Nervous or giddy? (Last job and first job)

This week I finally did something I had wanted to do for several months, if not a couple of years: I turned in my letter of resignation at my current employer. I am currently expected to work until March 1, but will try to whittle that time down as much as possible when I next talk to my direct supervisor.

Meanwhile, I feel a need, as I review my life, to review my job history. It's a long and winding road, indeed. Maybe by writing about some of this experience, I can find some answers (and probably ask quite a few more questions). This will be a multi-post endeavor for me, so let's start at the beginning.

My career is, to put it mildly, a train wreck. In my 28 years of working, the longest I have worked at one place was six years and one month, and that was a part-time job. My longest full-time job was the 2 1/2 years of this current position. I have had many, many more part-time jobs than full-time.

The first... and a favorite

I was given my first job the summer after 8th grade when I was hired as a bagboy at a local grocery store. I don't remember the details of how I learned about or got the job, but my guess is that I found it via a classmate  and soccer teammate, John. He and his older brother and sister already worked there, and I'm sure he mentioned to me they were seeking more help for the summer.

My mom also knew the store owner, Jerry, from high school and from bowling league. Jerry was a very nice guy to deal with and a great first boss. I mostly enjoyed working at the store. The customers weren't too bad, it wasn't too busy and touristy yet, I got to browse the Christian bookstore in the same building, and I got out of the house and got to make my own money to do with as I wanted.

In fact, that was a great summer. I had recently finally learned how to ride a bicycle — a yellow and black BMX my parents got me for Christmas — and somehow convinced my parents to let me ride this bicycle from home the 5.5 miles to (and from) the grocery store most days. This was exhausting at times, and sometimes I was late, but I loved the freedom of biking the back roads and the challenge of cramming my work outfit into a small "fanny pack." What I did not like were the really hot days and one of employees who was not very good at not being a supervisor.

I quit the job when practice for soccer started in early August. Jerry said I could continue to work there when available, but I declined his offer. This seems now to be a premonition of my future career choices.