Best Job You Ever Had

What is the best job you ever had in your life? 

Maybe something you did as a kid part time or something later on in life.  We have all had jobs that we do to survive and hopefully we love them, but that is not true in all cases. Sometimes we just do what we do because we have to do it.  But was there a job in your life that you really enjoyed doing even though it may have been for just a short time?

For me that was working in Human Resources for a Large Tech Call Center.  In 3 months I interviewed over 500 applicants and loved every minute of it. Corp heads gave us an almost impossible task but we pulled it off and I loved talking to all the applicants.  But sadly no good deed goes unpunished lol.  1 Year later the company lost 2 huge contracts fighting over pennies and they had to lay off everyone in the call center and then laid off me and the rest of the HR staff including my boss and her boss.  So we all got the hatchet job, but while it lasted it was the most fun I ever had working.   

I am a retired police dispatcher.. I not only got paid for telling cops where to go. But I STILL GET PAID for having told cops where to go in the past. Now is that a great job or WHAT?

Seriously job comes with a lot of stress.. but at the end of the day you know that there are people who are sleeping better because you did your job

Law abiding can sleep better knowing criminals are now sleeping in jail.
And as for the criminals. Well where as yesterday they had to worry about "The Man" putting the grabbis on 'em and tossing their sorry anatomy in the slammer.

Tonight as they go to sleep (In the slammer) one less worry.

I might add due to the way I did my job. EVEN THOUGH I"m long retires.. More Criminals are finding their way to a good night's sleep as the fact the car they are driving is "Hot" is discovered by police in like 7 different states.. All my fault they get caught.

I spent 10 years as a senior field engineer for a Massachusetts company that built mini-mainframe based computer aided design and manufacturing systems in the pre-desktop PC era. My territory was mostly in New York and Vermont working from my home in New York. I was home most nights and I had a lot of scheduling flexibility. I really enjoyed the challenges of the job, and the pay and benefits were fantastic. 6 weeks of annual vacation and free first dollar health care coverage including dental and vision for myself and my family, with no co-pays even for prescriptions. It was a sad day when the company was bought by a major conglomerate for the sole purpose of acquiring our company's many patents. Within a year we were all laid off, albeit with a very good separation package, and our former facilities closed down. I had other good jobs after that, but none that rose to the level of that one.

The job I have now is the best. Every day is payday and every payday I have off.  : :-\ ;D

I just retired after 20 years as a court reporter. 
Heard lots of stories. 
One of the hardest parts was keeping a straight face, for example while thinking "you expect this judge/jury to believe that?".

But the three main attractions were:
The job offered something different every day.
The job had relevance to the litigants and the community.
The job put me in daily contact with some very smart people.  Can't tell whether any smarts rubbed off on me but it was something to hope for.

In 1980 I was on loan to Bell Labs, primarily to learn some new equipment (still under development), and aid developers from a maintenance standpoint, and it turned out to be great. Not only did I learn a lot, but those lab folks were superb -- not just brains, but common sense and very helpful. Also, though there were times when we'd spend a 16 hour day, there were other times when the whole group headed over to the Long Branch (Columbus, OH) for lunch, and spent the afternoon there. They put me up (with family and rented furniture) in a town house, and provided a rental car. I almost hated for that to end.

  15 years as a building inspector (plumbing) for Orange County Fl. Not allowed to touch the work, just look and observe, then drive to the next one and look, so on and so forth...all day long. Everyone was glad to see me, some were glad I arrived and others were glad I left. The hardest part was dealing with the public especially since I am not a people person.
  was offered a bribe to pass an inspection only on two occasions, it did not end well for them. They paid us well and stood by us, besides I had to look at myself in the mirror everyday. Most all those rumors you hear about bribing a building inspector are BS.

My professional career was in IBM's product development labs and I was involved in several challenging projects. The most fun, however, was a few years I spent as sort of a roving tech consultant, meeting with businesses around the world to analyze ways that IBM technology might be applied to their needs.  Not just computer hardware - most any way to employ emerging technologies to old problems.  Got to travel worldwide, learned a lot about a variety of different businesses, and met a bunch of smart and forward-thinking people.  Made lots of memories for campfire stories too!  ;D

Boy that is a tough question for me to answer. I have had a whole collection of fantastic jobs in my lifetime. When I was a teenager I worked at a record store for a concert promoter. I works concerts too. Imagine being given the job of standing on stage guarding a set of stairs to the stage while Jimi Hendrix played a concert less than 15 feet away from me. And that one isn't even number one in my list.

I was a Technical Writer, not editor, for the majority of my working life. Initially it was with that title and required writing military manuals on electronic equipment from the schematics. Equipment included: High power searchlights (white and infrared light), night vision equipment, scan conversion system (terrain following radar) for the F4D, the presidents communication system,  various radars, electronic destination signs, and similar equipment. Challenging and rewarding work.

Later I evolved to writing and managing technical proposals such as the $700 million AHIP program  (designator system for the Bell helicopter with the ball above the rotor). Even later, when I established and managed a division that designed, qualified, and produced stealth equipment for nuclear submarines, my most critical task was writing Technical Proposals for the equipment.

