Work Experience Thread Forum

[testmachine45]

What is everyone's work experience?

[Marionberry]

slangin rocks

[angiej]

2 years as a hairstylist and then six years as a legal assistant (last 3 were as a paralegal). Though from what I've heard, legal-related experience is irrelevant. One could be a bartender or heck a lion tamer and still receive the same amount of soft as being a legal assistant affords (if anything).

[jtb00711]

2 years and counting as a runner.

[cowgirl_bebop]

I only have summer internship experience while in school, but I did one summer in investment banking in Manhattan and 2 summers in government contracting in Arlington.

Oh, and I worked a register my freshman year at Dunkin Donuts. but nobody cares so I left that off, lol

[St.Remy]

2 years and counting as a runner.

You probably shouldn't mention your experience being a drug runner on your law school apps.

[broker02]

.

[St.Remy]

Senate intern
Presidential Campaign State Deputy Director
Senate Campaign Deputy Communications Director
DNC/RNC (guess which?) Staffer
Chief of Staff, top-level state official


Bad part is, all that work probably doesn't matter any more than the hairstylist...

Having held similar positions to most of the above I can say that being a hairstylist probably takes much more skill and effort than everything you listed with the possible exception of being a Chief of Staff.

[broker02]

It was by far my most challenging job - I was always the guy who had to be one step ahead of the official and the rest of the staff. Sounds good on a resume though, even though I don't put that it ate my life, much like my first ~10 years of law practice will.

[RTFM]

Kindergarten teacher.

[merichard87]

Question to all of you:

I keep seeing that the experience itself doesn't matter much but I'm still not convinced. I'm going to be graduating in a year and essentially I will have to choose between an Engineering job or a Business/Consulting job. I'm more interested in the Business job but I'm afraid I would be expected to go with engineering since its more interesting on a resume. Is this true or can I take the Business job and be secure that it won't affect my cycle or future OCI's.

I only plan on having the job for a max of two years.

[r6_philly]

Personally I would go for the business job. Future advancement usually hinges on ability to manage and you gain more relavant experience on the business job. If your future goals involves staying in a technical capacity then the engineering job, if you want to advance to a managerial position business may be better, you will still have your educational background anyway. Just my opinion, since every job interview I have been on recently all cared about my management/business skills and experiences even though they were essentially technical jobs.

[r6_philly]

I guess I should disclose my experiences ITT

5 years non-profit afterschool outreach coordinator
3 year IT manager for high schools
10 years web/software engineer (5 years running my own consulting business)
Currently web manager for a print publication and working on a web start up.

[merichard87]

Personally I would go for the business job. Future advancement usually hinges on ability to manage and you gain more relavant experience on the business job. If your future goals involves staying in a technical capacity then the engineering job, if you want to advance to a managerial position business may be better, you will still have your educational background anyway. Just my opinion, since every job interview I have been on recently all cared about my management/business skills and experiences even though they were essentially technical jobs.

Well the engineering job would be manufacturing so theres a ton of management experience there. I'm just very bored with it at this point.

[r6_philly]

Well the engineering job would be manufacturing so theres a ton of management experience there. I'm just very bored with it at this point.

Technical management isn't the same as strategic management, I guess you are bored with it because it is more or less repetitive work and you are just in the position to make sure it repeats correctly. If you take the business job hopefully you will be planning and help running the business, not its operations. A job is a job, I'd take whichever pays more, as long as you are comfortable doing either. If you are bored with the engineering job, I think there are more pros to take the business job.

[merichard87]

Well the engineering job would be manufacturing so theres a ton of management experience there. I'm just very bored with it at this point.

Technical management isn't the same as strategic management, I guess you are bored with it because it is more or less repetitive work and you are just in the position to make sure it repeats correctly. If you take the business job hopefully you will be planning and help running the business, not its operations. A job is a job, I'd take whichever pays more, as long as you are comfortable doing either. If you are bored with the engineering job, I think there are more pros to take the business job.

Cool. Thanks!