Well, maybe not the railroad. And not the jobs depicted in the above socialist workers propaganda image glorifying the honor and virtue of the common workingman: Plumber, Miner, and another Plumber? I don't know, I think it's just meant to conjure up imagery of a basic hands-on, manual laborer.
Some of my past jobs have, indeed, been manual labor. The majority, not so much. But what exactly have I done to "earn a living" over the many decades of my life? Well, let's see:
1970s
Bijou’s Restaurant, Dishwasher and Food Prep
RACO Pens, Self-employed, sales via Door-to-Door advertising
Woonsocket Call Morning Edition, Paperboy
American Advertising, Telemarketer selling coupon books
1980s
Barum's Dry Goods, Stock and Errand Boy
The 1980 Census of the United States, Door-to-Door Enumerator
Howard Johnson's Restaurant, Dishwasher
Howard Johnson's Restaurant, Fountain Boy (Making and serving ice cream treats)
Howard Johnson's Restaurant, Waiter
Junior Achievement, President of Sunshine and Rainbow Sales (sold shares and silkscreen t-shirts)
Junior Achievement, Vice President of Finance, Smithfield Chapter
Wrentham State School, Mental Retardation Assistant
Art Club of the Community College of RI, President, (T-shirt and sweatshirt design and sales)
Foxboro Racetrack, Overnight Cleaning Crewmember
Fred and Adele's Sporting Goods Store, Front End Retail Salesman
Blackstone Valley Arc, Recreation Coordinator
West Bay Arc, Group Home Direct Care Staff
Cranston Center Arc, Group Home Recreation 1:1 Escort
Waterview Villa, East Providence Nursing Home, CNA
DialAmerica Marketing (Warwick, RI), Telemarketer (selling magazine subscriptions)
1990s
The 1990 Census of the United States, Door-to-Door Enumerator
Cranston Center Arc, Group Home Direct Care Staff
Cranston Center Arc, Day Program Staff
Amego, Inc., Residential Behavioral Program Staff
Amego, Inc., Residential Behavioral Program Assistant
Amego, Inc., Residential Program Manager
Polk Company, Door to Door poll taker
The Arc of Northern Rhode Island, Group Home Manager
The Arc of Northern Rhode Island, Assistant Group Home Manager
The Arc of Northern Rhode Island, Group Home Staff
Cozmo's Gizmos, Owner/President, Computer Resales and Consultation
DialAmerica Marketing (Warwick, RI), Telemarketer (selling children's books)
Computer resale place in North Attleboro, Sales, Computer hardware and software
DialAmerica Marketing (Orlando), Telemarketer (assorted lines usually books, CDs, continuities)
Central Florida Wine Distributor/Wholesaler, Delivery Driver
Sprint, Telemarketing (Selling upgrade service Caller ID)
Amoco Gas Station, Overnight shift cashier
DialAmerica Marketing (Orlando), Part-Time Supervisor
DialAmerica Marketing (Orlando), Assistant Branch Manager, Team Leader
DialAmerica Marketing (Orlando), Assistant Branch Manager, Shift Leader
2000s
Sears Home Improvement Products, Inc., Call Center Trainer for Orlando and Altamonte
Vacation Room number one, Boiler Room Telemarketing Timeshare
Tempest Resorts, Telemarketing Timeshare Owner's Referrals
Marriott Vacation Club, Telemarketing Timeshare Owner's Referrals
Charitable Donations Company, Telemarketing (Asking for pledges to charities)
Credit Counseling Company, Telemarketing (Offering a fee-based credit counseling service)
Vacation Room number two, Telemarketing (Cruise offers for Timeshare pitch)
US Grants, LLC., Inbound Phone Sales (Offered contact information on grant applications for a fee)
Parker Murray, Telemarketing (Medicare Advantage Plan appointment setting)
Parker Murray, Telemarketing (Survey for Vinyl Wrap Services)
Parker Murray, Telemarketing (Appointment Setting for Off-Shore Oil Rig component sales)
Vacation Room number three, Telemarketing (Offers of free stays for timeshare sales, targeted British)
Vacation Room number four, Telemarketing (Orlando vacation for timeshare)
Telecom VoiP IVR Sales Company, Telemarketing (Cold calls offering IVR system)
Vacation Room number five, Telemarketing, (Free stays for timeshare pitch)
Credit Card Company, Telemarketing, (Offers for credit card targeting high-risk leads)
Convergys, Inbound Customer Service and Tech Support (Cellular phones)
Cruises N' More, Inbound Phone Sales (Cruise Packages)
Symantec Inc., Customer Care Representative (Veritas Legacy Storage Software Licensing)
Symantec Inc, Sr. Customer Care Representative (SME Veritas Legacy Storage Software Licensing and Norton Business Antivirus)
Embarq, Inbound Customer Service (Landline Tech Support)
JPMorgan Chase, Inbound Customer Service (Disney Credit Card)
2010s
Hewitt, Inbound Customer Service (HR Tech support)
Lakewood Center, Mental Health Technician (Overnight Caregiver)
Lakewood Center, Clinical Assistant
Lakewood Center, Medication Manager
2020s
ResultsCX, Inbound Customer Service (HULU)
Education + Empowerment 2, ADT Manager
Pinecone Research (Nielsen Company), Marketing Surveys
Pinecone Research (Nielsen Company) , Biometric Marketing Tests
Amazon MTurk, Online surveys
Liveops, Outbound Telemarketing (Assurance Insurance)
Arise, Inbound Customer Service (Holland America)
Liveops, Inbound Customer Service (Modivcare)
Arise, Inbound Customer Service (Disney)
Prolific, Online Surveys
Ridge Area Arc, Employment Development Coordinator
These jobs may be a smidge out of sequence since, well, memory is a fickle thing. But they're more or less in the correct order.
So, by my count, I've had about 77 jobs over the 45 years or so I've been working.
Can't you hear the whistle blowing?
Rise up early in the morn.
Can't you hear the captain shouting?
"Dinah, blow your horn!"