I Have To Work Now
I am a legal secretary. I help very busy and very rich attorneys make a lot more money than they would without me. That's what I do. And I'm very good at it. That's what makes me valuable in the workplace.
Three weeks ago, on a Monday morning for the love of God, the HR director called me into her office. My first thought was "I'm going to be fired for spending so much time on the internet." Um, that was not the reason.
As it turned out, through a bunch of secret Firm machinations, they had eliminated a secretarial position in my department and I was the proud recipient of my first partner in this particular firm. I had just been handed a lot more responsibility and a lot more visibility. I smiled at the HR manager, accepted my new duties with finess, and swore all the way back to my desk.
Today, I got a new job offer. It is the first job offer I have had outside of a law firm in 15 years. It's an administrative position for the small, yet wealthy and very snobbish, city government of my hometown.
E.g. I am a VERY big fish in a VERY little pond and I am rich and you can kiss my ass--no kiss it harder--and, (smiling with capped teeth) if you don't, I will have you FIRED from your little job that you and your little family depend on to live and then I will laugh.
I have long been of the opinion that these folks REALLY need to get out more. Seriously--get the fuck out of town and go to another place on the planet. Any other place as long as it is not here.
In the interview, when asked why I moved from San Francisco, I noted that my maternal grandfather had retired from this city, and that's why my family lived here. Thankyouverymuch.
And I'm taking this job. It's a cut in pay and the job is going to be a lot more work and I'm going to have to deal with those big fish but . . .
There are several reasons I'm accepting this job. The first is, if I'm going to have to work my ass off, I may as well be compensated. With my new job, my employer contributes 13% of my salary to my retirment program annually. My rich lawyers average a 2% annual contribution, and they have a hell of a lot more money than the small pond.
Another reason I'm accepting this job is that my B.A. may mean something, at some point; possibly in the near future. Maybe someone will actually appreciate the fact that I spent four years of hell in school, and 10 years of poverty paying it off. I'd really like an employer to at least acknowledge that fact. With money.
Also, the lawyers are remodeling five floors of our huge building. And it's crap. I don't know who the fuck picked the shit out, but if they were going for early war, late ugly; they succeeded. And it's loud now. And I don't like it loud. And there's no privacy whatsoever. And, not only can everyone see your every move, they can also hear every word you say. My floor is the next to be remodeled and I'm really not thrilled with moving all my shit and all of my attorneys' shit down to another floor. Frankly, I'm not thrilled with any of it. I'm just sayin'.
The down side is I'll have to learn tons of NEW law, work with new people hanging right over my shoulder, and get paid even LESS for this privilege.
Old job, new job. WTF ever. Right now it all sucks. But, in the long run, I know I'm making the right decision.
All I have to do is tell the 99-year-old. And I'm not looking forward to it. But five grand in the will just ain't enough. What do you think my chances are of talking him into a mill?
I'd totally stay for that.
Three weeks ago, on a Monday morning for the love of God, the HR director called me into her office. My first thought was "I'm going to be fired for spending so much time on the internet." Um, that was not the reason.
As it turned out, through a bunch of secret Firm machinations, they had eliminated a secretarial position in my department and I was the proud recipient of my first partner in this particular firm. I had just been handed a lot more responsibility and a lot more visibility. I smiled at the HR manager, accepted my new duties with finess, and swore all the way back to my desk.
Today, I got a new job offer. It is the first job offer I have had outside of a law firm in 15 years. It's an administrative position for the small, yet wealthy and very snobbish, city government of my hometown.
E.g. I am a VERY big fish in a VERY little pond and I am rich and you can kiss my ass--no kiss it harder--and, (smiling with capped teeth) if you don't, I will have you FIRED from your little job that you and your little family depend on to live and then I will laugh.
I have long been of the opinion that these folks REALLY need to get out more. Seriously--get the fuck out of town and go to another place on the planet. Any other place as long as it is not here.
In the interview, when asked why I moved from San Francisco, I noted that my maternal grandfather had retired from this city, and that's why my family lived here. Thankyouverymuch.
And I'm taking this job. It's a cut in pay and the job is going to be a lot more work and I'm going to have to deal with those big fish but . . .
There are several reasons I'm accepting this job. The first is, if I'm going to have to work my ass off, I may as well be compensated. With my new job, my employer contributes 13% of my salary to my retirment program annually. My rich lawyers average a 2% annual contribution, and they have a hell of a lot more money than the small pond.
Another reason I'm accepting this job is that my B.A. may mean something, at some point; possibly in the near future. Maybe someone will actually appreciate the fact that I spent four years of hell in school, and 10 years of poverty paying it off. I'd really like an employer to at least acknowledge that fact. With money.
Also, the lawyers are remodeling five floors of our huge building. And it's crap. I don't know who the fuck picked the shit out, but if they were going for early war, late ugly; they succeeded. And it's loud now. And I don't like it loud. And there's no privacy whatsoever. And, not only can everyone see your every move, they can also hear every word you say. My floor is the next to be remodeled and I'm really not thrilled with moving all my shit and all of my attorneys' shit down to another floor. Frankly, I'm not thrilled with any of it. I'm just sayin'.
The down side is I'll have to learn tons of NEW law, work with new people hanging right over my shoulder, and get paid even LESS for this privilege.
Old job, new job. WTF ever. Right now it all sucks. But, in the long run, I know I'm making the right decision.
All I have to do is tell the 99-year-old. And I'm not looking forward to it. But five grand in the will just ain't enough. What do you think my chances are of talking him into a mill?
I'd totally stay for that.
posted by nottotaled at 8:10 PM
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