Just about every year (especially when November 15 falls on a working day), I remember my very first day of work at Metropolitan Life Insurance. I was twenty years old at the time. I'd had a few part time or seasonal jobs before that year but that was the year I was supposed to go out and find a full time steady job. My parents agreed to pay for two years of school but that was all they could afford. I tried a few jobs and quit them. They were horrible. I didn't think I was cut out for office work. Then my father gave me an ultimatum that I had to have a job by my birthday or I was out of the house.
My birthday came and went but I was given a reprieve because I fell ill in September and was down in bed for a few weeks. Then I got a job I loved, working as a receptionist at Koerner Ford in Scranton. I thought it was all I ever wanted to be. I felt so grown up and important answering the phone. I was there about a month when the boss called me into his office and told me he had to let me go. I was devastated. He explained that I hadn't done anything wrong but that he had hired me without the owner's permission and the owner said he could not afford another staff member. I cried and cried. Then I went out and looked for another job.
I can still recall the day I started at Met Life. It was unseasonably warm and I was wearing my tan raincoat. I remember exactly what I wore. I had a purple outfit that was a flared skirt with a bolero vest and a lavender blouse with puffy sleeves. I can remember sitting in the Personnel office waiting to get started. There were half a dozen others waiting to start too, two of which would become good friends of mine.
I stared there for over seven years. It's where I made some lasting friendships. It's where I learned a lot and had a lot of good experience. It's been many years but every November 15 I look back at that time and remember that open door that led to a very fulfilling career.
We got our first pension statements which listed projected savings if we retired in 2016. How we laughed at that. 2016 was an eternity away for a 20 year old. Now it's just around the corner and it won't be too long until I retire. Where does the time go?
I'm so grateful for all the blessings I've had in my work life. Yeah, I might prefer independent wealth but if you've go to work, I've been blessed with a great career and many wonderful experiences.