I was 15 years old when I got my first job. I was a file clerk at a general surgeon's office. My duties weren't strictly filing patient documents. I also had to answer the phones, schedule appointments, and even take patient samples to the hospital next door which gave me a queasy stomach!

I photocopied my first check and still have it in one of my photo albums. I made a little over $80 my first week. After about a year, I was able to buy my first car which made me feel very proud of myself. It made me feel as though alphabetizing all those hundreds of files finally paid off!

Going in to the work force at a young age taught me the value of a dollar. It taught me that money didn't grow on trees and shouldn't always come from mommy and daddy. It felt good to have my own money to be able to pay for things like a car and car insurance.

After highschool, I went to college. It took me from 2000 to 2007 to get my Bachelor's degree. Why so long? Because I worked full time and went to college part time because my parents helped me pay for as much of college as they financially could, but I had to help pay the rest. Working 40 hours a week and having to go to class from 6-9pm four days a week proved to be very exhausting, but I was determined to finish my degree and not let anything stand in my way.

The moral of my story is that jumping in to the workforce at a young age helped me build character and responsibilty. It made me realize that working hard and studying hard results in success and allows you to have a feeling of accomplishment for one's self that no one can take away from you!

What lessons did you learn at your first job that have stayed with you to this very day?

Chao for now,

Leslita