This summer is flying by! This past month has seriously been life-changing and amazing. It’s been awesome to learn from a coffee roaster, stay at a dude ranch, and to spend a week at Sierra Trading Post.

I have been loved on by the people at all the jobs and the hospitality I’ve experienced is priceless. People really like this One-Week Job Project. I’m thankful for the hot meals, free coffee, excellent host homes, and fun adventures I’ve had!

This week I’m back home in Tennessee to rest up for my future jobs and travels & work at a Dentist’s office for Job #3. I’m working with Dr. Keith Tedford of Tedford Family Dentistry in Ooltewah, Tennessee. It’s a three for one deal since I get to job-shadow the dental hygienist, dental assistant, and the dentist himself, Dr. Tedford.

It’s a major bummer that I can’t get into people’s grills myself to do dental work, but that might not be such a good idea. I’m not officially trained as an assistant so I am just watching all week.

When I mention how I ended up at this job this week, most people cringe at the thought of working inside peoples’ mouths as a career. I’ve always been intrigued by medical jobs, but am not a huge fan of blood and guts. The dental field is unique since they typically work 9-5, Monday-Friday. Unlike some medical jobs that require odd hours, inconsistent schedules, and lots of emergency cases, dentistry offers a consistent schedule and very few crazy invasive procedures.

I’m actually shadowing my personal dentist and his team this week. It’s interesting to be on the other side of the chair. Here are some of the factors that intrigue me about working in dentristry:

Schedule: Dr. Tedford and his assistants work only week-days and get off around 5PM daily. There are both part-time and full-time positions and the schedules are usually the same for each person each week. For the moms on staff, they can work part-time and still be free to take care of their kiddos during the week.

Variety: Everyday is completely different! Even though the staff performs the same procedures (cleanings, filling, root canals, crowns, etc.) daily, they work on different peoples’ mouths. In a sense, the dental industry requires good problem-solving skills since no 2 mouths are the same. Dr. Tedford and his team have to consider a patient’s whole dental history when working on their teeth.

People-Oriented: this may be seem like a no-brainer, but I love people. In trying these jobs, I’m learning that I thrive on interacting with people. If I’m forced to sit in a cubicle all day, I’m seriously like a flower that doesn’t get watered! As a family dentistry office, the staff get to see both kids and adults on a regular basis.

Overall, I’m enjoying my time here! I definitely feel more compelled to research dental assistant & hygienist programs in my area. The highlight of today was getting to drill a tooth (part of a set of fake teeth) and put in a filling. Dr. Tedford instructed me to drill a cross-shape on the top surface of the

tooth to mimic how he would drill to get any decay out of the tooth. After that, I squirted composite into the cross shape on the tooth. To harden the filling, I used a curing light (shines super bright blue light). I don’t know how it works but somehow shining the ultra-bright curing light on the composite creates a hard filling.

It’s already Friday! At the beginning of the week, I walked into the doors of Sierra Trading Post with no idea about what the week would be like. This week has been filled with shadowing lots of people in different departments, eating good food at local hot spots, and learning a ton about Sierra Trading Post!

There is something oddly exciting about not knowing what the future holds. I never imagined this week would be so incredible, but Sierra set a high bar for places to work. Their casual, family-oriented work environment is surely one of the factors for their growth as a company.

The last couple days, I’ve had several appointments with department managers to get an overview of their work.

Merchandising

On Tuesday, I got the unique opportunity to sit in on a vendor meeting. Various vendors from all over the world come to Sierra Trading Post to pitch their products and ultimately, to convince Sierra’s buyers to buy them.

A representative from La Crosse Technology came all the way from Wisconsin to show Heather Jahnke, home goods buyer, the latest weather stations that La Crosse is offering. Since Sierra regularly carries their products, the meeting was fairly simple.

Heather looked at her spreadsheet to see how many of each weather station she bought in the past and then compared that number to how many actually sold. If there were lots of units left, Heather would pass on buying more.  To prepare for the Christmas shopping frenzy though, Heather buys more of certain products to ensure they’re in stock for the holiday season.

The meeting was very interesting and I soaked up a lot of information in a mere hour!

