The Best Job I Ever Had

It's a common question older people ask high school and college students: "What career are you studying for? - or something like that. In many cases, young adults have a clear idea of what they want to do in life. They have interests and pursue their interests as they go on to college and perhaps graduate work. In my case, I had no doubt about my career as I graduated high school and went on to college. I wanted to work in the mental health field.

After I graduated college, I pursued my Masters degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. When I received my Masters in 1976, New York was in the midst of a fiscal crisis, and there was little work to be found. I took a job as an administrative assistant in a child care advocacy firm, and was employed there for four years. Then, I changed gears. Somehow I found myself attracted to the corporate world and I decided to search for work in this area. Along the way, a recruiter called me and told me they had an administrative assistant position reporting to a senior executive in Merrill Lynch & Co. I told the recruiter I did not want to work in a financial institution. I was never interested in finance. A few weeks later, she called me again to tell me the firm raised the salary level by $2,000 per year (a lot of money in 1980), and would I please consider going on the interview. I relented.

The rest is history. I never would have believed it, but I decided to take the job based on the interview with my manager-to-be. Somehow, my background and attention to detail fit in well in the financial services world. It was a challenge, and sometimes I didn't know my way, but I managed to get promotion after promotion over a 20 year period. I retired from Merrill Lynch as a Vice President and Business Manager. Throughout my 20+ years, I managed almost every administrative function, and gained immense experience. I had wonderful managers and colleagues, some of whom remain good friends.