For the Money $$$$

I started this series over three months ago, and now that it's official - IT'S OFFICIAL - that I am no longer working at the high school, I thought I'd finish it up quick-style.

Short-Lived college job: Vector Marketing
AKA Cutco Cutlery
AKA "Knife Salesperson"

Details:  I'm still not sure how it happened.
I was looking for a sidejob to help pay for my Vienna Study Abroad, and the ad that said STARTING AT $14/HR just caught my attention, I guess.  I sat through a group interview and received a call that night asking when I could start.  After training in a little basement office in Orem/Provo, I "practiced demonstrations" on everyone I could think of.

Me?  A salesperson?

Well, the only reason I even considered doing it was that I have a true testimony of Cutco.  It's a family thing.  My parents give knives (the world's best!) as Graduation/Mother's Day/Christmas gifts, and I'll tell you what, that cheese knife could be the best thing that's ever happened to you.  I don't know.
(The ice cream scoop is equally good.)

SO....yes.  I demonstrated Cutco products for family, friends, family friends, bishopric members, coworkers, you name it.  The worst part about it all was making phone calls.  Also, customers getting furious about me offering to sharpen their knives.  For free.

I got lost a fair number of times, cut myself even more times, and sold enough stuff to advance a rank or two in the heirarchy.

I got good at: putting myself out there, something that is reeeeeally hard for me.  By the end of my 3-month stint, I figured that if I could do that, I could do just about anything.  Including a full-time mission.

Other awesomeness: At the end of August I went to a nationwide Vector Conference in Chicago.  It was in the coolest hotel I've ever seen, and I roomed with a girl who was heading to BYU two weeks later.  We stayed up all night, flirted with boys, sumo-wrestled and walked through a McDonald's drive-in past midnight.  On the last day, we rode the Subway to downtown Chicago and strolled along the pier.  Then I had to make my way back alone - and I GOT LOST on the subway lines.  In Chicago.
Thank heavens I found my way and made the flight, because I didn't have a cell phone back then.
*Shudder*