Copy

Do any of you readers receive Sierra Trading Post Catalogs in the mail? Besides a booming Internet retail site, STP has 12

different mail catalogs that are sent out on a regular basis. If you’re like me, details are important when shopping for a product. In both the catalog and on the website, there is text listed below each product that includes specifications (size, weight, measurements) and a short description of the item. There is a whole team of 7 copywriters who work diligently to write a description for each item that Sierra sells. They write by looking at a sample of the item. Before an item makes it into the web store and catalog, it goes through these departments: quality control, photography, color correction, and then the copy department.

I had fun learning from Steph, the PR and Copy Manager for Sierra Trading Post. To cap off my time in the department, I sat with Ashley Arneson, one of the excellent copywriters. She even let me try my hand at writing a description of a sweater!

Photography

There is a talented photography department at Sierra Trading Post. They shoot photos of all the products for the catalog and website. Even though I didn’t spend too much time in the studio, I got in on a fun shoot early in the week. They took photos of all the managers for the company BBQ. Check out my photo below:

Read more »

Where in the world is Kieley Best?

I am in Cheyenne, Wyoming for my second week of the One-Week Job Project at Sierra Trading Post. (In case you missed it, I was on vacation last week and am a week behind Amanda and Michelle.

If you haven’t checked out their blogs, take some time to read about their adventures. Both of these girls are super sweet and have lots of great insights to share!

This week is unique since I am not confined to one department within Sierra Trading Post. Unlike the roaster job, it’s more difficult to jump right in on the jobs here since they require more experience and training. With 650 employees at the headquarters, there is lots going on! In case STP (Sierra Trading Post) sounds foreign to you: they’re a company that sells excess products, closeout deals, and overstock items on their website. Even if you’re not into the outdoor gear they specialize in, they’ve got home goods, clothes, shoes, and gadgets!

Here’s a recap of what I’ve been up to the past 2 days:

E-Commerce Department

Justin Johnson, Online Marketing Manager, gave me a short tutorial about the basics of using WordPress for blogging. STP is constantly tracking how many people visit their website, view the blog posts, click on email ads, and more. Justin explained to me how the company uses Google Analytics (free!) to gauge how many times people view each blog post and where readers are located.

In the E-Commerce department, I have been mainly watching how Naomi interacts with STP customers on Facebook and Twitter. It’s amazing how posting a simple status on facebook about a STP contest can generate a lot of excitement! To learn more about the E-Commerce jobs, I sat in on the marketing meeting. The main thing that stood out is that they are very goal-oriented. Each member of the team is expected to make a certain amount of money based on how much money they invest in their projects.

For example, Bert, Search Marketing Manager, spends money to ensure that when people search for certain brands & products on Google that Sierra’s links will be close to the top of the list. If STP is not making money from Bert’s work, then he’s just wasting his time! With measurable goals, it helps everyone in the department to stay focused and ultimately, to make money for Sierra Trading Post!

Fulfillment Center:

As a regular STP customer, I frequently receive boxes and brown paper packages from them in the mail. Before taking a tour of the fulfillment center, I assumed that processing and shipping was a boring procedure. I could not have been more wrong!

Naomi and I got a fantastic tour by Darron, the receiving manager for the fulfillment center. Sierra buys products from hundreds of vendors that are received, stored, taken off shelves by order fillers, packed, and finally shipped to the customers! The receiving section is called “the warehouse” and is full of boxes of items that have just arrived from vendors. If the product is already individually packaged, it will be stored until an order comes in to be filled. If it’s a box of bulk t-shirts, they are sent to a section to be packaged individually. After an order comes in, the order fillers collect the items from the shelves. After the items are packed into boxes and receive their shipping label, they travel down a chute to be sorted into different trucks. I was like a little kid at Disney World during the tour since the process is very fascinating. I loved seeing how the machines work and the fact that there’s a personal touch since people fill orders, operate machines, and pack the boxes.

I was very impressed by the efficiency of the fulfillment center. Darron went into great detail about their energy-efficient skylights, the water pipe drainage system, and their high-tech machines that get the job done! The fulfillment center uses machines to expedite packing and shipping, but there are great people who work to send out the clothes, shoes, and other items people order. It was great to hear Darren speak so highly about their employees who are committed to both speed and accuracy.

