On September 16th, 2011, I lost my job at Green Oaks Country Club where I had been for three years.\ So when my brother first suggested I apply to be and Order Processing Specialist where he works, I was skeptical. I had been in the food and beverage industry full-time since 2001 and honestly I was scared to make a change. I was two months shy of my 35th birthday when I applied for the job. And in almost perfect irony, I started training one day shy of exactly two months to the day of losing my country club job. (So on a side note, finding a good, well paying job right now is possible with some motivation and effort.)
Training wasn't anything like what I expected. It was long - three months to be exact - and difficult. Even the training I had at the country club, working in fine dining for the first time, was less difficult than what I had to learn going into this job. And depending on how you look at it, the severity of mistakes are much different. At the country club a mistake could mean someone gets food poisoning. At my new job, a mistake could mean we have to credit the customer $5000. And on top of this, I was chosen for what is considered the most difficult pod on the floor: Embroidery Order Processing Specialist. (I will post more on that in another blog.)
The title "Order Processing Specialist" is misleading. Yes some data entry is involved but that is about 20% of what I now spend my day doing. Some of my other responsibilities include evaluating artwork, talking to distributors, coordinating with the production department, art department and the order editing team as well as responding to the constant flow of email I receive daily.
So I went from standing all day in a 90+ degree kitchen chopping veggies, cleaning chicken breasts, making display mirrors and orders for members to sitting in a cubicle in front of a computer with a mouse as my main tool instead of a knife. The pay's significantly better too, but that will also be discussed in another blog. It's been an interesting road and there will be many more stories to come. So stay tuned.
