Joyful Jobs

Welcome back to Taylor Talks!

It was another long and exhausting day at the "Happiest Place on Earth," and I just finished my twelve-hour shift. I'm tired, but it was a great day!

I was thinking about the jobs I've had in the past while I was sitting on the bus heading back to the parking lot. I realized just how different my current job is from things I've done in the past. Not only are my hours extremely different (and much longer), but the job itself and my responsibilities are unlike anything I've done before.

Let's take my first job. I worked at the library in my hometown, a job that will always be dear to my heart. Working alongside only a handful of librarians, my responsibilities included putting books away and straightening up shelves. Alright, so I also had an amazing relationship with my boss, which meant that I was able to take on extra responsibilities like assisting with children's and teens' programs. Overall, the job wasn't difficult (unless you count the clean-up after a group of kids made a mess of the books and puzzles), and I was part of a close-knit group of ladies. It didn't matter that I was just fourteen when I started (twelve if you count the years I volunteered there before I was of legal age to work), because everyone respected me.

In the library, I worked a few days a week, for somewhere between 3-6 hours depending on the day. Wow, back then, those six hour shifts felt like forever! It's hard to believe that I'm working double those hours now! Working at the library taught me so much, and it was really sad to leave when I started college.

While I feel lucky to have found another group of wonderful people to work with now, my new job is different in the fact that there are so many people working with me, many of whom I don't even interact with throughout the day. There are teams of people throughout my location, and for the majority of the time I'm only working with the people who have the same responsibilities as I do. There's also a team of leaders here, not just one boss, so I haven't been able to form close relationships with anyone just yet.

I've worked a few jobs during summer breaks in college, but nothing like my current position. I feel like I learn something new here every day, and because there are so many Guests here to interact with, and they come from so many different backgrounds, there are no two days of work that are alike. It's really amazing.

I still miss that first job at the library every so often, but it's also incredible to look back on the last eight years since I got my working papers (and applied for that job the same day) and realize how far I've come.

Do you remember your first job? What was that like?

Thank you so much for your continued support! I look forward to sharing more stories about my experience with foster care, and hopefully hearing from readers who have questions or similar stories to share. I'm always willing to answer questions and hear about other experiences! Please don't forget to like and share my Facebook author page as well!

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Thanks!
Taylor

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