That’s all for now! I will blog more later this week to share more!

Email me with questions, comments, and feedback here: bestweekjob(at)gmail.com

-Kieley

I am working (technically “interning”) with my absolute favorite company this week! Since I took last week off for vacation with my family, I am just now starting week #2. So you’re probably wondering about the company I’m at…

Sierra Trading Post!

Headquartered in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Sierra Trading Post is a fantastic company that sells outdoor gear, home goods, shoes, and more, at insanely low prices! Over the past years, I have ordered from their site and have always dreamed of going behind-the-scenes!

This week I will specifically be in the E-Commerce department, but I will also be spending time with the photography department, merchandising, and even get to tour the warehouse where all the items are stored!

After sipping a fabulous french vanilla latte’ from the espresso bar at Sierra Trading Post, Naomi Berg gave me a tour of all the departments of the company. Naomi is a wonderful lady who works as the social media manager for the company. Social media includes Facebook, Twitter, and other sites that revolve around online interaction. I learned that social media is very effective for STP to communicate with their customers, receive feedback, and to promote their amazing sales!

I was seriously in heaven meeting lots of employees during my tour. Everyone was so welcoming and interested in hearing about the One-Week Job Program. It’s great to be at a company that “gets it.” By this I mean that Sierra is a company that is unique and open to cool things. While some companies might shy away from hosting an intern for only a week, Sierra Trading Post jumped at the opportunity to host me for the week. I love variety so this job will be unique since I will get to experience different departments within the same company. Unlike my first week that was solely roasting, this week I’m branching out!

To give you an idea of how many departments are at Sierra, here’s a list of a few:

• Merchandising (buy items that STP sells, decide when to run sales, and pick items for catalog)
• Photography (take photos of retail items for website and catalog)
• Customer Service (provide help to Sierra Trading Post customers via phone and email)
• Human Resources (manage all the employees, process benefits claims, and make sure STP has the best team possible!)
• Creative Services (design graphics for mail catalogs, web banners, and other creative projects)
• Copywriting (write creative descriptions of each product for the catalog and website)
• Order Fulfillment (collect ordered items from warehouse and ship them to customers)
• Quality Control (try on clothing items to determine their fit)
  

I so look forward to learning more about these departments, their people, and serving Sierra Trading Post in whatever ways that I can this week.

This journey has just started and I am so beyond stoked to have this summer adventure! Here is something I keep thinking about as I’ve travelled the last three weeks:

Travel is more meaningful when you meet people along the way. It’s nice to visit new places, see new sites, and try new foods, but traveling is a much richer experience when you take time to meet people! I am loving my jobs so far, but not because of the tasks I get to try or the location of the jobs; I like this program because I am building relationships with people all over the United States!

I honestly do not know what to expect for the rest of this week at Sierra Trading Post in Cheyenne. I anticipate lots of learning, asking the employees lots of questions, and taking advantage of the retail store (aka “Kieley likes to shop for outdoor deals”).

Thanks for reading!

Email me with feedback, questions, and job offers here:

bestweekjob(at)gmail.com

Cheers,

Kieley Best

Hi friends! I plan to blog tomorrow with a summary of my week at a Dude Ranch in Wyoming! For now, check out this video that I filmed during the all-day trail ride earlier this week!

-Ki

Hey everyone!

Long time no blog!

After wrapping up a incredible week as a coffee roaster, I flew over to Wyoming for a unique adventure! I am currently in Cody, Wyoming on vacation with my family. The day after I found out I got to be part of the One-Week Job Program, I got a special email. The email was from an outdoor retailer called Sierra Trading Post. It explained that I had won their Wild West Getaway trip for the week of July 4th. I hated to take a break for a week, but who could turn down an all-expenses paid trip to a dude ranch! The sweet thing is that I got to take my parents and my brother too.

The schedule here is pretty packed with family meals, 2 trail rides daily, swimming, excursions, and hiking.

