[Note from the Proprietor: In addition to being my entry for this month's What I Learned From... groupwrite project, today's post was also prompted by an interview I had the other day with my favorite journalist (and, in fact, the only one I know personally), Anita Bruzzese. I was featured in an article Anita wrote for the Salt Lake Tribune. Tip o' the hat, Anita! I'm lookin' forward to my 15 seconds of fame. Although... come to think of it, I'd rather be remembered for something wonderful instead of, y'know, this!]

Hey, if you’re like me (sound of terrified screaming), you’ve had your share of embarrassing moments. Or even worse, maybe some outright shameful ones – y’know, the ones you’d rather not ever see the light of day again, right?

Ah, but what are such episodes in one’s life without (c’mon, say it with me, y’all) lessons learned? For instance…

My First Real Job

‘Waay back in 1974, I got my first real job working as a draftsman in a large engineering firm here in Houston.

[Further note from the Proprietor: By "real", I mean a job other than slingin' ice cream at the local Dairy Doodle, or takin' tickets (or pouring sodas) at the Funtastic 4 multi-cinema. Not that there's anything wrong with those - or any job - mind you; but let's face it, how many folks expect to choose those occupations as a lifetime career? Not many! (And a big ol' hat tip to those who do!)]

Anyway, it was my first experience with “9-to-5″ type employment, y’know? With all of my previous jobs, bein’ the sort of jobs they were, the working hours tended to be somewhat variable, if you get my meanin’. But this time, I was finally up there with the adults! It was a heady feeling, I’ll tell ya!

Unlike the current economic climate (where jobs are a mite harder to come by), back then, most firms were hirin’ to beat the band, and there simply weren’t enough bodies to go around. So although I didn’t know it (bein’ my first real job and all), it was really a great time to get into the business. Lucky for me, as it turned out.

9 to 5? (sound of laughing)

The horsefly in the pudding, as far as I was concerned, was the fact that my imagined “9-to-5″ working hours actually started at 7 AM – in the morning! (sound of groaning) Yeesh, can you believe it? I mean, who in their right mind was up at that ungodly hour of the day, anyway?

That’s when I discovered the Ugly Truth about the engineering biz: here in the Central Time Zone (of the U.S.), they ALL started work at 7 am. BUT (and that’s a BIG ‘but’) over in the Eastern Time Zone, they started at 8 am. That way, companies with offices in both time zones could work the “same” hours. (Man, who knew? I immediately started plotting to move East.)

Now, having just recently abandoned college life (where I did my best to avoid classes before 10 am), I have to admit, getting up around 5 am, driving to work, and showing up bright and shiny at 7 am was just downright ridiculous! In fact, during my first three months at the new job, I got to work late more often than I care to count. It was a tough adjustment, I’ll tell ya, and I was, um, less than enthusiastic about it, to say the least.

The thing is, I really didn’t see anything all that wrong with showin’ up a little late every now and then, y’know? I mean after all, I showed up, did my work, and otherwise earned my keep. Hey, I felt like they should have been happy with that, at least!

Gimmie a Break!

Question: Have you ever felt like maybe the world owed you a break? Yup; thought so. Don’t worry; you’re not alone. I think we all go through this stage at some time or another. The smart ones grow out of it. (The rest grow up on welfare. Or sumpin’. Just sayin’.)

The thing was, all during those first three months (and totally missed by oblivious little ol’ me) was the fact that someone really was payin’ attention to all those late morning arrivals. And when it came time for my first job performance review (sound of really terrified scream), well Bubba, those bad habits kinda sorta all came home to roost, if you get my meanin’.

See, because business was so strong at that time, raises were pretty regular things. And it wasn’t unusual for an new employee’s first raise to be a real humdinger, y’know? I’d heard that some were getting as much as 40-50% increases for their first raise (really!), and I was expecting good things.

So, when my boss and I sat down in that little room to talk things over, I wasn’t too concerned. I remember thinkin’ something along the lines of, Hey, it’s only a review, right? Who cares what they thought about me? Just show me the money, Bubba!

Well… I think you can see where this is goin’, right? As you may have surmised by now, I was in for a rather rude awakening!

Time to Face the Music

As my boss worked his way through the review (hey, who decided to call these things “reviews”, anyway? They’re more like Judgments From Above!), I suddenly realized all was not as peachy-keen as I had so blithely thought. In fact, as he proceeded to point out all the late mornings and “slow starts”, it was startin’ to sound kinda, well, dire, if you follow me.

