Blogs - Chief of Pray Blog

Work at Home: Random Jobs

My husband’s partner, Allen, framed all of his business cards from the different jobs he’s had in his 30+ year career. It’s a great conversation starter and really shows his work history in a creative and visual way. If I did the same, I could wallpaper a small amphitheater and still have some left over for the men and ladies bathrooms. I have had a lot of jobs.

Some people brag about short histories over long time periods and I’m one of them. I was thrilled when I heard a kindred spirit on the Girlfriendology BlogTalk Radio show.  Bethany Mooradian has never held a traditional job for longer than nine months. She’s been a mystery shopper, she’s cleaned Bill Gate’s toilets, and was a bodyguard for Ronald McDonald.

Now she teaches others how to find random jobs and make money from it. She even wrote a book: I Got Scammed So You Don't Have To: How to Find Legitimate Work at Home and Random Jobs in a Scamming Economy.

The nutshell version of Bethany’s interview with entrepreneur and founder of Girlfriendology.com, Debba Haupert, is there are ways to build a non-traditional career that fits in with your personality, passion, and goals. I’m a believer with a caveat: It’s equally important that your goals are pure.

We were out at a dinner the other night with some friends. Somehow the conversation got around to spending and Tina said, “Money is the root of all evil.” It’s an old cliché and certainly applied to what we were talking about; but I wondered if the quote was accurate. There’s evil that comes from things other than money. Fanatical religious beliefs and envy can produce evil— money isn’t a factor at all. Sure enough, when I did some research, I found out the original phrase, “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil,” is often misquoted.

Yeah, bad things happen when you when you love money too much. And true, it’s no picnic when you don’t have enough money to get by. Finding the healthy half-way point between the two is not easy. Kudos to Bethany— she managed to figure it out and she found a way to share what she’s learned as a random job hopper. Set some worthy goals and get into the spirit of the flexible worker! Downside: You probably won’t earn too many business cards like me, or be able to frame the ones you have, like Allen. Your paper trail will be reflected in a harmonious spirit that lets you live a life that works for you.

Discouragement covers me
like piles of papers on this desk.
The light in my job is gone.
I dream often of leaving
the struggles of dreary days
and finding a new start.

But I know too well:
I'm too practical to quit,
too lazy to leave,
too ashamed to walk away,
again.

Somewhere I have stored
the confidence I need.
Someday I know
a better job awaits.
Somehow I believe
You will show me:
that bright and
ready path of change.

-Rachel Lee