My family and I arrived in Cody on Saturday night and woke up early Sunday to get a spot downtown for the 4th of July parade. The parade was mighty festive and I enjoyed seeing peoples’ pride about their town.

I will be back to the One-Week Job Program next week. What’s next you ask?

I’m flying across Wyoming to Cheyenne, home of Sierra Trading Post’s headquarters. I’m not going to say what my job is yet so check back next Monday to find out!

Hope everyone is having a splendid summer and enjoying life!

Blessings,

Kieley Best

Have questions or job leads for me? Email Kieley here: bestweekjob(at)gmail.com

I have had a few companies back out last minute and am looking to work in the interior design field, culinary chef field, or something with photography. Please contact me via email with details if interested.

Where in the world is Kieley?

I am no longer in Athens, GA since I wrapped up my week as a roaster on Friday. After driving 4 hours home to do a quick round of laundry, I packed once again for more adventures!

Right now I am sitting in Cody, Wyoming since I am taking this week as a vacation. I know it seems early in the One-Week Job Project to be on vacay, but here’s the scoop: I won an all-expenses paid trip from this cool company called Sierra Trading Post.

How? I simply took 20 seconds to fill out my name, address, and email about 2 months ago on their website for the contest. I must say it was worth the time! This week will be different as I will post updates about my vacation at a Dude Ranch. It’s not technically one of my jobs, but I still want to show what life on a ranch is like!

Before jumping into horse stuff and western adventures though, let me share the highlights of my week as a roaster for Jittery Joe’s Coffee:

I worked with Charlie Mustard and had a fantastic time!

In 5 days, I…

-Learned what stages coffee beans go thru during roasting

-Observed Charlie roasting for lots of hours

-Roasted coffee with an Air-Popper (usually used for popcorn)

-Packaged coffee with Christian

-Delivered coffee to local Jittery Joe’s shops

-Learned how to create coffee “blends” (multiple types of beans combined)

AND FOR THE GRAND FINALE…

-Roasted my own coffee, packaged it, and even created a custom label

Here’s a Video to express my excitement: Final Coffee Test: Kieley Roasts Her Own!

I chose Ethopia Yirgacheffebeans since I have a new cousin from Ethiopia. The name, “Smiley Kieley” was an obvious choice since I’ve been told it’s impossible for me to not smile.

Overall, Jittery Joes set the bar very high in regards to being amazing people with sweet jobs and kind hearts. I was blessed to get lots of hands-on experience, meet many Athens locals, and even take home a case of my very own coffee!

Special thanks to Charlie Mustard, his wife Allison, Christian, Seth, Michael Ripps, and everyone else on the Jittery Joe’s Coffee team.

Before I launch into an Academy Awards-esque thanks speech, I will cap off this post. Tomorrow will be a full day that starts early with a cowgirl breakfast and horse lesson.

Follow the One-Week Job blog for more adventures all summer. I am still looking for jobs for August so email me or comment please if interested or if you have a connection.

bestweekjob(at)gmail.com

Yee-Haw,

Kieley B.

Kieley here! I am having an amazing week here in Athens, GA and the past four days have been filled with fun, learning, and lots of free coffee!

I apologize for not posting yesterday as I had planned. To make up for it, I will recap the first few days and post a video tomorrow with various clips from the week and a summary of my week as a coffee roaster.

In case you are new to the blog:

My name is Kieley and I’m a young lady traveling around this summer in search of my passion. In 8 weeks, I will try working 8 different jobs and blog about the whole adventure here at Oneweekjob.com. The first week has already been so helpful in confirming that coffee is something that fires me up!

Charlie Mustard has been such a great teacher this week and allowed me to see many facets of his job. It’s wild to hear how he went from getting an undergraduate degree in Biology to veterinarian school to pursuing a master’s in nutrition. How in the world did he  become a roaster? That’s a fair question and I wondered this myself. To make a long story short, Charlie spent time at the local Jittery Joes coffee shop while he worked on his Master’s thesis. After hearing the company express interest in roasting their own coffee, Charlie had a eureka moment and realized that his science background would be a great fit. After extensive reading and research, Charlie bought the equipment and began to roast. The great coffee he roasts today has been developed over time-it required logging his results, lots of experimentation,  and even making some so-so batches in his early days as a roaster.

