O'Fallon Township High School

Student Computer Technician

I helped maintain the computers by troubleshooting them when problems arose, cleaning them, and installing new software as needed. I also helped install new network lines and cameras, running the cables to the necessary locations.This was the first job that I ever held and started as a summer position that earned me a few bucks while I was still in school. In my senior year I also worked during the school year as part of the co-op program, giving me one of the shortest commutes to work I've ever heard of.

O'Fallon, Illinois City Hall

IT Intern

I helped decomission old computers for the city, reformatting the hard drives so that they were still imediately useable, but didn't have any city documents or software on them. I also helped to upgrade the computers at the local police station, providing them with new computers and monitors with all the necessary software pre installed. It was an interesting position that I was offered through my job at the school. I worked both positions for a while, but my boss at the city was rarely around and I still had school to deal with as well. In the end, I left the job after about eight months, but stuck with the school as long as I could.

Blockbuster

Customer Service Representative

This one's pretty self explanatory if you've ever been inside a Blockbuster, but my job was to to keep the manage returned movies, keep the shelves stocked as best as possible, and to check out customers. We also had the occasional overnight inventory shift, but that was fortunately just a once a month thing. This job was certainly not the greatest, as most retail workers will say about their position, but it came with some nice perks for someone like me(10 free rentals a week!) and it helped keep me fed through college so I guess it wasn't so bad.

MC Machinery

Electronics Bench Technician

For this job, I repaired the main control boards for older EDM(Electrical Discharge Machining) cutting machines by cleaning them, troubleshooting what was wrong with their circuits, and replacing any defective components. I would then test the boards in our own machine to verify their working status. Being my first job out of college, I had hoped for a better paying position, as I made nowhere near a living wage for the area. I enjoyed the job immensely, but after a year of working and no hope for a pay raise, I was left with no choice but to leave.

Allied Barton

Security Center Operator

This job was somewhat of a jump from my previous positions and had me monitoring alarms for John Deere facilities across across the country as a contract security officer. I would dispatch onsite security or emergency services to facilities based on alarm criteria as well as assisst anyone calling into the ops center. I got this job thanks to a friend I met in college who recomended it to me when he heard about my employment troubles. He offered me a room at his place for cheap rent and a good word with the hiring manager which led to a job making quite a bit more money than before and with regular raises. Despite the excellent area and decent pay though, this job too came to an end so I could come take some launchcode classes and get into a career path that I could actually enjoy.