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

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

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.

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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