What’s the lesson to be learned here?

“Just because you have a degree in something or don’t have a degree in something does not mean you have to or can’t do a certain job.”

I loved hearing Charlie’s interesting path because it shows that

(1) a person is not bound to stick to a job that matches their degree & (2) it shows that a person should be open and ready to take risks because it often produces a great result! In Charlie’s case, he now has a super fulfilling job that’s fun, flexible, and allows him to hang out with his wonderful family.

I will share more about his daily life in the coffee business on Friday, but for now, let me bring you up to speed on the roasting process.

To get your coffee beans for your cup o’ joe, there are many steps:

1. The roaster orders green beans (raw coffee beans) from various farmers all over the world

2. Batching the coffee (scooping & weighing a certain amount of coffee to be roasted) *Charlie usually puts in 26 lbs. of raw beans for one batch. When the roasting is finished, the batch weighs less due to the beans losing their outer membrane.

3. Roasting the coffee (The coffee is poured into the roaster and transforms as Charlie adjusts the heat, air flow, and controls the time. Charlie has certain markers to watch for:

-when the green beans turn “straw” color – goldenish color

-when the beans change to “cinnamon color” – medium brown color

-1st Crack- when beans crack for the first time (obvious since you can hear the beans cracking!)

-2nd Crack- A few minutes later, the beans crack again and about this time, it’s time to release them from the heat into the cooling section. After cooling,it’s on to packaging!

So that is basically coffee roasting 101. After spending all of Monday helping Charlie and learning the basics, I spend the next day packaging with another Jittery Joe’s employee, Christian. He is the man behind the packaging and shipping for all of their coffee. After Charlie Mustard roasts the coffee and separates it into 5 pound bags, Christian pours the coffee beans into metal cans, seals them with a fancy gizmo, attaches a label by hand, and packs the cans into boxes. Jittery Joes not only roasts coffee for their own shops; they also ship their coffee all over the U.S.!

Working with Christian was fun and I enjoyed the challenge of keeping up with his speedy pace. It was interested to hear the route he took to end up in the coffee industry as well.

I have so much more to share so tomorrow I will blog yet again!

One added incentive to make the most of this project is hearing feedback from friends and people I meet. Hearing about this crazy program makes people think about what jobs they desire to try. I would love for this blog to be interactive so here’s the question of the day:

“What job(s) would you like to try for one week?”

If you’re really ambitious, work on this follow-up question:

“What can you do today to make your desire to try this job a reality?

So often it’s easy to get caught up in “What-ifs” and think of money, time, and other barriers, but if Charlie had been bound by these things, he would be missing out on his sweet job: roasting coffee!

Think about it friends and comment away!

Want to email me with a job proposal for a week or just say hi? I love emails!

bestweekjob(at)gmail.com

Love,

Kieley B.

Week 1 of the One-Week Job Project is underway and I am beyond grateful for today. I am in heaven working alongside head roaster of Jittery Joe’s Coffee, Charlie Mustard. Jittery Joe’s is a unique coffee company for many reasons:

• Sponsor a Pro Cyling Team
  

  Jittery Joe's Sponsored Cyclist

• Pack their coffee in stylin’ aluminum cans
  

  Morning Ride Coffee from Jittery Joe's

• Roast small batches to ensure the highest quality
  

  Roastmaster Charlie checks color of beans during roasting

When I initially found out I got the chance to be in the One Week Job Program, I knew one of my jobs had to center around Coffee! Ever since my freshman year of college in Chicago, I have been captivated by all things coffee. It was absolutely necessary to consume this hot delicacy to make it through my 7:15 AM classes. Not only this, but in working at the on-campus coffee shop, I learned what’s most important about coffee: it brings people together.

This may seem weird for my to wax on this topic of coffee but I love it because coffee is so much more than just a good beverage or trendy thing to carry around. Here are a few things to consider:

Coffee and Cafes provide a venue for community to happen-everyday people gathering to share life, eat, drink, and take a breather from the daily rush.

