The Grand Finale: Job #8

I can't believe it... I worked 8 jobs for a week each and it's over! To be honest, I'm a bit relieved. It's also a bit unnerving since I'm back to the dilemma of "what's next." This summer has been extraordinary. Before I start on a soapbox about it, let me share about job #8.

This week, I was in my hometown of Cleveland, TN, working with At Your Service, a small printing business. At Your Service is a one man operation, consisting of printing genius Stan Pegram. Stan and I met when I worked at Scott's Bike Shop earlier in the summer. After hearing about his work that week, I ordered a shirt from him. I was blown away by the quality of my custom Boise State jersey so naturally, I wanted to work with Stan for a week!

Stan specializes in sublimation printing. Unlike screenprinting and other types of printing that print on top of the surface, sublimating gets the ink into the fiber of the shirt. Besides printing shirts, Stan also offers really cool photo gifts that can be customized with logos, graphics, or photos.

When he wakes up in the morning, Stan has an easy stroll to work: his workspace is his 1200 square foot basement! It's really a cool set-up with the computer, the heat presses, mug presses, and samples of his past work.

On Monday, I started my job with Stan and learned more about how he got into the business. Oddly enough, the business grew out of his wife's love for quilting. To make a long story short, Stan's wife saw really unique quilts that had sublimated printing on them. After sharing with Stan, Stan researched, bought the gear, and started doing projects for people in the community.

Some of his most popular items are name badges. In hospitals, offices, meetings, and more, name badges are worn. Stan makes really classy looking badges!

Why did I choose this job? (working as a printer)

When I met Stan earlier in the summer, we hit it off. He's the sweetest man you've ever met and I was intrigued by his home-based business. As an aspiring entrepreneur myself, I knew I would really benefit from spending more time learning from Stan.

It's interesting to note that the employer played a major role in the job that I chose for my final week. Sometimes in life, you are going to have the opportunity to work with a really great person. The job itself might not be your forte' or something that revs you up, but it might be worth taking the job to learn.

So, to get back to answering the question. I chose the job so I could work and learn from Stan, not because I absolutely love printing things. Fair enough?

Monday Recap:

First, Stan showed me how he prepares graphics and text on his laptop. He uses CorelDraw software to edit his graphics and then prints them.

Stan received a huge order for car dash plates for an antique car show. I'm not  very informed about car shows, but each attendee receives a dash plate to recognize their presence at the show. Stan had to print 400 for the show!

The bottom picture shows Stan taping the plates to the paper that has the image to be transferred. After he tapes the plates on, they are placed in a hot press for 60 seconds. After cooling off, they're done!

It was a busy first day and I did loads of taping! I had fun though and learned a lot.

Stay posted for more details about my week at the printer!

-Kieley Best

A Week That Left Me Wanting More

Blogging takes time and energy and I have been running low on both! I have been traveling a ton lately for the One-Week Job Program. I just finished job #6 after having a busy week in Dallas, Texas. I am so thankful I got to spend week #6 at the Dallas Market Center to learn about the wholesale business. If you missed my first blog about DMC, read it here.

A special thanks is due to Meredith Hite, Dallas Market Center's Director of Public Relations. She is also the logistical genius who offered me the job, arranged my schedule, and ensured that the week was absolutely fantastic!

I love meeting people who are so gifted like Meredith and so on top of their game. For Meredith, public relations is her forte’ but there were many other young professionals with exceptional talent at Dallas Market Center.

My schedule was tight from Wednesday to Sunday since I was booked to be in a different place and with a different employee every hour! I'm thankful for the chaos though because I learned as much or more about the business than some of the long-time employees know.

In my next blog, I will give a breakdown of all the departments I visited and the role they play in putting on the Market.

For now, I can't help but share the main things that stood out during my week.

Some of the highlights of the past few days are:

• Rawlins Gilliland's Tour:

Rawlins is the former Neiman Marcus Director of Sales and Product. During Market, he walks around the showrooms and finds the latest trends and "hot" items for buyers to pick up for low prices and resell for a good profit! His descriptions were hilarious and his sense of style was impeccable. I loved both hour-long tours I went on and I learned a ton! I was surprised to see "texting gloves" as a hot pick; apparently technology is truly taking over!