Ernie

Wow!  Ok, I've been blessed with many interesting and exciting jobs.  Here's a few. 
1. Farm boy.
2. Worked on a cattle ranch tending cattle and branding calves.
3. Drove tractor trailer for seven years.
4. US Army, Vietnam 1965, 66.
5. Civilian aircraft dispatcher at Aberdeen Proving ground.
6. (The best), Air Traffic Controller at Washington Center and Minneapolis Center. (32 years).
  a. Journeyman controller.
  b. Instructor.
  c. Certification specialist.
  d. Chairman Environmental and Cafeteria Committee.
  e. Evaluation, Proficiency and Developmental Specialist. (Oversaw the training of 30 trainees at a time.)
  f.  Designed and administered 400 hours of computer simulation for training.
  g. Served on Review and Metering procedures of Northeast US Air Space.
  h. Redesigned Aircraft routes in Northeast US using simulation. Implemented routes in 1982.
  i.  Wrote and taught a two year college course of Aviation History for Embry Riddly and Dowling College.
  j.  Promoted to Air Traffic Supervisor in 1983.  I did not bid on the job, was just appointed.
  k.  Military Liaison.
  l.  Retired in 2000 with 35 years of govt service.
7.  Sold Real Estate, (Which I hated).
8.  With my Wife built and ran a storage facility for six year til we sold it.
9.  Retired again and now just run errands for the Wife who is a Lawyer.

During the time I also acquired a five year college degree in Business and Psychology.
And Oh Yeah, during the time at Aberdeen went through US Weather Bureau Certification.

It's been quite a ride and I would do it again.

I had some gigs and some that were ...well, less than memorable. My favorite was with a helicopter logging company, I was the vehicle fleet manager. I loved being out with the crews away from the office. Some days I really wondered why I got out of bed but overall it was good. Unfortunately the job and my aircraft career ended when the company folded in 2000.

I spent 30 years in a Steel Mill and have been a Journeyman Maint. Electrician since 1980.  The money was very good, and there were some good times, but there were also some very hot and dirty days/shifts and I have to say, I'm happy to be out of there.  After I retired from that job, I sold new cars and trucks at a Ford dealership....it was OK, but not what I would call fun.  I left that job to take a sales job at a very large motorcycle dealership.  I've ridden motorcycles since I was 15/16 years old, so it was a natural fit for me and the most fun ( Not the highest paying) job I've ever had.  In 2006, we moved to E. TN. and I am now working at a National Security Complex....for about another year and a few months, then I'm retiring again.  Oh, by the way, this job takes me back to my roots.  I'm a High Voltage Maint. Electrician here.  We work on 480VAC, 2300VAC, 4160VAC, and 13,800VAC equipment.  They hired me without any hesitation after they read my resume and saw my experience in the steel mill.  Another good paying job, and I have a GREAT boss and a very close knit bunch of co-workers.

I've done a lot of things in my life that were varied, but I think the best job I ever had was being a musician because I was doing something that I loved to do, didn't look at it as work, and just happened to get paid for it. It was the most satisfying job I have ever had.

Of course, anything I did after retirement was good because I always knew I didn't need the job. When you work because you want to rather than need to, it makes a big difference in your attitude.

I turned over 39 years with Johnson and Johnson in Nov.  I sterilize surgical sutures with ethylene oxide gas.  It's a very challenging job so I still like it but that doesn't mean I won't run out of here in 2 yrs when I'm retiring.  Can't wait.

Robin

The best job I ever had was when I was in college,  delivering an afternoon newspaper on a rural route in my car.  After going to classes in the morning I'd eat my lunch while waiting for that day's paper to come out of the printing plant, then spend the afternoon listening to my favorite radio station while driving down some nice, winding country roads.  Pull over and stuff a newspaper into one of those little mailbox tubes, then repeat for 2-3 hours.

As I told someone at the time, if it paid better, I'd be content doing that as a career.

I am blessed to be still doing my favourite job!

Waitressing.

I started when I was 15 years old at a dinner down the road from the house... did everything ...dishes, cook, waitress....
Off and on through the years I have worked every part of restaurant.... my favourite is serving!
I work a full time secretary job, but still work part-time at a wonderful steak house.

Some days I work hard, but most evenings I talk to people, bring them great food and (in a stage whisper) they pay me and tip me !!!!      Sometimes I feel like I would do it for free.... yeh, right!

My entire life has been full of great jobs.

I started out with the dream job for a teenager.  I got to fly high performance aircraft at treetop level.

I then spent 10 years working with patients in Ophthalmology that culminated with managing one of the busiest practices in the midwest.

I designed and built one of the first physician owned Ambulatory Surgery Centers in the country for our practice and then went on to do it over 100 times all over the country.

I then recreated these type facilities in Mobile Units

I worked for accomplishment and always enjoyed my work.  When you love your work it is not really work.  The money just comes as a side benefit if you hold to your principals and do your best to create a compliant and safe facility.

I have always worked in an ethical and honest environment and have always been allowed to do the right thing regardless of the cost.

I am a very lucky guy to be able to have had this career.

In 1959, between my jr and senior year in high school, I worked on a ranch/farm in Kansas. They hired 12-15 teenagers,boys and girls, for mostly gofer jobs run here, clean that etc..  But about the last two weeks of the job, we cut, baled and stacked hay. We bucked bales of hay til We dropped. At end of day We were covered in hay dust, they would wash us down with a garden hose. We ate huge meals fit for a king. I lost a ton of weight and never was in better shape. The next summer I was at Marine Corps boot camp, it was a breeze.

Six years in a Steel Mill right out of High School as a Rigger Welder, that ended in the early 80's "depression".

10 years in Cable TV and now 25 in Telecom... Still love the chase to isolate and repair troubles, very difficult to maintain a positive attitude regarding the superiors since they all have instructions to end the business.

Hope to retire about this time next year and do some small jobs for myself doing security system installs in non commercial settings. This would be my favorite.