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Were you ashamed of the job you had as a WOW/on the field?


fooledagainII
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Man, I still can't believe I was telling interviewers "...I can only work this hours and this days..." and still end up with a job.

But looking back, I hated most them. And would tell no one outside the ministry what I did for a living. Some people loved their jobs and I know a few WOWs that kept theirs after their WOW year. Not me, my last day would be two days before leaving the area for good.

The worst part about the jobs was there would eventually be scheduling conflicts between hours/days you could work (which you told them upfront about) and their I don't care we need staff attitude. Here I would be with a BA degree, working at some entry level job (that I didn't really care for) for low pay and now risk being fired (... and if fired probably reproved... have go find another job or get sent home).

The job I was most ashame of was a costume greeter for a skating rink. They had three greeters and three different costumes, when I first took the job, I was dressed like a cow (which didn't bother me as much because no one could see my face). "Mooving Marvin". But then I was changed to Charley the elf, complete with transparent wings and a wand... Fighting with managers to keep this job should have been against the law.

Thankfully, the powers that be (from what leadership level I never did know) told my leadership that I needed to find something else because of the "elf" thing. They suggested I try to get a reference letter before I leave. Yeah, I sure future employers would take this letter seriously.

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When I went WOW I was a college dropout with no job experience outside of entry-level jobs, so it was just more of the same as a WOW.

My first job was as an apprentice glass cutter and general go-fer. I was fired after the owner's church complained about him hiring a cult member. My second job was as a nurse's aid in a nursing home. It was hard work, but I felt appreciated.

We moved mid-year and I worked in a Burger King and later as a dishwasher in a family restaurant.

I wasn't ashamed of any of these jobs since I didn't really have any qualifications for anything better.

After my WOW year I started a job delivering papers and worked my way up to Regional Sales Manager.

Edited by Oakspear
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Throughout the 70's I took pictures for a living. I worked for Chardon which was Charley Pride's promo company and photographed Dave Rowland (Dave and Sugar), Janie Fricke and a few other performers. I did some work for the Dallas Cowboys back in the Tom Landry/Roger Staubach days and did some promo for Mulberry Square Productions (Benji, the dog). I also worked for Gittings of Texas and did portraits of a few Texas notables including John B. Connally.

When I went WOW in the summer of 1981, I ended up in Florida and getting a part time job at McDonalds. That was the ONLY time in my adult life that my kids took note of and were actually PROUD of what I was doing. They would have me don my little paper hat and have me come out wearing it to show off for their friends. Unfortunately, had to give that prestigious position up due to money considerations and got TWO part time jobs doing darkroom work in two local competeing studios. Since I could pretty much set my hours at both places and just come in and do the work at my own convenience, it worked out well and the ministry leadership was none the wiser that I was working too many hours. It all came to a grinding halt when the studio owners met at a convention and started talking and comparing notes...they were pretty fierce competitors. I spent the rest of the year mowing lawns, doing telephone sales and working as a maintenance guy at a day care center.

What a year! I'll never do THAT again!

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No, because I thought I was doing what God had called me to do,lets see I was ofcourse fast food worker,housekeeper,landscaper,optical technician(what I did before the way)security guard for Arabian Horse

Shows in Scotttsdale Arizona(that was fun and would hitch hike to work from Tempe)never had a car.

Then was a military wow which was a full time joband part time wow,and that showed me how I needed to

just get out of The Way.

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i was a short order cook for a quaint restaurant on main steet (very small town)...

and i LOVED that job...

i learned how to tell if a steak was rare, medium rare, medium, medium well, or well-done just by touch... =:~)

and i had that job the whole year...

i did have a BA at the time,

but still, cooking was fun!

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Hey, simonzee, even whores have to have a clean place to park their tushies!

Heheheheh that was just one of my cleaning biz accounts, a realtor who rented out rooms in a seedy apartment building. One day he intimated that the women who lived/passed through there were ladies of the evening. Mostly I cleaned empty houses for realtors before open houses were held.

As for the question that started this thread, I wasn't ashamed. I believed and still believe that old adage about any honest labor being honorable (or however that goes).

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no one should be ashamed of any legal job.

we couldn't have civilazation without these menial "no-skill" jobs.

if you serve food to jerks who mow lawns for bigger jerks who fix heaters for bigger jerks who make cars for bigger jerks youre still a part of the system that keeps us from running around in loin cloths trying to kill one another with pointy sticks.

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I had a really good job as a WoW. At the interview my boss asked what pay rate I expected and I named a price, and she said, "That's not enough!" and named a figure a third more than I had asked for. I worked 4 hours/day and still got more than everyone else in my family.