• Free earrings from Elizabeth Carlock Designs

Elizabeth Carlock is a rising star in the jewelry business who exhibited at the Market. During Rawlins' tour, she gave each of us a free pair of earrings she designed! It was a pleasure to talk to Elizabeth and hear about her heart for non-profit work. To check out her designs and order jewelry, check out her website here.

• The Boardwalk Bash Party

Emily Forsythe and Naseem Cox worked together to turn party plans into a party reality! Naseem works for the Dallas Market Center to create visual displays and Emily plans memorable events. The Boardwalk Bash took place on the first night of Market, last Thursday night. I was blown away by all the small touches that created a full-on party experience. Not only was there great food at different stands, a live DJ with a glowing mix-table stand, live models, beautiful clothes on the models, a photo-booth, but also free DMC sunglasses to promote the party!

• Authentic Food!

The Dallas Market Center went above and beyond to host me for the week. Meredith arranged for me to have dinner with Market employees each night. I loved spending time with the staff outside of the office and enjoyed eating gourmet food together!

Here are 2 Dallas restaurants I really enjoyed:

Medina: Natalie, Casey, and I enjoyed Moroccan food at this great restaurant located close to the venue where the Dallas Mavericks play. We started off with a hummus sampler with hot pita bread and then for an entree, I ordered a fancy beef dish with couscous and potatoes.

Mia's-I went to Mia's with Whitney, Zach, and Sydney for a Tex-Mex culinary extravaganza! When we arrived, the place was packed! After finally getting a table, I enjoyed the "Tacos al Carbon," served with bean soup. During dinner, I was able to share what this One-Week Job program has meant to me. It sparked ideas from Whitney, Zach, and Sidney too as they brainstormed which jobs they would like to try.

I realize this blog is different than my past posts but I wanted to share more than just a play-by-play of my schedule in Dallas. The week was so hectic so I thought I would start with things that really left impressions on me.

Look for a new post soon about the different departments and my final thoughts on working at the Dallas Market Center.

Cheers,

Kieley Best

Follow me on Twitter here or email me at bestweekjob@gmail.com

Job #5: Backpacking Guide

I am a traveling machine! After wrapping up an awesome week at Scott's Bike Shop in Cleveland, TN, I  flew across the U.S. on Sunday to Spokane, Washington. It's hard to contain my excitement for my job this week: backpacking guide! There is a great non-profit based out of Spokane called "Peak 7." Peak 7 is a non-profit that focuses on taking low-income and at-risk youth on outdoor adventures. They offer climbing, rafting, and backpacking trips. Unlike some organizations that cater to mainly affluent youth, I appreciate that Peak 7 does not exist to make money. They exist to make relationships with the kids, teach them about the outdoors, and to ultimately, show them Christ's love throughout the trip. It's so exciting that Spokane youth have the opportunity to explore the outdoors and learn from experienced guides through this organization. I arrived to Spokane Sunday morning after a long day of flights from Tennessee. Austin, the Peak 7 coordinator, met me at the airport and took me to Zip's, an amazing burger place, for lunch.

After a quick bite to eat, we headed over to the Peak 7 Warehouse to unpack gear from the previous week's trips. I put up tents to dry out, cleaned boots, and tried to help get everything organized for this week's trips. It was great to meet the Peak 7 staff, volunteers, and guides. Every person I talked to had a unique story about how they came to Spokane and found out about Peak 7. The organization has only existed for just under five years, but it's incredible how far along they are. The warehouse alone is an achievement since most of the gear has been donated by different companies. There are some causes that I hear about and quickly forget about, but Peak 7 is definitely not one of those for me! I love what they're doing and believe it's a very worthy cause to have trips for at-risk youth. If you're interested in donating, click here for a secure link.

To read more about what Peak 7 is about, check out their website here.

Where will I be this week?

Peak 7 is based in Spokane, but for the backpacking trip, we're driving 5-6 hours to the North Cascade Mountains.

What is my job this week?

I am going on day a five-backpacking trip, which Peak 7 calls an "Ascent Trip." I will be going with Nicole on an all-girls trip with 7-8 youth participants. Since I haven't been to guide school or gone through Wilderness First Responder course, I'm basically a participant that is also job-shadowing. Nevertheless, I plan to get involved by building relationships with the kids, helping filter water, set up gear, and learning as much as I can during the week.

