Second job

My first job was when I was fourteen. I did not hold a job again for three years. I tried to go back to German Village the next summer, I think, but Jerry was fully staffed.

I think. I honestly don't remember right now.

At any rate, the place where Mom worked for four years or so was looking for a part-time file clerk in Accounts Payable. Mom worked in Payroll, which was actually a single office in the same room as the Accounts Payable department. This department was housed with Engineering on a floor above  one of two plants on campus where they manufactured garage doors. 

The job opening was listed during soccer season. Actually, I was probably told about it by Mom. I needed an income to have something to spend and perhaps to save toward something. Mostly to have money to spend on my car, on magazines, music, and clothes, and if I ever start dating*.

So here was my first real interview and dealing with being considered among other applicants for a single position. And I was thrilled to be considered for this position. I thought it was a pretty big deal to work for a national company dealing — however lowly — with financial things.

I got the job, obviously, or I wouldn't be writing about it like this. The problem was that they wanted me to start right away. Soccer wasn't over yet. 

Backstory: I am a 17-year-old junior at this time. I was on the junior varsity for the third time, but I was getting a lot more playing time this year. I may have even been a starter. (For some reason, this, too, is foggy right now.) I loved playing soccer, and I loved Coach Shetler (never mind my crush on his daughter).

The need for me to start right away made this a difficult decision for me. I didn't want to quit soccer, but I figured I was JV and the season was almost over, although I had some hope that I'd get to go to the tournaments with the Varsity. For some reason, though — and I think this has lifelong ramifications — I chose to quit soccer and take the job.

When I told Coach, I could see the sadness on his face as he told me that he was planning on having me suit up for Varsity and come along for the tournament. That honestly broke my teenage heart and almost made me change my mind. Changing my mind, though, felt like flip-flopping and backing out on one's promises, though. Also, I needed the money. At any rate, I was tired of never sticking with a decision, so I followed through and started my job.

The job itself was, of course, actually mundane: file payment documentation and month-end reports and shred old or incorrect documentation. I also had to deal with year-end stuff, where I had to move all the previous year's payment files and reports to storage boxes. There were year-end reports to store and month-end reports to shred. The best part of the job was getting to go to the corporate offices across the street to deal with documentation and inter-office mail or get executive signatures on something. I also would occasionally have to walk through the plant for requisitions and different things. It wasn't the most exciting job, but it was a paycheck and responsibility and mostly enjoyable people to work with.

I was looking forward to more hours during my summer between high school and college. Then I was called into the A/P manager's office and told that I was being let go due to cost cutting in the company. I was quite heart-broken, actually. That devastated me and really made me realize that employees are just numbers and tools for companies. This concept infuriated me, but I had to move on.

And I did. I got a girlfriend and then went to college. But that's all for another post.