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What I Learned From My 30+ Jobs
Taking job hopping to the tenth degree
Every once in a while, I try to calculate how many jobs I’ve had in my life. It’s never easy, because every time I think I’ve nailed the number, I remember two or three more. My last count was around 30+.
This is a high number, apparently. Most people I’ve talked to haven’t worked that many jobs. I’ve been accused of being a “job hopper.” And it’s true, to an extent. But that’s largely due to moving around a lot, and never being fully satisfied staying in one spot for too long doing any one thing.
Eventually, I’d like to make the jump to being a full-time writer. That’s the only type of work that truly makes me happy, and gives me a sense of purpose. But every writer should have a cross-section of experiences in life to draw from. Some of the best writers in history had interesting jobs that likely fed their creativity and shaped their unique voices. Hemingway was an ambulance driver in WWI. George Orwell was a journalist and a working writer all the way up until he wrote 1984. Ian Fleming was practically a real-life James Bond before creating the iconic character. Rod Serling served in the Pacific front during WWII. In fact, during a patrol, his unit was hit by enemy fire. The men in front and behind him were killed. But Serling was left alive, miraculously. I can’t help…