How am I feeling pre-trip?

This week will be unique since I will be gone all week and away from my laptop. I'm ecstatic to take a break from technology though and be fully engaged in the trip. Honestly, I am nervous that I won't be fit enough to backpack for five days. This will definitely be a stretching experience, but I don't want to be a person known for playing it safe and only doing things that are comfortable. I anticipate that this will be a memorable week and will help me see firsthand what it's like to lead teens on wilderness trips.

I will be backpacking for five days so guess what that means! I won't be blogging for five days! I plan to post again this coming Saturday with a detailed blog about the trip, complete with pictures and videos.

Thanks for following me on this journey this far.

Sincerely,

Kieley Best

Email me at bestweekjob@gmail.com with job offers, questions, comments, etc...

Road Ridin' Adventures: Job #4 Recap

Hey! If you're taking time to read this blog, I hope you're having a fantastic day!

I totally enjoyed my week at Scott's Bike Centre in Cleveland, TN!

Being in my hometown has been great since I worked with a local business and I could zip home from work for dinner with my family.

A couple nights ago, I went on the Thursday night road ride. The "road ride" takes place on the road as you might have guessed.

There are four different groups of riders, with the groups being divided by pace and number of miles they ride.

I'm not new to cycling, but I've always ridden on a paved path or on a street with no cars. The thought of riding my bicycle on a busy street was a bit unnerving, but I wasn't about to chicken out.

For my first night of riding, I rode with the "D" group. This group rides 15-20 miles and at a comfortable pace. Don't let "comfortable pace" mislead you though; I was still huffing and puffing at times and I even endured some hills!

My fellow "D-group" riders were so welcoming and helped me figure out the gears on my bike and get used to road riding. I felt so cool to finally be in a cycling group riding through a major intersection. I've always admired cyclists from afar and Thursday night, I was one of them.

Here are some highlights of my week with Scott's Bike Centre:

• Learning how to build a bike with Scottie and trying to build a bike myself
• Mountain Biking at Brush Creek
• Talking business with David Coulter, co-owner of Scott's
• Meeting Stan, a local shirt printer who made me a custom Boise St. jersey
• Thursday night road ride on Frontage Road (Cleveland, TN)
• Doing a tune-up on my friend's mountain bike
• Wearing spandex
• Putting clipless pedals on my bike (increases pedal efficiency)
• Getting some used cycling shoes to use with my new clipless pedals

So, what did I think of working at a bike shop?

I was surprised by how interesting it is to work at a bike shop! There is a lot of variety between helping customers pick out bikes and gear, building and repairing bicycles, and keeping up with the business aspect of it. I liked how I could wear casual clothes everyday and not worry about getting dirty!

Favorite Part of the week?

I definitely enjoyed both the mountain bike ride and the road ride. The group rides are seriously amazing and there is so much comraderie between all the cyclists. I loved meeting new people from my hometown and telling them about the One-Week Job Program.

Least Favorite Part of the week?

It was frustrating at times to watch the mechanics work on bikes and not be able to contribute. Since I was only there for a week, I could only learn so much about repairing bikes.

Good Experience?

This week was phenomenal and I learned a ton! I would definitely consider a job in the cycling industry!

To cap off the week...

I just returned from a 9-mile bike ride with my dad! I was dying to try my new pedals and shoes to see if I could feel the difference. I definitely felt more fast and it was nice to not have my feet flying all over the place. My dad was pedaling HARD and still had trouble keeping up. To clarify, "clipless pedals" are pedals that a rider "clips into." I know the name doesn't make sense, but trust me on this one. Scottie gave me an explanation earlier this week that got lost in the bicycle files in my mind!

The most valuable things I will take away from this week are not material; what I will treasure the most are the friendships I built

with David, Scottie, Stan, Mike, and the other people I met this week. Each person was so hospitable and taught me something I needed to learn.

It's been nice to be home for a week, but now it's time to venture out in a huge way. I'm flying out early Sunday morning to Spokane, Washington for my next job.

Until Next Time,

Kieley Best

Email me here: bestweekjob@gmail.com

2 Dogs, 1 House, and Lots of Teeth

I apologize for getting behind on my blog this week. I didn't mention it in my first blog, but I had 2 jobs this week! All week I've been staying in a huge house and not only house-sitting, but also taking care of 2 little dogs. To add to the madness, I fit in 3 days at the dentist's office!

