Series: What I learned on the job
Teaching Personal Hygiene to ‘Pigpen’
When the offender has all the answers
I have a friend whose first job, beginning in high school, became the only place she ever worked, retiring with a virginal, single employer résumé. Such is not the case for me; I doubt she’s in the majority.
Although my career life is not remarkable, I value the lessons learned, the difficult and delightful relationships, the strength gleaned before moving on to the next employment adventure.
My Place in Social Services
After turning down offers to work for minimum wage as a journalist for small-town newspapers, this single mother of two accepted a social services position, teaching others how to land a great job like the ones that had rejected me.
Ironic, right?
Even more bizarre, I was great at it. A new group of unemployed students was assigned to my class every quarter. In most cases, they were sentenced to attend. My class might consist of men and women who’d grown too comfortable on welfare, newly released inmates, displaced homemakers, veterans, recovering alcoholics, mentally disabled adults, or a hodge-podge of the above.
