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« on: January 13, 2018, 06:00:28 am »
Worst job: Campus security - occasionally this job was fun, but the college had two tiers of security: the uniformed officers who got to deal with any major problems or disturbances on campus, and the lower tier "safety" officers. I was one of those lower tier guys. We got all the disgust you'd expect college kids to have towards a "rent-a-cop", minus any of the respect an actual police uniform would bring. We just had these red "Campus Safety" jackets, and let me tell you, the red jackets were the most hated guys on campus. While all the students were in class, we had to be out in the parking lots writing tickets to their vehicles. Don't get me wrong, they definitely deserved all the tickets they got: parking in handicap spots with no placards, not having permits, fake permits, not paying the meters, using an old ticket from the day before to try to fool me into not writing another one, etc. When you're writing a ticket, you can always sense an incoming screaming match by the sound of flip-flops shuffling rapidly toward you along with a "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY CAR??!". When you're not doing that, you're usually having to chauffeur overweight students across campus in your golf cart, including some who leave menstrual remnants in the passenger seat. After all that, you'd think it would be nice to simply park in the shade and chill out for a few minutes, but that's when one of the upper tier officers will pass by and chide you about needing to patrol the lot for tickets. That officer then drives to the far corner of the parking lot where no one will bother them and nap in their car. After a year and a half, the boss called me in and announced he was cutting me. "We don't have quotas for writing tickets, but you're usually last. I don't know what you're good at, but it's not this."
Best job: Broadcast graphics operator - This is a side job that I don't get to do full time. Normally I work as a motion graphics designer. During the high school football season, Fox sends out a number of crews to cover some games and broadcast them on TV and the internet. I work in the truck running the graphics systems, the scoreboard, lower thirds, promos and all that stuff. It can be stressful doing a live broadcast, since you can't stop time, and the audience will see if you make a mistake. Generally though, everyone on the crew wants to have a great show and does their best to make the program as smooth as possible. This year I got the chance to run the graphics for a couple NHL games! There were two pre-season rookie games between the LA Kings and the new Vegas Golden Knights. I've been a Kings fan since I was a kid, so for me it was a pure treat. And it was the first ever official NHL game played by the Golden Knights. If I could somehow get into doing that full time, I'd be happy as can be.
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