This is my second
article in the “Prompt” Series. The
prompt for this piece is merely two words…First Job.
I am struggling with what to exactly write. After all, my first job after college was as
an assembly engineer for Mitsubishi Semiconductor out of Durham, NC. I was sent to Japan for two years to learn my
craft; so obviously, this first job is a bevy full of stories. However, if I were to recall my FIRST job,
that would be as a lifeguard at Lakewood Swim Club while in high school and
college. At least this is the first job
from which I received a paycheck…minus taxes of course. But then again, my literalist side starts to
argue that my very first job was mowing lawns in the neighborhood, especially
for the one house across the street as the occupants moved and “hired” me to
upkeep their lawn until their house sold.
This job could certainly create a story or two as the house was atop a
riverbank and I spent as much time knocking down monstrous wolf spider webs in
the back yard as I did actually mowing. This
was a stressful job for someone with arachnophobia.
All scenarios are worthy of a “first job” prompt, but my gut
tells me to switch things up a bit. As I’ve
mentioned before, I’m currently unemployed.
The ride I’ve ridden the last two months while seeking employment has
been rather interesting. It’s not like I
haven’t searched for a job before, but after 20 years since my previous job
search, things have changed quite a bit!
When I sought out my very first job as a lawn mower (before “landscaper”
was a known term), I pretty much knocked on doors. The only competition was from other kids in
the neighborhood. Honestly, I got the one
job because I used to play with the family’s oldest son who was two years
younger than me. There weren’t many in
his grade in the neighborhood so I believe the family “rewarded” me with the
job.
My first paying job as a lifeguard was almost a default
position. I was on the swim club’s swim
team since an early age…a regular pool rat.
Nearly every summer day was spent at or in the pool unless I was mowing
a lawn. It was nearly a rite of passage
for those older “15 to 18” age group swimmers on the team to work as a
lifeguard once earning their Water Safety Instructor certificate. Once you earned that WSI badge, you were
pretty much guaranteed a job of whistle twirling, trash collecting, restroom
scrubbing, and sun tanning.
My first “adult” job was assisted greatly by my college
career counseling service. Companies
from all over the east coast would visit the university seeking out college seniors
to hire after graduation. I interviewed
with a couple companies without really having to reach out by myself. All I had to do was look at the companies
listed for the next week, sign up for an interview time, and show up. This is how I introduced myself to Mitsubishi…not
all that difficult.
About 9 years into my career I was laid off and had to seek
employment on my own. It was tough. This was before the internet, so I spent
countless hours in the library reviewing classified ads and microfilms of
regional newspaper ads. I remained
unemployed (except through a temp agency) for about 16 months. Eventually I found the job that would cement
my career path for the next 20+ years.
A few months ago, a series of events and decisions took
place that led me to my current unemployed status. Once again, I faced the daunting task of
finding a job, only this time I had a wife and kids to worry about
supporting. Oddly, I wasn’t worried.
After all, I had years of experience and respect in my position as well as
plenty of business contacts. Plus we now
had the internet which opened the world up to my fingertips. Finding a job would be easy…right?
Almost immediately upon uploading my resume onto various job
boards, I received notices of potential employment in my email inbox. “Wow,” I thought, “this will be easier than I
thought!” Then I opened the emails.
“We’ve
reviewed your resume online and feel that you would fill our needs perfectly as
a sales consultant for Liberty Mutual Insurance….”
“My
manager has authorized me to contact you to with an employment opportunity as a
franchise owner...”
“Your
resume has been reviewed by our Human Resources Department and we are contacting
you for employment as a gift wrapper effective immediately….”
“Uber
wants you….”
I was totally surprised.
And disappointed. Jobs related to
my actual experience and skills were not as easy to come by as I had hoped, but
I never expected to be inundated with the “junk” job offers I received several
times a day. The offers extended into
phone calls as well. The phone would
ring and my name would be mentioned followed by an inquiry as to whether I was
still seeking employment. My heart would
race with excitement until I realized it was once again an opportunity for
under employment. Apparently I was
perfect for so many jobs for which I had absolutely no skill set or interest,
and yet not quite right for those positions that more closely matched my
experience.
The good new s is that I have been hired for a position and I
start the job in a few days. It’s a job
with a familiar company from my past but in a different position, so there’s some
nerves and excitement for something new.
I might not be the perfect fit at first, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be a
heck of a lot happier that I would be with one of those other “perfect” jobs.
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