A Crazy Unusual Job
By Jeanne Marie
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
United States
April 2, 2017 9:22am CST
I was a relay operator for the deaf. This meant I was the "voice" of the deaf person and spoke what they wrote. EXACTLY, word for word. Angry calls, excited calls, lovers calls, prank calls, bad news calls. You must relay the call as the deaf person would if he/she were speaking.
Every call was a performance, a drama and you could not break character. You were monitored on your ability to do this and if you could not act, you were let go. It wasn't easy as the variety of calls was astounding.
It was the most amazing job to step into another persons shoes and become them. To participate in the most intimate of conversations was beautiful, frightening, exhausting work. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.
What was your most unusual job?
13 people like this
13 responses
@Juliaacv (56195)
• Canada
2 Apr 17
I have done inbound customer service at contact centres for years. It initially started as a job and nothing that I expected would be something that I'd spend over a decade doing, but its been that and then some. I took calls from operators such as yourself, and admire the dedication and focus that they must hold. Like you, I've heard so much, the good, the bad and the ugly, and then what usually really gets me, is after being screamed at and sworn at (in some cases) the customer will ask for a credit-funny way to ask for it isn't it? I have learned a lot about manners and how to treat people as a result of working in this field.
2 people like this
@Juliaacv (56195)
• Canada
2 Apr 17
@Jeanniemaries I've worked at both types of places, where we could and did offer credit assistance to appease the customer, but other places where we had to refer cases up. It just always amazed me how some people would go about getting a credit, its such a waste of energy and it always felt good giving them just the minimal or killing them with kindness and going the other way.
1 person likes this
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
2 Apr 17
@Juliaacv I worked customer service at Springhill Nursery Catalogue and I thought, what goes around comes around and maybe their bulbs won't grow. You have to wait a YEAR before trying again.
1 person likes this
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
2 Apr 17
I've also been a customer service person and yes, people can be so rude! I was fortunate to work at a company where we could fix the problem to their satisfaction. It always amazed me at how much it took to make some satisfied.
2 people like this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
2 Apr 17
I have had a myriad of jobs varying from trainee metallurgist to door to door vacuum cleaner sales, not to mention managing a public house for a few years. My final employment was as Admin in a warehouse, which ended up involving traini9ng other site personnel how to use the new computer software.
However, I have done nothing that can compete with that job. Of course I would expect a Crazy Unusual Girl to have a Crazy Unusual job.
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
3 Apr 17
most of my jobs have been quite mundane
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
3 Apr 17
@Jeanniemaries Checking Christmas fairy lights bulb by bulb by switching them on was one boring job, and a job I was warned involved lots of heavy lifting involved moving foam cushions and pillows of zero weight - easiest job ever
1 person likes this
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
8 Apr 17
@arthurchappell Haha! Good! What were they thinking??
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (381797)
• Rockingham, Australia
4 Apr 17
@Jeanniemaries I'm sure sometimes it was really interesting. Great practice for an actor/actress. My brother is now blind and although he doesn't read braille I started learning it once. That was interesting too. I had to stop once we left the city.
1 person likes this
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
8 Apr 17
@JudyEv Oh that seems like it would be so hard. I don't think I could do it. I did learn enough sign language to actually interpret a church service when no one else was there. It was harder to read others signing back and so I didn't use it much.
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
3 Apr 17
It is important you relay the conversation in the spirit and style they write it. Six exclamation points after a No (NO!!!!!) loses it's point if you simply say "no" in a monotone voice. It doesn't convey what the deaf person wants to say. It was a bit hard to be relaying for a child and giving the mom really lame excuses or being bratty. (actually that was kind of fun, to be bratty) There were lots of calls between family members in the same home as some parents and an a few older siblings would not learn sign language.
1 person likes this
@paigea (36143)
• Canada
2 Apr 17
@Jeanniemaries Are you still interested? There is a list of many mystery shopping companies at
I am sure there are shops in Florida. Clients change companies; one job board dries up but you find the jobs on another one.
1 person likes this
@paigea (36143)
• Canada
3 Apr 17
@Jeanniemaries I am so sorry for your loss. Take care.
I do mystery shopping mainly because I do need the money and it is a nice flexible way to increase my income.
1 person likes this
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
2 Apr 17
I don't often run into other mystery shoppers! I was shopping quite a bit until we moved to Florida and the jobs kind of dried up. I haven't done a shop in quite a while!
@Happy2BeMe (99353)
• Canada
2 Apr 17
That sounds very interesting and challenging. I have never had any crazy or unusual jobs.
1 person likes this
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
9 Apr 17
@Happy2BeMe Mop the drive thru lane? Oh wow. That's pretty unusual. Why in the heck do people stick gum under a table? McDonald's have napkins...trash cans, lots of throw away boxes and cups. Why would anyone in the world dream of sticking a big wad of gum under a table and leaving it!
1 person likes this
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
3 Apr 17
all jobs are somewhat crazy haha!
1 person likes this
@Happy2BeMe (99353)
• Canada
3 Apr 17
@Jeanniemaries i guess so. When I worked at McDonalds I had to mop the drive thru and scrap the gum out from underneath the table so that was kinda crazy.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
2 Apr 17
very interesting. what was the recruitment like? how long did you do this unique job?
1 person likes this
@PatZAnthony (14749)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
2 Apr 17
You don't want to know. Actually, it is not something that will be shared anywhere other than in a book.
1 person likes this
@PatZAnthony (14749)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
3 Apr 17
@Jeanniemaries My busy life is holding me back. Or, at least that is a good excuse not to get things done!
1 person likes this
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
2 Apr 17
OH! Sounds intriguing! Let us all know when the book is out!
1 person likes this
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
3 Apr 17
@PatZAnthony I know, I was just thinking that with all the different jobs I have had I could write a book!
@1creekgirl (44560)
• United States
3 Apr 17
I've never heard of that...how interesting!
I guess my most unusual job was when I was a teenager in Hawaii and I worked for a very small local company that made patterns for Hawaiian outfits. Have you ever tried to stuff a pattern back into the envelope? I didn't last long stuffing it in the first time.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (44560)
• United States
3 Apr 17
@Jeanniemaries I wasn't "cut out" to be a pattern stuffer.
1 person likes this
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
3 Apr 17
Oh, stuffing patterns back! If you don't fold them on the already folded line it's a mess! That's quite an interesting job!
1 person likes this
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
9 Apr 17
@1creekgirl But you can recognize a great pun!
1 person likes this
@DianneN (254949)
• United States
3 Apr 17
Wow! That sounds amazing! I was a general education and special education teacher, as well as a college professor, so those weren't unusual jobs, but extremely rewarding. Every day was something different, too, which kept me on my toes and kept my brain working. I not only worked with my students, but with their parents, school psychologists, counselors, speech and language therapists, and other teachers. I loved everything except the paperwork, which are legal documents in special ed. Modeling was something I did on the side, and that was a dream come true job for me.
1 person likes this
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
8 Apr 17
Your job was a very important one. The rewards are great when working with children.
1 person likes this
@DianneN (254949)
• United States
12 Apr 17
@Jeanniemaries It was rewarding, but I'm burnt out! Thank you!
