‹ chat statusI wonder what it would be like not to work for a living. I've worked for so long that I'm not sure I could adjust.
I started at the tender age of 16, working in my father's place of business. I typed pretty well and got my first job making a whopping $1.60 an hour. I thought back then that that was a lot of money. I remember getting that first paycheck and being so excited about putting it in my little bank account. I could tolerate working in an office building for about 1 summer. I don't think I was ever cut out for typing all day long.
The next job I had was at k-mart. It was a new k-mart and I helped stock it. Before it opened, it was a blast (well for an 18 year old) stocking shelves and putting $$ stickers on things. Of course as soon as it opened and I had to actually deal with griping customers, I was disillusioned and that job was over.
In college, I worked for the college in the costuming department of the theatre. I really enjoyed that, as long as I didn't have to do much sewing. Never liked sewing for some reason. I can hot glue about anything, but sewing was hard tedious work to me.
Then I got a job working with kids at a recreational facility one summer and I fell in love. I knew that somehow I needed to work with children. I also moonlighted as a legal secretary which was pretty cool, especially since it was a family law practice and there was always drama.
After graduating, I moved to Ohio (from Tennessee which was not my home by the way, but where I went to school)and got a job there as a teaching assistant at a facility for the handicapped. Again, I was working with kids and really enjoyed myself immensely. From there, I was offered a job teaching drama in a lock-up juvenile center. I loved it as well. That is till I decided I needed to move to NYC to pursue that acting career. I knew if I didn't try, I'd never know. So I did.
In NYC, besides pursuing the acting, which I did get paid for incidentally, I also worked part time as a legal secretary and got paid really well -- not to mention that it was under the table. Even 30 years ago, I was paid $10 and $11 an hour. As I worked more, I ventured into publishing, still trying to find my niche. While I was acting, I also became a copy editor and a reader for several major publishers. Time Inc. was the main one and I worked all over that building for People, Sports Illustrated, Time Life Books, HBO and Cinemax, etc. I even toyed with the idea of staying in publishing, but I met my husband and my interests changed.
My dad had a massive coronary and I flew to where he was on a speaking engagement out in Oklahoma. For some reason after that, the desire to act for $$ just sort of evaporated and I began to look at a career in publishing. I started working for a top agent, the J. Michael Bloom agency in NYC and was in training to become an agent, when we moved.
I moved to, of all places, Tallahassee, because we wanted to raise our son (only 1 then) in a "normal" place. That's when I started the teaching career that has taken me to this road -- 23 years later. I still like it. It's still a challenge and always interesting. Your audience is constantly changing. (students) And I love this part time job at Jurassic Park.
I've invested many years in teaching and will retire from there, but it was a long road to get there -- and it was well worth all the interesting twists and turns that I've experienced.
posted on July 5, 2008 4:32 PM ()
You've had a lot of experience in many different areas, Deb!! But life experiences certainly do change our priorities... You will always do well... 
Laurie
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