids range from obnoxious to downright scary.

Favorite thing about your job: The staff are like another family to Justin and I. We now have a whole community of people watching out for us that we've never had before.

 

[MicksMom]

Company's Name
Local Elementary school. Our building is PreK-4th grades

Your position
Kindergarten Paraprofessional

Your duty/s
Assiting the classroom and specials teachers with whatever we're doing. Could be anything from writer's workshop, choice time, crafts, etc. I also log some "miles" walking kids to the nurse and back.

Your co-workers
Are a great, caring group.

Pros
I love the kids and teacher I'm working with.

Cons
The school district is no longer hiring full time paras.
Not being able to take another part time position in the district because I would be considered full time.
Being pulled off the playground for the first hour of my day to do lunch duties instead.
Having to be politicaly correct.
There are so many stupid things either the state or the federal government put into action that we have to or can't do.

Favorite Thing
The absolute best part of my job is the kids. There's nothing like walking into a room full of happy, excited kids, especially when you're having a bad day.

 

[Lyzelle]

Full-time

Company's Name: House of [Last Name]
Your position: The Wife
Your duty/s: Financial Advisor - I budget everything, Secretary(lots of appointments and calls to keep up with!), Chef, Baker, Household Maid, Gardener, Fashion Consultant, Plumber, Therapist, Window Cleaner, Mrs. Fix It, Taxi Driver, Inventory and stocking inventory/grocery shopping, Animal Wrangler, Seamstress...in short, I take on ALL household chores and duties, including budgeting and dealing with anything that has to be dealt with - also including AF paperwork that needs to be done and turned in. Since he's gone for several days at a time.
Your co-workers: None

Pros: I get to choose my hours.
Cons: I don't get paid. And I never "clock out". I'm always on call.

Favorite thing about your job: The work at least seems to be appreciated. And it's nice being able to make all the big household and financial decisions. I have the first view of everything, there's no waiting or guesswork involved. And for the most part, I'm left to do it all alone. The less everything is meddled with, the better.


Part Time:

Company's Name: ChaCha
Your position: Guide/Expiditor/Transcriber
Your duty/s: When you call or text ChaCha, I receive that text or call and re-word things as needed(changing u's to you's). I then either answer the question with an automated or personal response if needed, or send it to another guide who will research your question and answer you.
Your co-workers: There are lots of other guides, but I've never met any personally.

Pros: Again, I get to work whenever I want, however long I want, in my pj's or in bed.
Cons: Not a great paying job. I get .02c for each question. But, if I'm quick about it and traffic is good I can usually at least make minimum wage.

Favorite thing about your job : I don't have to deal with people.

 

[Torch]

A few months ago I quit the corporate day job where I was totally under-appreciated and underpaid to find myself lol. My current job is interesting.

Company's Name: A small online sales company (hobby stuff)

Your position: Distribution manager

Your duty/s: I list products online, manage our online store, manage our warehouse, ship orders, etc.

Your co-workers: Just my boss and he's pretty cool.

Pros: I pretty much work when I want, get to dress casually, and it's a very laid back environment.

Cons: The pay could be better. It's part time, and also temporary for me.

Favorite thing about your job: Having independence, being able to do my own thing.

Come January I will be starting my new job with a nationwide rental car company. I'm entering into their management training program and really looking forward to it!

 

[Dogdragoness]

I work with race horses, I have worked in horses since I was old enough to legally work, it's hard to explain my job, I do a little of everything I am a groom/ pony person

Pros- the animals, it really is fun

Cons- some of the people who do this kind of thing are well less then moral human beings the living situation on the track is loud & many of the guys are obnoxious sometimes.

 

[HayleyMarie]

Company's Name
Local Optometry clinic

Your position
Optometrist Assistant

Your duty/s
Pre-testing patients, dispensing glasses to patients. I need to be knowledgeable in lenses types and frames. Teach patients how to wear contacts, care, how to take them in and out. Diagnosing glasses issues, filing and everything else that goes with office duties etc etc

Your co-workers
Love them, I look forward to going to work. They make it a fun and inviting work place. We work as a team, which is awesome. Even the Dr's are super awesome and treat us really well.

