Is your job any different?

As a member of the military for two decades, my career has taught me leadership and managerial skills, self-discipline, principles of teamwork, espirit de corps, professionalism, and has helped me recognize and take pride in my self-worth.

Oh wow! This is a cool question!

I am a teacher teaching horrific monsters in the ages 12–15 and I learn new things every day:

ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN – indeed. When working with kids exactly anything can happen.

EVERYTNING WILL HAPPEN – so true…what can happen will eventually happen. From someone lighting a fire in a dustbin to a couple having a go in the bathroom…

DO YOUR BEST WITH THE SMALLEST RESOURCES – Teaching in Sweden is about doing magic without knowing any magic. This is probably the hardest part of teaching here. No money, no resources and still, you are expected to make magic.

EVEN FAILURE IS PROGRESS – I have done many mistakes and my students have done many mistakes. But they are all progress in some way. We are all human and it’s after all human to fail. We just have to learn from our experience and failures.

THE LOVED ONE WILL HAVE AN EASIER TIME – I am modest most of the time, but not when it comes to work. My students really like me and they enjoy having me as their teacher. This gives me perhaps the most important condition of all to succeed with my job. Many of my colleagues are having a lot of problems with their students are more or less bullied by them. Their working days must be a living hell. I don’t have that. The students are on my side and makes my working day a pleasure.

WITHOUT THE PARENTS TEACHING WOULD BE THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD – lol, it’s true :) The parents are often the ones sitting in my bum making the pain…

TEACHING IS ABOUT LEARNING – I teach others, but I also learn from teaching others. This is probably the best thing about teaching – you learn a great deal about life.

From my job I have learned…

There are a lot of evil people in this world.
Let go of the little things and leave the stress for the big ones
High school never ends for some.
Trust no one

(I work in a police station as a 911 dispatcher)

From every job I’ve ever had:
1) Figure out what will make your boss’ life easier.
2) Do that.

That serving others is exhausting on every level, yet ultimately very meaningful.

That people are stupider than anybody.
That my tax dollars are wasted on 80% of the medical runs we make. (an ambulance and fire engine for a spider bite)
That God really does work in mysterious ways.

Mine profesion taught me.AS a first to be fast learner.Second to be flexible and.To be honest it works like,watch listen and learn.

@jazz, ditto.

Did you really call middle school students monsters?? Gasp!

@gimmedat – you mean middle-schoolers aren’t monsters?

My current profession has taught me that the buck stops right here with me – I am a self-employed Internet bookseller. If I don’t do it, it doesn’t get done.

Previous jobs taught me to:

Say “When do you need it? I’ll get right on it” whenever my boss came into my office with a new project.

CYA, CYA, CYA (for those unfamiliar with the term it means Cover Your Ass, ie. make sure no one can steal your work and claim it as their own).

How to drive a large truck with 5 on the floor.

How to make myself understood even when I don’t speak the other person’s language.

How to understand EEOC guidelines.

How to avoid office politics (while practicing CYA).

How to conduct an interview and recognize a potentially disruptive potential employee at 20 paces.

How to clean toilets, fix pumps, count out cashiers, and still be in management.

And lastly, that even though a steady paycheck is comforting it isn’t worth the hassle of spending ones life carrying out other people’s ideas.

@Darwin, middle schoolers are the most monsterous creatures, which is why I live in middle school. God love those awkward goofy pimply faced little people who have no idea how silly they look most the time!

Nurse.

1. Never let a patient/visitor get between you and the door.

2. Always wear eye protection when needed.

3. Make sure the suction works before the patient arrests.

4. You can never spend too much on comfortable shoes.

Ah, that reminded me of another priceless one!
If it’s wet and it’s not yours, don’t touch it!

The most important thing is a boss you like to work for.

Every employee is different, but some are more different than others.

Empower your employees with knowledge to make good decisions and the freedom to make those decisions and they will do their best for you.

Any job where you work for someone else is not a job for yourself.

Do what makes you happy, or you will be unhappy.

I’m still working on some of these lessons.

@scars2b: At my old retail job, I learned much of the same stuff as you, except that promotions come less from seniority or efficiency as much as they come from befriending and drinking with the boss.

Also, that customers are usually wrong, but they’ll quote that silly “the customer is always right” cliché if they think it’ll get them something.

TESL.

I love my job. I learn every day, get positive re-inforcement and feedback every day, and am happy to have discovered my calling (though) late in life.