My Job Before YouTube - Uncut
Entertainment
Introduction
It's been eight years since I started my YouTube journey, but no one seems to know my villain origin story. In this article, we're going to dive into my life before YouTube and the less-than-glamorous job I had.
The Backstory
Before I became a YouTuber, I was an impoverished uni student, struggling to make ends meet. I was so broke that I couldn't even afford the unofficial sponsorship from McDonald's, which became a running joke due to their rising prices. I was a real sad boy during my time at university. By the end of my first year, I was completely out of money, and it felt like my feet were bigger than my hands—the metaphorical representation of my struggles.
After finishing uni, I had to move back in with my parents for the summer break. They lived in a small town in the Riverland where opportunities were limited. My mom suggested I apply for a job at a local winery. Skeptically, I applied, attended an interview, and surprisingly got the job.
Starting the Job
On my first day at the winery, the workforce consisted mainly of older guys who were rough around the edges. I immediately felt out of place. I had no real experience, and my official title humorously dubbed me as the "____ kicker." My tasks mostly involved pumping wine from one gigantic stainless-steel tank to another—essentially performing menial labor that felt reminiscent of a video game like Age of Empires.
I started my first night shift at midnight, a chilly evening that tested my resolve. I forgot to bring a jumper, but since it was a physical job, I thought I'd warm up eventually. My shift manager took me up some stairs to a tank and instructed me to yell down when it was full. However, it ended up being a long wait up there in freezing temperatures, which was only a foreshadowing of the chaos to come.
The Workplace Culture
One of the first things I learned was that safety was a joke. Sure, you needed to wear protective gear while handling hazardous materials, but most people ignored these rules. I remember being taught to add "magic ingredients" to the wine, only to be casually informed that it caused cancers. My introduction to winery life was wild, to say the least.
Cleaning the tanks was a routine task, and we used industrial-grade acid to do so. One day, I accidentally sprayed acid into my eyes. Fortunately, I stumbled upon an eyewash station just in time, which felt like a divine intervention. However, it didn’t end there. A couple of weeks later, while I was still figuring out how to survive in this chaotic work environment, I managed to douse myself in the same hazardous material, although this time I was wearing goggles. The culture was toxic; I could sense that covering up mistakes was the norm.
Throughout my time there, I witnessed bizarre workplace antics. One day, an entire floor was drenched in wine, and rather than report it, everyone hurriedly tried to clean it up, referring to it as one of the “smallest spills.”
The emphasis on drug and alcohol safety meetings was laughable, given that everyone seemed to look the other way if you showed up slightly impaired. One day, a colleague excuse himself for a break only to return with a full bottle of wine shortly after.
The management had a peculiar perspective on incompetence, seemingly letting me off the hook for my blunders rather than firing me. After some time, I realized I was just a scapegoat for the many mishaps happening around me.
The Cast of Characters
I was surrounded by an eclectic cast of co-workers, including one man who claimed he tried every drug under the sun but wasn’t addicted because of his “strategic approach.” Another colleague dug a hole and filled it back in for six hours daily, making a king’s ransom for doing nothing. There were also individuals who pushed the limits of decency, sharing bizarre worldviews that made my time there even more surreal.
After a summer of balancing hilarity and hazard, I finally handed in my resignation. I came out of it all a changed man—thankful for the experience but never wanting to return. That job pushed me to take YouTube seriously, and by 2018, I was making enough to never have to go back.
In the end, I hope you had a chuckle over my miserable experiences, and for anyone out there considering a job at a winery, think again.
Keyword
impoverished, uni student, winery, night shift, hazardous materials, safety, drug and alcohol safety, workplace culture, toxic environment, resignation, YouTube.
FAQ
1. What was your job before YouTube?
I worked at a winery where I handled tasks like pumping wine and maintaining equipment, often in a chaotic and unsafe environment.
2. Did you have any safety training?
Safety training was minimal, and many important protocols were ignored by the staff.
3. What was the culture like at the winery?
The workplace culture was bizarre, with low standards for safety and a lack of serious accountability. Drug and alcohol use was not uncommon.
4. How did this job affect your YouTube career?
My experiences at the winery motivated me to create content for YouTube as a way to avoid returning to that toxic workplace.
5. What are some interesting stories from your time at the winery?
There were many outrageous anecdotes, including colleagues sharing uncommon worldviews, bizarre calculations for working hours, and close calls with hazardous substances.