Pros
I love dispensing glasses and getting to know that patients. Its a social environment, which is awesome. I pretty much love everything about my job,

Cons
Filing- I hate it, dealing with horrible patients, it can super, super busy where we are all running around like chickens with our heads cut off.

Favorite Thing
Working with the people I do. They make my day that more awesome

 

[noludoru]

Luxury Vehicle Sales
Job title: Evil Car Saleswoman
My job: To provide the information a consumer needs to make an educated decision on their next vehicle.
My coworkers are normal.There are the usual gripes just like any job, but there are a couple I am just going to put in a box and keep forever.

Pros:
I get to drive whatever I want, within reason.
My customers who drop by to let me drive their RS/M/AMG models.
Cool customers that end up becoming friends.
I live in the showroom or the shop - I feel very at home there.
Endless COFFEE. COFFEECOFFEECOFFEE. No, I don't have a problem. I don't know what you're talking about.
Better money than anywhere else without a degree.

Cons:
Not having a life
Idiots who think a $10,000 discount on a car is "normal" and if you don't get at least $4,000 off a new vehicle you're being cheated. Oh, and the ones we show the factory invoices to who claim we made them up.
Inability to have a life
New car surveys - anything less than a perfect survey is screwing your salesperson over, FYI. Even if it's 98/100.
On the topic of not having a life, people who keep you hours late, don't buy a car, then come in on your day off and buy a car from someone else. One word: COMMISSION.

Favorite thing about your job: ooh, I know! Cars!

Anything else you want to discuss about it: Forget "negotiating tactics." Best advice about car sales I can ever give any of you is that if you don't like your salesperson, leave and go somewhere else, or tell the manager that you need to find someone else to work with. If you don't like them, don't give them your money. Like your salesperson, like your car, everything else falls into place.

 

[DJEtzel]

Company's Name
Meadow Run Dog Park

Your position
Receptionist/Greeter

Your duty/s
Greeting members, opening memberships/visits, logging visits, cleaning the office, temperament testing visiting dogs for dog aggression and human aggression, logging vaccination records, being a therapist to the regulars, making coffee, public relations via facebook & some emailing, updating picture logs & general databases for retail sales and visits/memberships. I also trim nails on the weekends.

Your co-workers
They're all awesome. We never work together much, but they're all dog people, so it's the best.

Pros
Very flexible shifts, get to bring my dogs to work with me, boss is awesome, very lax work days; casual wear and I can do whatever on the computer as long as cleaning and paperwork get done. Get to train at work and use all of the agility equipment or bath my dogs while I'm working.

Cons
I work alone. Some of the people that come through are crazy and I have to deal with them myself and be the "bad guy".

Favorite Thing
The community surrounding the park.

----------------------------------
Company's Name
Fraggle Rock Collars

Your position
Owner/Operator

Your duty/s
Sewing dog collars, leashes, harnesses, etc. Making dog tags. Running the website, email, and facebook. PR; attending events and outreach/networking with other businesses in the area.

Your co-workers
My boyfriend watches me sew every once and a while?

Pros
I work from home, for myself. I sew most days in my pajamas and get to spend more time with my boyfriend and dogs.

Cons
I have to rely on myself 100% to make money every week.

Favorite Thing
It's all me and it's becoming self-sustaining; I won't even need a part time job soon.

 

[yv0nne]

Company's Name
HalfPastWonderful

Your position
Owner/Operator

Your duty/s
Take photos. Plan on specializing in pet photography ..for now I also shoot kiddies and I love working with them as well. I really want a pet focus though!

Your co-workers
None! I guess the people/ animals I shoot? My boyfriend& dog hang out with me while I edit.

Pros
Set hours. Love love love it& it's nice to see taking a risk& just doing it is working for me

Cons
I hate hate hateeeee trying to figure out a brand for myself. Anyone want to just do that for me? Thanks!

Favorite Thing
I love taking photos ..I love animals& I love kids. So it works out pretty great!

 

[PlottMom]

My customers who drop by to let me drive their RS/M/AMG models.

It's been over a year and I still miss our AMG daily as if it were a dear friend who died. I have a problem.

 

[milos_mommy]

Well...today while organizing my boss's file cabinets, I found his dominant/submissive contract. That's really all I have to say.