My Top Five Jobs - Number 1

For those of you who have been reading this blog for any length of time you would know my number 1 job was working with Renaissance Cruises between 1992 and 1996. The places I saw and the things I did with the people I met was unforgettable.

Waiting on a cruise ship is like being a sports athlete. All you do is wait on tables everyday. You don't have to worry about rent , laundry , food , drink , transportation , or bad weather like scraping snow off your windshield in the winter. All you do is get paid to make people happy who are already happy. They are all on vacation.

Looking back at what seems like a long time ago it was the best thing I ever did. I met my wife who worked on the ship. I dare say had I not met her I would probably have remained on the ship.

Nothing has compared to that yet on land. The cruise line company named Renaissance Cruises went belly up during 9/11 and became something different afterwards so to look it up and send you to a web site is not possible. It was a small ship of 114 passengers. Small is better in my opinion when choosing a cruise ship to work for.

Well that is it for my top 5.

5. Where I work now.
4. Palisades Restaurant in Jasper.
3. Hotel Eden au Lac in Montreux Switzerland.
2. Terrace on the Green in Brampton Ontario.
1. Renaissance Cruises from 1992-1996.

Hope you enjoyed this as much as I had fun writing about them.

My Best Top 5 Jobs - Number 2

The last few weeks I have been going through what I consider my top 5 jobs of all time. Some that were pretty good didn't make the list but the reason why I chose what I did choose was not only were they fine jobs but each one changed my life in a certain way.

Number 5 - where I work now has given me the flexibility to be off when I have needed to be and kind enough to accomodate both my wife's and my hours so that we can play a big part in our kid's lives. That is a biggie especially with one car in the household.

Number 4 - was the Palisades Restaurant in Jasper Alberta where in 1991 I really felt I got it together as a waiter. Up to that time I was mainly behind the bar , held some management positions just before that , but especially at this time I needed to see some real success in my life. I needed direction and to focus on one thing and that is when I decided pretty much that waitering was where the money was at. The previous year had been terrible so the time in the Rockies was exactly what the doctor ordered. In 1991 I got it together personally so to speak.

Number 3 - my 2 years in Switzerland where I worked hard and travelled in 1988-89 for me was outstanding. That is why 1990 was brutal cause coming back from a high was difficult to take. The job experience I had and the people I met together with the places I saw was unforgetable. I didn't make much but learned tons. I think everyone if they can should work elsewhere for a while just to appreciate things they may take for granted at home. Although Switzerland wasn't exactly a tough country to spend time in.

Which brings us to my number 2 job and that is where I worked a short time ago. I know some read this blog with whom I worked with and still keep in touch. I was working at this fine dining restaurant in Oakville Ontario called Jonathans at the time when business slowed down during the summer and being the new kid on the block I was getting called off a lot of the time.

So I got on my pony and started to look for other work when I saw this ad from a restaurant looking for a waiter. It was closer to where I lived so I thought I would check the place out. I left my resume there and shortly thereafter I got a call to come in and talk with the owner.

We hit it off and he said come on in one night and we will see how you do. So I went in. I remember that first night and I guess really all I was supposed to do was shadow someone but we had a few walk ins and it got pretty busy so I think I mucked in pretty good and was invited back. Alex the owner knew the restaurant business and was very waiter friendly. Being old school he never liked too much staff so the waiters were also bartenders , bussers, food runners, banquet waiters , and polished cutlery all at the same time. Good money was made all the time there.

Being of the fine dining variety the tips were great and the place catered to corporate meetings , dinners , weddings , the works.

I worked there for 2 1/2 years before I moved on to where I am now so that I could manage my schedule better and also teach the bartending. My body was aching too as my back would give out. Usually you worked right through without a split. So physically it was taking a toll.

This job at Terrace on the Green www.terraceonthegreen.ca pretty much got us the town house we live in now. The tips were that good. So the years from 2005 - 2007 were income wise terrific years. It was fun and great people to work for. If I wrote a book I would mention Alex the owner as helping me getting what I have today. No question.

Next week my number 1 job.

My Top 5 Jobs Beginning With Number 5

Over the past 3 decades I have had plenty of jobs. Some not so good and others not bad while a few were memorable. It is no coincidence that the jobs I stayed with the longest I liked the most. All except for one I worked with over a year.

I like to think of my career working in dining rooms and bars in similar terms to that of a professional athlete. When you start out you are learning on the fly then you begin taking in all you have learned from others and begin to have some confidence in yourself and your ability. Sometime early on you decide this is the career for you.

I would have to say career wise between 1988-1996 I reached some lofty personal goals. Physically my back began to suffer beginning in 1994 so the long hours on my feet and any lifting since that time has exacted it's toll even further. To the point where I will wear a back brace and knee supports if I have to work any long shift. Fortunately this has not happened for a while as I now work during the evening .

Anyway let's get on with number #5...

The 5th best job up to now I have ever had is the only one of the 5 I cannot name because it is the job I hold currently. I will tell you one thing and that if I was 23 years old and joined where I work I would love it even more. There is just so much staff get together events going on all year.

Why the place I work at is number #5 is because they are so flexible with their schedule. Up to now I never knew what someone meant when they offered flexiblity. The gratuities at times may not be up to par but at least I can rely on volume to make up for it. The co-workers are great and the management is excellent. It is relatively easy and I like that because the tables are moved by hostesses , drinks made by someone else , and everyone runs food. All I have to do is get the order right and punch it in.

The people are young with whom I work and that in turn keeps me young.

As long as I can continue doing what I am doing I will stay there. It has been two years already this month and I believe it can last a whole lot longer than that. I may be there 10-15 years.

In fact this company is one of the top 100 to work for in Canada according to a business magazine.

So whatever they are doing they are doing it right.

So number #5 is the place I work now which allows me to have a life outside of work.

On Monday will be the next one so stay tuned for that.