Glorified Brown Noser

Getting a ‘real’ job in the early 90’s for me essentially meant I didn’t have to deal with the general population.  I liked that. I got a job as a receptionist for a real estate development company while being a very part-time student at the community college.  I of course, answered the telephone, greeted anyone who entered, and made lots of coffee. Aside from that, I pretty much stared into the vast emptiness of the lobby.  Never being content with just simply taking up space, I started fiddling with the computer that seemed to be just for looks next to my desk. I don’t recall the kind, but it wasn’t the same outdated Apple IIe at home.  I am delighted to add that the parents finally upgraded to a Packard Bell by the end of the 80’s.  You know the one that PC World named as the worst PC of all time in 2007. 

So, rather than using the typewriter stationed at my desk, I started using the computer to do labels for hundreds of file folders.  Unexciting for my reader, but thrilling for me at the time.  The word processing software was WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS, which I was entirely unfamiliar.  I began to dedicate my working hours to learning the program.  I refused to touch the typewriter at this point and arranged to have the computer take its place.  There was only one secretary for the two owners, so she gladly handed over things for me to do, but never had time to teach me how to do any of them on the computer.  I soon realized that the software was programmed to make formatting letters or forms easier with drop-down menus – there were presentation enhancing options that didn’t require remembering function keys! I made my way around the office, asking to type letters or update old forms. Being the Geek that I am, I aligned margins, I italicized, I formatted tables, and I manipulated fonts.  Then I discovered the mail-merge process within the software.  It wasn’t long before everyone in the office came to me to handle their projects, especially those with mailers to hundreds of clients.  This is when I came to the realization that because I had taken the initiative to acquire skills above the expectations of my job, I had a reason to ask for a raise. Cha-Ching!