Really Work Experience

Company I work for has just given my an Xtrail to replace my RAV4. I am also currently trying to address one of my hardest problems to solve at work so thought it might be a good idea to blog about my work history.

My first job was when I was in primary school. In scouts we did 2bob jobs and one of the elderly couples (Daleys) on my street asked my parents if I could help them. So three times a week I used to do their shopping for them. Mr Daley was a veteren from world war 1 and had suffered from the Gas attacks. It was always interesting talking to him. Money was never an issue and it was a good experience. My last year in hopetoun which was when I was in form one also meant my last year working for Mrs Daley as Mr Daley had died by then.

I didnt work again until my final year in High school, as I was Treasurer of the school council a hardware store asked for reliable students, so the teachers chose me and the heard girl of our school. I was supposed to be in sales but ended up sweeping floors. Wages was $9 an hour.

That year my best friend asked if I could work with him in a fast food seafood restaurant. I ended up getting the sack because I wasn't fast enough. That was okay for me as it meant I could go out on Saturday nights and was only getting paid $3.50 an hour.

First University Break Job was working with my Uncle in the shearing sheds. Ended up pressing wool which was pretty cool except the shearers were debating if the ever saw a worse wool pressor. Probably the hardest job I have ever performed as I was working in 40 degree heat and workmates thought I was an aborigine. Good thing my uncle was the boss and my cousin was helping me press wool. Wool Classer said we did a good job in the end and I bought 100 lambs with some of my wages.

Second University Break Job was working in the abetoir which one of my friends got me. My job was to clean all the waste on the floor and I also learnt what are the contents of sausages. Pretty good experience.

Third University Break Job was grape picking near Mildura. Went with some fijians studying in Melbourne. Pretty hard work but the interesting thing was how we were treated as one of the guys with us was doing his masters and the owner was treating us a normal fijian overstayers

In Wellington I had a job in a vegetarian coffee shop as dishwasher then waiter. In that period also tried door to door sales which only lasted two weeks. Remember some gang asking me about selling them a solar powered torch, which I fell for as I thought a solar powered torch could be possible.

Girlfriend got me a job at an Insurance company and on the side I was assisting developing windows software for a small development company. It was also the first time I applied for a job and sent a resume to HR company. I also applied for job by formatting my resume as window dialog boxes but didnt receive a reply.

In terms of IT I always wanted to work in IT, I took typing in form three to help me with with a computer career and was the only heterosexual in the typing class. There was only two of us that did school work experience in IT and Computer Science at Deakin Uni was my first choice of a University course. I actually wanted to be a PE teacher but knew I wouldnt get enough marks in english.


Father always said to get an education in Australia and go back and work in Fiji so when one his friends offered me an interview in Fiji I took it and ended up with the job with a 50% reduction in salary. Position titles went from programmer, Dba, Senior Systems Analyst and then Software Coordinator. It wasnt until I was Senior Systems Analyst when I started matching the hourly rate I was getting in high school.

I then applied for the IT manager position which I didnt get but my new IT manager quit after a few months and the new GM gave me the position which I had for around 5 years. From their the IT department was outsourced and I joined the outsourced company. The person who was supposed to be my manager had personal problems so they gave me the job.

So I applied for three jobs and all three times I failed. I have also never asked for a raise, bonus or any fringe benefit in my working career but ended up with nearly four times my salary in New Zealand and an Xtrail. Strange that I still have only one pair of two year old sandals and rent a flat for $300 a month so material wealth has never been my motive only access to technology and to be happy.

I never wanted to get into management, where the main reason I did is so my boss would not interfere in my work activities. I have also never really had a boss as wherever I worked I could do what I want as long as my boss's needs are served. Probably the only time I have been supervised was the Fast Food job.

What would be my life like if I followed an IT career in Australia or New Zealand. I know for sure that I wouldn't have been able to undertand reality the way I think of it now. There is also no way I would have been able to read so much stuff on the internet.



I wonder what the future holds but like stalk in the wind I will probably go where destiny takes me.