Stay In School

Decisions, decisions....life is full of decisions. For now, stay in school. The economy isn't looking so good at this point, so staying in or going back to school is an easy decision.

When I graduated from high school college didn't appear an option. I grew up on a small working farm in Southeastern Ohio. At that time, girls graduated from high school and either got married or went straight to work. I, along with my three siblings, were raised by our mother and her parents. My mom, siblings, and I went to live with them after my father left. We were out of bed before daylight doing the farm chores. If we didn't grow it in our garden, we didn't have it to eat. I was the cook. I prepared breakfast and started getting ready for school before I woke up anyone else in the house. We had only one bathroom and four of us to get ready for school.

At age fourteen, I had gotten a job in town. After school every day at 3:00, I would walk to the restaurant, change into my uniform, and work from 3:30 to 11:00. I didn't think school was too important at that point, just something I had to do. I did, however, select my course of study as secretarial work, because I thought I needed to know a trade of some kind other than being a waitress. So, I took typing and shorthand and concentrated on composing legal documents.

I worked in that restaurant until it went out of business, and I graduated from high school. I then started working in the town green house. Working there among the growing plants was hard work, but I was used to hard work. Transplanting time was coming to an end and I was afraid to be out of work. By then I purchased my first car, and with it came the loan. So I sent my resume to a bank in the next small town and was hired. I worked in the bank until I met and married my husband. When we moved to the small town in Northern Ohio, I knew I still needed to work and help support us both. It was difficult finding a job because at that time everyone knew everyone in that small town, and that was a factor in getting hired.

I saw an opening for a waitress at the local truck stop, so I went back to being a waitress. My husband and I purchased an older home that needed a lot of renovation. I kept working as a waitress and continued to send out my resume until I was called to the local bank. The new manager was not a local person, and my resume was exceptional, given my age and work history. I worked in two departments at the time: one as a bookkeeper, the other as a teller. I trained new tellers, took charge of scheduling, joined the marketing task group, and all the auditing of the office.

After giving birth to our daughter, money was tight, so I took on a part-time job in the local grocery store as a cashier. I worked both the bank and the grocery store until I decided it was time for me to go back to school thinking that I could possibly get a promotion at the bank if I did this. I attended Zane State College and received my Associates Degree in Applied Business. There was no promotion for me at the bank, regardless of how much extra responsibility I took on.

A better job opportunity presented itself, or so I thought at the time. I gave my notice at the bank after twenty-two years and went to work for a cash advance company. The salary was better and I was now a loan officer managing my own office. I couldn't believe the hardships this type of company put on its customers. I didn't like it, so I sent my resume to a construction company that had an opening for a Receptionist/Administrative Assistant and was hired. I learned the construction business from the inside, estimates, bid documents, and the different materials used for bridge and building construction.

I still hadn't found my niche yet, but then I saw the ad for an Administrative Assistant for the Human Resource Department here at Muskingum. I mailed my resume to the College and was selected for the position. I have met the most wonderful people at Muskingum. Each employee shows such passion and excitement for their chosen specialty. I started attending classes toward my Bachelor's Degree in Business. When the opportunity to become part of the new Nursing Department arose, I applied and was chosen as Secretary. I feel privileged to be a member of the Nursing Department at Muskingum University.