Dawn Johnson:  

n-air position in radio my second year of college, working on the morning show for the #1 station in the area. (A very clean show, but we did crazy things like hypnotized and froze a dj in ice for three days, had a baby elephant in the parking lot when the circus came to town, had a dj camp out on a billboard to raise money for a local charity...just alot of fun) I spent a number of years working for a few different stations until 2000, when the industry changed & I left for good. (I do miss it from time to time.) Since then, I've been trying to find "the right job". I've tried quite a few things, & am finally getting close to what I really want to do. Unfortunately, you still have to pay the bills in the meantime so... Truthfully, I've worked way too many jobs to list. Definately a jack-of-all-trades, which has actually been a good thing. I can jump in and do pretty much anything, which has benefitted my many employers. About the only things I haven't done are fast food (which I'll never do, though I have been a hostess at both a destination restaurant and a yacht club) and anything involving cars - though I have been to 4-H Tractor School! It's mainly been b/c I've either needed a second job (radio postions do not pay well unless you are Howard Stern) or I've moved b/c of a reason other than work (my first move to New York was to be close to my grandpa while he battled cancer). I've worked almost all of the major retailers (Macy's, Wal-mart, Victoria's Secret, Borders, etc), and have held positions in accounting firms, large and private law firms, a mortgage firm, assistant to financial advisors, managed a Nutri-System...I also worked for Kelly Services & Manpower over the years & worked on everything from construction sites to colleges. It is kind of a joke among my good friends - they take bets on how long I stay at a job, but seriously, I wouldn't trade it for anything...I've met so many amazing people and done so many amazing things (spent an afternoon at work in a wet suit in the big indoor tank at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute taking an "at sea rescue class", stayed stylish and smart with amazing discounts on clothes and books, realized I could easily be an accountant or lawyer if I wanted, met so many musical artists, spent long days on the farm driving tractors and taking care of cows - and am now learning about alpacas, watched amazing sailing from a beautiful yacht, been to a variety of wonderful conferences, eaten great food, drank good wine - all in the name of work...) I'm sure it sounds crazy to anyone that has been with the same company (or atleast same line of work) since graduation. Tongue-firmly-in-cheek, I chalk it up to the actress in me. It's both good training and length of attention-span. If not challenged or able to use my creativity, I get bored. I'm also more of an entrepreneur, & have a hard time with the eight-to-five, one hour lunch break schedule. (I tried really hard to fit in, but it just didn't feel right. I was always asking for more work to do because I'd get bored with my assigned tasks.) I work from sun-up to sun-down (I'm a definate night owl) & always give way more than requested, but have always had a hard time being stuck to someone else's schedule. I now have my own store & am very excited to finally have an outlet for all my skills and interests! We sell clothing & gifts for men, women, children & the home - all made from alpaca. (Aren't familar with it? You will be. It's becoming more mainstream.) I am seriously looking at having a farm down the road & had looked into alpacas. I met a few people in the industry & long story short, now have a store! My most recent perk? We're going to Vegas at the end of the month for what is called the alpaca industry's equivalent to Fashion Week! I can't wait! No boredom here! Military No military service, but I did live at Fort Ord in Monterey, California for two years. My roommate was in the Army and going through training at the Defense Language Institute. Thank you to all of you that have served or are currently serving our country.