I stayed on there when the year ended and six months after that I thought my life had ended too (got kicked out of the WC). She was a wonderful friend and employer, and put up with my inability to think straight, to speak, to do in fact anything at all (including turn up within an hour of the agreed start time) and one day (some months later) she just sat down with her arms round me while I wept all over her beautiful suit.

So no, not ashamed - really blessed by it.

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Well I was working as a waitress to pick up the slack left on my my college education bill before I went out WOW, so when I got on the field I just picked it up again. It was such a great job that had such great tips that my WOW sister quit the job she had gotten and came to work with me. We both loved it!

My second WOW year started out a bit rougher, I broke my back the second week in and was unable to do the waitress gig, so in the fourth week I got a job in a hardware/ department store. It was a tiny town so it was a tiny store. After about a month on the job I got the coveted shipping and receiving position which paid quite a bit more, and was a single person job but it was also a 40 hour a week job. I took it anyway and the Limb Coordinator never let on that he was any wiser. (Looking back I'm pretty sure he knew, but he had another agenda and didnt really care). It wasnt a great job but I was able to heal and still work and be alone while I did it.

So all in all, like Twinky the jobs I had in both years were a blessing and I enjoyed them immensly.

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I wish I knew about MOjitos back then.

It is probably a blessing that you didnt...come to think of it, its probably a blessing that I didnt either back then. :drink:

Edited by Eyesopen
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In Fellow laborers, our jobs had to meet three requirements.

1. At least 40 hours (regardless of pay.)

2.Must not conflict with the F.L. schedule or obligations.

3. Provide opportunities to witness and promote "PLAF(The Wonder Class)".

If it didn't meet that criteria you were expected to find a new one.

(Not an easy task in Podunk, USA.)

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I had a GREAT job during my WOW year 1980-81 in Chicago ... so wonderful that I even stayed for an extra year at a full 40 hours for a substantial raise in pay. There is a neat story behind it .. to see how God worked. I had started praying in about February that I would get a job at an advertising agency (don't know how I got that idea, either). When we arrived in Chicago, I went out the first day I was looking for a job down the street --- toward the lake, I was told ... I just happened to walk past a mom and pop advertising agency, remembered what I had prayed about, and went up to be buzzed in at the door. As I walked in, their guard dog, Emma the Doberman, came running up as she always did. While not even stopping to tell Harry, the owner, what I was there for, I reached my hand down, let Emma sniff it, then starting scratching her behind the ears. In an amazing "God thing," Harry had just decided THE NIGHT BEFORE that he would hire someone part time to help with the secretarial/proofreader work ... two things at which I excel. He was also the first one to introduce me to the Apple computer and the spreadsheet program, VISICALC. I stayed in touch with him and his wife until their death many years later.

They gave me raise after raise (because of my presence and ability to do the office work, Harry could have time to go out and sell more advertising). Both years I was there, I got a week's pay as bonus, plus a great dinner out with the clients and other staff.... AND the artist they hired shortly after ended up being a person I was able to help ... she also took PFAL and witnessed to another person who did (and they went WOW and in the Corps). More than that, though, I was really able to help her overcome some things in her life.

Looking back, it was a neat, neat example of how God worked to bless all involved.

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I had 3 jobs during my wow year (actually 4).

The first was working at a Wendy's. The pay was min. wage. The problem were that I wasn't able to get enough hours and transportation to and from work were an issue.

I later got a job working at the BX on Barksdale AFB selling ice cream and hot dogs. This was at least within walking distance. They did an hours cut and staffing reduction and was let go.

I was out of work for almost a month, when I was given permission to go go to Shreveport to look for work (we lived on the 1/4 mile from the city limits.

I was able to get a job at an apartment complex as a painter/maintaince worker less than a 1/2 mile from where we lived. The problem was that it was a full time job :rolleyes: :unsure: I was tired of not working and the LC calling to see if I had a job yet. I took the job, but didn't tell anybody that it was full time. I was tired of not having any money in my pocket. When I started working overtime my wow family found out and yelled at me :nono5: . I didn't care and kept the job and kept working overtime :evildenk:

Oh, yes... My forth job. I was in the Army Reserves and did my one weekend a month drills.

During this year, I never was behind on my share of the household bills (even while unemployed.). I just didn't have any money in my pocket for most of the year (untill I got the job at the neighboring apartment complex).

I was happy when that year was over. After the rock I decided to go active duty Army and I have been happy with my jobs ever since.

By the way... After my wow year, I did not hear from my "wow family" except from the FC was went back into the WC. She was able to get my address and sent me a letter asking for money. I think I sent her some money (not very much). A few years back I heard that she is/was married with a couple kids and living in Wisconson.

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