Back away from the adding machine.........

After working for the specialty chemical company, I changed careers. I enrolled in culinary school. I had always liked to cook so decided that food should be my life. Since I already had a degree from UNC, I just went for an associate's degree in Occupational Science. Through a friend I got a job at the Omni Hotel in downtown Norfolk in the banquet department as a server. I absolutely enjoyed the job. Basically set up for a party, work at it, then clean up and go home. Most were happy occasions, like weddings, graduations, major birthdays. And some business meetings. This was the area I would spend most of my following years of employment. During the summer I would also wait tables at an oceanfront restaurant in a hotel. This got me through my two years of school.
After graduation, I decided to move to Atlanta. The internet was gaining in popularity and I found the employment section on line. I went to work in a hotel running the restaurant and bar. While an enjoyable job, it did not pay enough and I went to work for a large caterer through a friend's recommendation. Another fun job, though definitely more work since it was all 'off-site' events. Which translates to load a truck, unload, set up, work the party, clean up, load, unload and put away. Getting home after 2am was not unusual, and during the holiday season, 36 hours in a weekend was normal.
After a 'Spring Dance' pre-party at one of the regular customers, I was approached by a vice president of an international food service company. One of his accounts Emory University, needed a catering manager and would I be interested. I think I started three weeks later. Same type of work but only on the campus, so MUCH less travel to sites.
Working in catering you meet a variety of people, from former presidents, world leaders, film stars, and one of the wealthiest people in the country, known for his investments, not his computers. All were very polite and friendly.
I eventually made it to Ft. Lauderdale after a brief stop in Savannah. I was still working for a large food service company in the business dining division. Which means VERY few weekends at all, and home by 5 usually. Things were going real well until the company decided to start out-sourcing the operations and two cafeterias and a cater manager were not needed. As the result of down-sizing, I was laid off.
But this being the new millennium, there was now LOTS of possibilities to find employment. I did not even have to go anywhere to file for unemployment, I did it from home on my computer. I signed up on the BIG sites and a niche site also. While I found several opportunities, I ended up making a connection through a social networking site, at a large travel wholesaler. For years I sold vacation packages to both travel agents and the general public. Very enjoyable since people are in a good mood when planning a vacation to Europe, Disney, or Hawaii.