My First Job

Do you remember your first job? Was it an experience that will last with you forever? Do you ever regret the first job that you acquired?

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                                         ***Theme: Gratitude***

1. A Great Opportunity

My First job did not last very long. Remote jobs were not as many as there are now. I was housecleaning for a lady on the other side of town. I was only thirteen. I needed to catch the bus to get to her house. I only worked about 2 days. She wanted me to wash the walls and she even agreed to help. Now mind you there was a play in school that I wanted to try out for. I could not make rehearsals and work too. I needed to make a choice. My best girlfriend helped me to see things much clearer. She told me, “You will probably be working the rest of your life, but you will only have once chance in this high school play.” So that helped me make up my mind. I quit my job after 2 days. I did not regret it though. The play was awesome. I loved the theater. I knew it then.

Now since I only worked 2 days I really did not consider that a job that is for me anyway. Technology was not as large as it is now. There were not many online jobs as there are now. My real job that I grew to love came after My pastor had passed away and the church had a new pastor. The church needed a secretary. My first real job was at age 14-years-old. The pastor hired me as part-time secretary. I was so elated. My first secretary job. I remember one of the requirements from my pastor was that I and anyone else on the payroll was required to tithe. So I learned about the importance of tithing at an early age.

2.   Church

I was typing the church bulletin with one finger. We had a typewriter not a modern computer with a mouse. The pastor walked in and stated, "I hired you and you can't even type." I politely responded, " I am taking typing this semester in school." He then stormed out of the office. When he hired me, he did not ask me if I could type so I did not tell him. I wanted this job so bad. I was determined to make it work.

3.   Bulletins

That Sunday my first bulletin was passed out to the congregation. I had misspelled nearly everyone's name in the bulletin including my pastor's name. Again, he was quite upset. My pastor yelled quite often. He called me into his office after church. He yelled, "Now you can misspell everyone else name, but you never misspell the name of your boss."  If you were working for someone else, you would have been fired for this." I prayed and I prayed, "God please don't let me get fired." I felt bad enough already. I could hear members making snide remarks such as, "He hired her and she can't even type." I wanted to hide somewhere, but there was no where to run and nowhere to hide. I wanted to cry, but I held it in.

4.   Typing Skills

Eventually I did learn typing the keyboard and made drastic improvements in my secretarial skills. I eventually was typing 60 wpm. Not bad for a teenager. Now eventually I learned quite a lot from my pastor. I remember my first job well. He definitely taught me about bookkeeping, organizational skills, and paying bills on time. He would give the check book to me. I would type the checks and he and another trustee just needed to sign them. He would tell me, "Now you know the telephone bill needs to be paid, or we will not have any telephone service. " If you do not pay consumers, we will not have any lights or heat." "So I expect you to automatically pay the necessary bills." That has always stuck in my mind through adulthood. Pay my bills first and on time. That is a must.

5.  Perfection

I learned how to compile quarterly and yearly reports. Compiling and typing those reports sometimes caused for long hours. I did not realize it at the time, but he wanted to be as transparent to the church as possible. If anyone had questions about what they had contributed to the church, he wanted that to be available to them. His wife would often bring him food up to the church when we worked and she never forgot me. She always brought me something. I remember she was a good cook and I loved her heavenly blueberry cobbler.

My pastor was a perfectionist. He did not like anything half done.

I remember having to type my pastor's sermons. I did not mind, except sometimes I would have to come to the church on Saturday and type it. I once asked him, " Why can't you give me your sermon to type through the week.?" His response was, " I might not hear from God as to what to preach until Saturday." I thought to myself, " I am just a teenager, he is interfering with my weekend time since I go to school during the week." I continued to work as secretary for 8 years all the way until I finished college. I would work full-time in the summer time. I loved my job. I loved making my own money.

Bless his heart, my former pastor has now passed away. I will always remember my first job. I will never forget what he taught me and where I came from. I do go back to visit my former church from time to time. I have learned to never " burn bridges." I will always remember that was where I got my first start and my first training.

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Do You Remember Your First Job?

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