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Martian · 03-16-2010, 02:18 PM

Recently, the_jazz made an off-hand comment that perhaps three people on this site know and understand precisely what he does for a living. I recalled this comment when talking with my co-worker today about how our work is hard to define. I thought it might make an intersting topic of discussion.

So, The Question:

What do you do for a living? What's your job title, what daily tasks are you expected to complete, what sorts of things do you deal with daily?

I recognize that in this economy not everyone is fortunate enough to have a job. If you are unemployed, what would you like to do for a living, or what are you trained/in training to do?

I realize that a lot of jobs can be summed up with one word answers. For those people, I might suggest going into more detail. What makes your position unique, or what's an interesting aspect of your job that most people might not know about?

I'll go first.

I am... well, as mentioned above it's hard to define exactly what I am, title-wise. Technically I'm an administrative assistant. I work in an office with one other person daily and a third once or twice per week. I provide support for them, which involves filing, sorting, faxing, shredding, typing, answering phones and in general making sure things run smoothly.

So far, so good. Probably seems pretty straightforward.

The twist is that the office I work in is a social services office. Specifically, we're a non-profit government funded organization (I believe NGO is the term used in the states) with a mandate of providing support and advocacy services for the developmentally and/or intellectually disabled adults in our community, allowing them to live independently. Because the office is small and we don't have a ton of funding, my job often spills over into that of the case workers; I go to the appointments or meetings that the case workers are unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts as well as handling mundane issues involved with case management, such as submitting invoices for payment, tracking bills and medications, things of that nature. And of course I do interact with clients on a daily basis as well, which demands a good deal of patience and a good sense of humour.

The number one qualification for my job, as stated by my boss on my first day of work, is the ability to not freak out. After my first month on the job I can only agree with her assessment.

03-16-2010, 02:18 PM	#1 (permalink)
Martian Young Crumudgeon Location: Canada	What Do You Do For A Living? Recently, the_jazz made an off-hand comment that perhaps three people on this site know and understand precisely what he does for a living. I recalled this comment when talking with my co-worker today about how our work is hard to define. I thought it might make an intersting topic of discussion. So, The Question: What do you do for a living? What's your job title, what daily tasks are you expected to complete, what sorts of things do you deal with daily? I recognize that in this economy not everyone is fortunate enough to have a job. If you are unemployed, what would you like to do for a living, or what are you trained/in training to do? I realize that a lot of jobs can be summed up with one word answers. For those people, I might suggest going into more detail. What makes your position unique, or what's an interesting aspect of your job that most people might not know about? I'll go first. I am... well, as mentioned above it's hard to define exactly what I am, title-wise. Technically I'm an administrative assistant. I work in an office with one other person daily and a third once or twice per week. I provide support for them, which involves filing, sorting, faxing, shredding, typing, answering phones and in general making sure things run smoothly. So far, so good. Probably seems pretty straightforward. The twist is that the office I work in is a social services office. Specifically, we're a non-profit government funded organization (I believe NGO is the term used in the states) with a mandate of providing support and advocacy services for the developmentally and/or intellectually disabled adults in our community, allowing them to live independently. Because the office is small and we don't have a ton of funding, my job often spills over into that of the case workers; I go to the appointments or meetings that the case workers are unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts as well as handling mundane issues involved with case management, such as submitting invoices for payment, tracking bills and medications, things of that nature. And of course I do interact with clients on a daily basis as well, which demands a good deal of patience and a good sense of humour. The number one qualification for my job, as stated by my boss on my first day of work, is the ability to not freak out. After my first month on the job I can only agree with her assessment. __________________ I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said - Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame