Blog: tracker's place

Blog City Prompt November 4, 2023

Saturday
November 4, 2023
1:01 AM

Prompt: Write about your first job and what it taught you.

My first full-time job was as a mail clerk for Pacific Telephone Company. I was nineteen, a newlywed, and extremely nervous about starting a job. I did not need to be nervous. I had the job down pat after three days. Our building had a cafeteria but there was hardly enough time to get through the food line and eat. I brought my lunch every day. I made $1.95 per hour or $78.00 a week. There was no charge for our medical benefits and life insurance equal to one year’s salary was also free. You could take up to 4 weeks of paid time off for maternity leave. I did that twice.

I learned how to dress for work, the importance of being on time, and how to enjoy work because I spent one-third of my life there. When I signed out from my last job, on the last day, I never looked back. I did not miss the job, comradery, and the great feeling of helping clients. I did miss the cafeteria at the last job. They made a mean tuna salad sandwich!