Celebrating Labor Day: All the Jobs I’ve had Since the 1970s
Growing up in a working class union household in Brooklyn, NY, I was expected to work. And work hard from an early age. Basically I’ve been working since 12 years old and financially on my own since 17, when I joined the US Navy.
Jobs I’ve Held / Hats I’ve Worn
Reflecting on my “jobs” this Labor Day Weekend, I have worked from a deckhand on an oil tanker to a CEO, from an entry level energy analyst to a marketing consultant and from a janitor to a Navy engineer. I also worked from minimum wage jobs to six-figure jobs with a corner office.
US Navy
This is the “job” that for good or bad, has defined the rest of my life. I joined in 1979 and was on board the USS Niagara Falls, working up to 12-18 hour days a 7 day a weeks for months on end. Only job where everything was on the line, up to and including my life and those of my shipmates. I made lifelong friends and bonds of brotherhood across generations of sailors, and did and saw things before I was 23 that most people can only dream of.
1970s
- Paperboy on a bike
- Fruit and vegetable store weighing and bagging produce before calculators and computer scales
- Fishing boat mate on Pilot II in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn
- Blacksmith apprentice in my grandfather’s shop
1980s
- Machinists Mate, US Navy (active duty: 1979-83)
- Commercial A/C mechanic
- Electrical apprentice
- Building engineer in a NYC nightclub
- Deckhand on an oil tanker
- Nighttime building security guard / janitor in college
- Admin assistant at Brazilian business chamber in college (see cover photo)
1990s
- Energy analyst for major oil firm
- Executive at major international advertising and PR agency
2000s
- Advertising director for a major tech firm
- CEO of marketing agency
2010s – 2020
- Marketing executive at a nonprofit
- During Covid
- Online English Teacher and US Census Worker
Current
- CEO of nonprofit organization
- Chief Adventurer & Raconteur at Journey to the Last Frontier