Roasters buy green beans from coffee farmers and this provides wages for people to live on! Also, the coffee industry employs many people from all over the world who thrive because of simple coffee beans and tried and true, brewing methods.

Coffee is both an art and science and inspires creativity. Despite roasting being highly subjective, there is a benefit to this: the roaster has free reign and freedom to experiment to create the best coffee.

To give you a quick recap of my day:

I arrived at the Jittery Joe’s at 8 AM sharp after walking 4 minutes from the apartment downtown where I am staying.

Side Note: It pays to let your needs be known friends! On Saturday night, I still did not have lodging for my week in Athens. When my brother returned from work, I whined about my predicament. He then realized his connection to a UGA student who has a sweet apartment that is not occupied for the summer. 1 hour later, I had a key, a free parking place, and the address!

Getting back to my day: After meeting Charlie Mustard, the roast master and my boss for the week, I was given a tour of the roasting facility. It is amazing to see the behind the scenes at a roastery. To see a 360 degree view of where I am working, click here.

Charlie wanted me to get a good overview on coffee and the whole process so most of my morning was spent reading “The Science of Espresso” at the Five Points Jittery Joes Location. I took copious notes to help me learn the most possible about roasting this week.

After a fabulous lunch at Mama’s Boy, a local Athens, GA restaurant, it was time to roast.

Charlie walked me through the whole process and taught me what color the beans should be at each stage of the roast. I enjoyed learning how to blend and even got to help bag the coffees in preparation for canning tomorrow!

3.5 Hours later…Charlie and I had roasted over 300 pounds of coffee!

To learn more about my adventures this week, stay tuned! Wednesday, I will post again.  Feel free to leave Comments and questions below. Follow me on twitter & Email me: bestweekjob(at)gmail.com (Still setting up one-week jobs for August!)

Till Next Time,

Kieley B.

In 3 days, my life is going to change drastically. I am saying goodbye to my current job in TN

-working at a local bakery, and saying hello to 8 new jobs!

When I found out about the One-Week Job Program thru a tweet, I was struck with the thought: “This is what I’ve been dreaming about!”

To start off the adventure, I will be heading South to Athens, Georgia to work as a coffee roaster at Jittery Joes Coffee. I am ecstatic to work alongside roastmaster Charlie Mustard for a week. You might have always thought coffee just grew on a tree and the beans were picked and ready to go, but there is so much more to it!

Check out http://www.jitteryjoes.com to see what they’re all about and to order coffee!

So you’re probably wondering what my 8 jobs are for the summer…

I’m not going to share all, but here’s a sneak peak:

I will be traveling to Georgia, Wyoming, Washington, Tennessee, and possibly a few other states. You can look forward to reading about my week as a backpacking guide, a photographer, and as a marketer for a national retail company.

If any readers are located in these states and would be willing to host me or want to meet for coffee, or even invite me to dinner, email me: bestweekjob@gmail.com

How do I feel right now?

I’d like to say I’m confident, prepared, and fearless, but I am definitely the opposite! I feel good about this whole project though because it’s already challenged me in huge ways.

Here are some things I’m learning:

1. Don’t assume that the answer will be no.

Contacting different employers to set up jobs for this summer has been challenging since fear kicks in and makes me think I will be rejected. I have pushed through though, contacted companies that seem out of reach, and it has paid off!

2. Some people just don’t get it and that’s okay.

When someone initially hears I will be working 8 different jobs this summer, I am often met with an intense look of confusion. The idea is quite strange: I’m quitting my job to travel around the U.S. in search of my passion. Most of my friends and family “get it” and understand that this program has Kieley Best’s name all over it. Some other people I’ve talked to didn’t get the point of this summer adventure and repeatedly asked, “Why?”

Who cares if they don’t think this is the most innovative program and that this is a huge opportunity.

To close this post, let me share a quote that I used in my high school graduation post:

“Do not go where the path may lead. Instead, go where there is no path and leave a trail.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

It’s ironic that I used that quote 2 years ago and it very eloquently sums up my life right now.

Get ready to follow the most crazy quest for my passion this summer! 10 days and counting…

-Kieley

If you are an employer and interested in having me work for you for a week, email me: bestweekjob@gmail.com

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