My Best & Worst Jobs

The best job I’ve ever had was working as a Clinical Data Coordinator for a clinical research organization called Emphusion in San Francisco. I was responsible for assiduously entering test data from different pharmaceutical company’s clinical trials into our database and querying the data to ensure accuracy. Then I would send back the physical data and other correspondence to the clinical sites all over the world. I really enjoyed this job because I felt that I brought real value to the company. My job was the most critical role in the entire company because the data I entered was essential, one wrong number could mean the difference between a new drug getting FDA approval or denial. I felt like a professional, I earned a good salary, with a cubicle, a business card, my own telephone extension - the whole nine yards. I learned that there are a lot of politics in the corporate world and I feel like I am aware of the standards and I have proven that I can function in a corporate environment.

The worst job I’ve ever had was working as a teller for a check cashing business. This job was heavily customer service based and I had a lot of responsibility because I dealt with money. What I disliked most about this job was that the company had high expectations but extremely low support for their employees. For instance, scheduling me for 12 hour shifts back to back, 6 day work weeks, I would often be the only employee on duty at the time, dealing with out of line customers with no security. The work environment was sometimes pernicious and I was threatened and had to call the police on some unruly customers. One of my coworkers was held at gunpoint and robbed when she opened the store alone one morning. Worst of all the pay was terrible and I was rarely acknowledged for the hard work that I put in. I did not always hate this job; there was a time when I was excited to go to work. I was very shy when I started but working in customer service for so long taught me to be more confident. Now, I’m great at small talk and I’m not afraid to start a conversation with a stranger.  I learned a lot about myself in the 3 1/2 years that I worked for the company and I will always remember the experience. 

There is a huge lack of appreciation for people in blue collar jobs, like tellers, janitors, postal workers, etc. In the check cashing business I learned not to judge people based on appearances and I learned to treat everyone with respect. I am a more patient and kind person because I have experiences with people from many different walks of life; from homeless people, criminals, crazy people, drunk people, wealthy people, disabled people, etc.