Merchandizing is one of the oldest professions—wait, maybe that's not the right line… but the trade certainly does teach you a lot about the comings and goings of the working world. Show up on time, take some pride in your work, and you'll do just fine. Add managing unruly clients and battling tyrannical backroom managers to that, and you've got some solid real-world experience.

Once upon a time, my second job ever was as a merchandizer (vendor) for an unnamed beer company TM . At the ripe age of eighteen, I'd travel around from site to site in a barely functioning van, ensuring that our product was better stocked and more nicely presented than our competitors. I was somebody finally doing something on my own without an adult breathing down my neck and, with a fairly rural route, I spent a significant chunk of time driving and reflecting on whatever thoughts an eightee…