One thing that has become really obvious is that a job that I can't actually try is not near as much fun! With the coffee roasting job, I got to work with Charlie Mustard, roastmaster for Jittery Joe's Coffee. Last week I didn't have a set job, but I still felt like an active member of the Sierra Trading Post team.

Here's the thing: I've always wondered about dentistry. Even though I couldn't actually work on patients, I still got to watch the procedures. Also, I got to talk to the hygienists and dental assistants personally. I already highlighted the perks of careers in dentistry in my last blog. You can read it here.

So what did I think of job shadowing the dentist, the assistant, and hygienist?

Overall, I enjoyed interacting with the different patients. As the dental assistant put it, "we may be doing the same things day in and day out but we work on different teeth." Most of the patients were nice and easy to deal with, but some of the kids can be challenging since they get scared. It's funny having a conversation with a dental patient since it's one-sided. The person can't talk back with their mouth wide open!

Between the hygeniest (the person who mainly cleans teeth) and the assistant, (helps dentist do fillings, sealants, crowns, root canals, and more) I definitely would prefer to be a dental assistant. Why?

I thrive with a combination of people and variety! Both of the jobs allow lots of people interaction but cleaning teeth all day seems a bit too monotonous.

I really enjoyed hanging out with Cassie, one of Dr. Tedford's dental assistants, to watch various procedures. I got to watch how X-Rays are taken, how molds are made for crowns (a common restoration option for cracked teeth), and even saw a man get tooth implants. According to Dr. Tedford, implants are the deluxe route to take when replacing missing teeth. They have a very high success rate and look and feel natural.

On the bright side, I liked the schedule for the dental jobs. I arrived at 9AM and left in the afternoon. Even though I don't plan on pursuing this field long-term, I'm very grateful I finally learned more about it. It would be a major bummer to always wonder about if I would like being a hygienist or assistant.

It's a great career since it's flexible, requires minimal schooling, and pays well.

I will post tomorrow about my dog sitting gig and then I'm on to JOB #4!

This summer is flying by so crazy fast! I have an exciting job this coming week and can't wait to blog about it! ;)

Feel free to email me here: bestweekjob(at)gmail.com or follow me on twitter here.

Have a great week!

-Kieley B.

All Up in Some Grills: Dentistry Jobs

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.

I'm a Vagabond...Traveling Around Sierra Trading Post

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:

Here are my final thoughts for the week at Sierra Trading Post:

Best Fringe Benefit: free coffee in the mornings at the espresso bar in the retail store. (They just let me put it "on the tab.")

Best Memory: walking into my cubicle to the sound of my phone ringing...after searching for it with no success, I figured out Bert put it in the ceiling since I had left my ringer on the highest level!

Favorite Department: the "Creatives" in the catalog department. They were super friendly and were hastling me to declare "Team Edward" or "Team Jacob"

Most memorable Employee: Darron,Receiving Supervisor for Sierra Trading Post's Fulfillment Center. (He was super passionate about his job and took time to give me a personal tour of the center.)

Most Challenging Job: Copywriter- This job is tedious and requires the writers to keep their wording fresh and accurate day after day. I definitely have respect for the writers for writing so many product descriptions!

Favorite Local Food: A huge breakfast burrito from R & B

Best Attraction in Cheyenne: The Old Fashioned Melodrama

If you haven't gathered by now, then let me say it blatantly: "

The One-Week Job Program is about so much more than just trying jobs for a week each."

I am growing so much as a person since I'm being forced out of my comfort zone. I'm getting to meet new people in new places and try tasks that I've never tried. Trying different jobs is truly a gift since I don't want to live my life wondering, "What if..."

I'm curious to hear what you blog readers might be putting off? Is there something that you're dying to try or a dream that you're compelled to pursue, but you're not working on it?

I want this blog to be a place where people interact so feel free to comment or if you don't want it public, email your response to me: bestweekjob@gmail.com

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From Deal to Doorstep: Week #2

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

My Horse Climbs Mountains

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

Horsin' Around in the Wild West

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.

Coffee Time: A Recap of Roaster Life

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 the Coffee Roaster: Update #2

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.

Don't Want to Waste My Life

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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