In fact, it almost sounded like… well, the prelude to getting fired!

Yikes! Suddenly, memories of all those times I hit the “snooze” button on the alarm clock that “one more time” hit me smack-dab between the eyes. I’d just had my first encounter with Real Life, and I’m tellin’ ya folks; I didn’t like it one bit! No sirree!

The kicker was when he showed me how much of a raise I had coming. (Just shows how badly they needed people – they actually didn’t fire me!) How much was it, you ask? Well, lemme get ya a cup of coffee first. (sound of pouring cup) Now, about that raise… actually, that coffee was the raise! Seriously; after taxes, what was left was not quite equivalent to a cup of coffee a day!

Three Hard Truths about the World of Work

As I walked staggered back to my desk, for the first time in my young, inexperienced existence I realized several hard truths about Real Life and the World of Work, among which are:

I Was Being Watched – Yep; I found out the hard way. Everyone in the firm is probably watching you, all the time. It’s far too easy to think those “little things” (whatever they are) will either be missed, get overlooked, or don’t really matter. But in fact, they can add up to quite a large “thing”, if you get my meanin’. These days, you can’t afford to slack off a bit; unfortunately, when the firm you’re workin’ for is lookin’ for reasons to let someone go, they’ll all come out in the wash – and then where will the leg you were attempting to stand on be? Somewhere outside the front door, no doubt.

I Had to Police Myself – I admit; this shoulda come as a “no-brainer”! (And by that I don’t mean one with no brain!) When you get right down to it, the one responsible for your actions is that person starin’ right back at ya in the mirror each morning. Not your boss, or your mother, or your spouse, best friend, or mentor, either. Nope; only you are responsible for you. So suck it up and do the things you know you’re supposed to be doin’! It’s that simple. Besides, as unpleasant as it may be to face the truth and straighten yourself out, it’s far better than havin’ someone else do it for you! Trust me.

I Had to Choose – It was a sobering fact, but after thinking about what I’d just been through, I realized something very important. The company didn’t want to fire me! (That actually costs them money.) Before I was ready to jump for joy at that revelation, though, I carried the thought a bit further. Suddenly I understood: they were sorta “encouraging” me to leave the company on my own. So it was time to choose: make a change – or move on.

Y’know, if all goes well, there comes a time in everyone’s life when they truly realize what they get out of life is a direct result of what they put into it. Oh, sure; it can be a pretty rough lesson on occasion. But it’s all the more rewarding for havin’ learned it, I’ll tell ya! And as for me – well, this was that moment.

The Choice

I knew I had a choice – the easy way or the hard way: to relax, accept a mediocre lifestyle, and go find somewhere else to play – or straighten up my act and become the person I needed to be. It was a simple, clear choice, and I had no illusions; it had to be made!

OK, by now you’re wonderin’ which way did ya go, right? Well, wonder no more: I chose the hard way.

Yep; I actually knuckled down and started showing up for work on time, every day. I did my work with renewed vigor and interest, learning as much as I could, from whoever I could find to teach it.

And never again did I assume anything about how the boss perceived my performance! I learned to ask for feedback at critical junctures, such as when completing an assignment or meeting a deadline. In fact, I finally began to act like a valuable employee.

All that work paid off, too. By the time the next review rolled around, I actually got the raise I should have had the first time – had I,um, deserved it, of course. And it’s a lesson that’s stayed with me for a long, long time; I daresay it’s even become a lifestyle.

The truth is, I’d really rather forget about this particular incident. But hey, sometimes ya just gotta own up, y’know? (Well; let’s scratch that word “sometimes” and put in “always”, OK?) Besides, I learned a powerful lesson I’ll never forget. And hey, ain’t that the best kind?

Spotlight On… YOU!

So what about you? Have you ever learned something from an embarrassing, shameful moment that frankly, you’d just as soon forget ever happened? You don’t necessarily have to give details (not like me, anyway!) but if it’s something you think we can all learn from, then dare to share, why don’cha?

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[Even further note from the proprietor: I'd like to send some appreciation Anita's way for using my story in her article, so to speak. Y'all do me a favor won't you? Would ya drop by and read Anita's article in the Salt Lake Tribune? And send your friends there, too! They'll see the incoming visits. Hey, a tip o' the hat to ya!]

[And yet another note from the proprietor: As I mentioned at the top there, this is my entry for this month's What I Learned From... groupwrite project. It's still open for entries, and we'd love to have you join us. Just follow this link and read all about it! We're accepting entries through Sunday night, July 12. Just sayin'.]

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