Several years ago I found out a certain naivety' surrounds those new to the work force.

Following high school I began my employment as a mail boy in a large insurance company. Shortly thereafter, I was moved to the print shop running an offset printing press, hole punching and collating papers for in-house manuals, newsletters and memorandums. It didn't take long to realize the low wage and monotony were breaking my spirit. So off I went to Personnel (there was no such thing as Human Resources back then) to explore how to move my career along.

Even though this meeting occurred close to forty years ago, I remember the day vividly. The Personnel counselor informed me of the importance of a formal education. I was told that once I committed to grow educationally, the company would take my career objectives more seriously. Plus, the company reimbursed at 50% for all courses and material as long as a passing grade of "C" was maintained. So, I immediately enrolled in two evening classes at the local community college.

The evenings I didn't have school I worked as a security guard and weigh master at the local farmer's regional market until midnight. Week-ends were spent working in a men's clothing store...not so much for the salary...but more for the 35% employee discount. After all, I did need nice clothes to be in an office environment.

Successful completion of my first semester brought an immediate promotion to the claims department. I was excited, nervous, happy, dedicated and ambitious. I was proud to wear a suit and tie even though a suit jacket had to be worn anytime you left your desk. Wow...I felt so professional!

The department manager was slight in stature, bald and in his early sixties. One learned early on that his size was not to be reckoned with. He was extremely intimidating and a "no nonsense" person. There was no question who ran the show. When least expected he would stand in his office doorway and fling a file to the corner of my desk. Of course I would be startled. Feelings of anger were swallowed knowing this position was only a stepping stone before moving on to other positions.

A motivator back then was how clear grade levels and positions were delineated. The grading system went from 3 to 13. Above grade 13 was the officer level. Within each grade were salary ranges from low, medium to high. A positive merit review meant a percentage increase based on that grade's medium rate. Not bad if you fell in the lower range of a

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