Working Life

I got to do kind of a cool thing today. I had to go to the passport office today, to get my passport re-issued, and I got to talking to the passport officer.

Now, I was looking around the office, while I was waiting in line, and I must confess, I was kind of wondering what your sins must be to have to work in the passport office. It's an honest job, but, oh my!

Anyway, I was talking to the passport officer, and she asked how I got into my particular line of work, and if I liked my job. I laughed and told her that I got into policy because when I Convocated from University about the only thing I was qualified to do was to become a tin pot dictator, and there weren't any third world countries that needed dictating. (No longer a growth industry, what with the spread of democracy. Also, all the openings were very far away from Town Shoes.)

So, I did what every other arts major does, I got a job as a receptionist, to help pay the rent. And then I got a job as an Admin Assistant, and then I was an EA, then I was still an EA, but someone else was setting up the appointments and doing the expenses, and I was writing policy, and then I got my present job.

And I looked up, and I realized, that time, all those jobs, that was about 6 years. It wasn't quick.

And I smiled, and I told her that it did happen. To most of the people I know. Most of us didn't finish school and walk into our career; we stumbled around and paid our dues with profoundly crappy jobs, and then, slowly we got there.

There isn't here yet, in some sense. I'd like to move up, to move on, I'm still ambitious. I'm only starting to get a very small sense of what I'd like to be when I grow up.

But still. Crappy jobs. Bad is not forever. Stuff I sure wish someone had told me 6 years ago.

Tell me, oh wise internets, what was your first job out of school, and what did you learn from it?