Part-time LifeSavers

Thank God for graduation parties! If I had not had one I could not have financially survived this past summer. But like all good things, my graduation money had come to a devastating end. By October I thought I would have found a permanent position. But I had not. So I had no choice but to find a part-time job. I really didn’t want to. But I knew that I had better chances of finding a part-time job than mysteriously being left money by an estranged and very distant relative. I had just gotten a new car and I was no longer on my parent’s insurance. So that meant I had to pay up. I still had my phone bill to worry about, along with my new best friend, “loan payments”. I needed money and fast.
Where was I to go? And what kind of part-time job was right for a college graduate? Well, wherever it was it had to be somewhat close to my house and it had to have flexible hours so that I could still look for a full-time job and go on interviews in the mornings. But before I could list all the attributes my new part-time job was to have, my new part-time job found me.
I was shopping for business suits with my mother, when suddenly my Mom picked up a paper which read, “We’re Hiring!” “Look Dev” she shouts with excitement. At that moment the sales associate looked at me and said “Do you need a job? Go right upstairs to Human Resources. They would be delighted to have you.” I took a look at my surroundings and thought to myself, “No way!” I hated retail and I am extremely bad at customer service. On top of that, it was the mall that all my friends from elementary to high school came to. I did not want to be seen. I would feel like a failure, like I had never left high school. A college graduate with a high-school job. I politely told the sales associate that my mother and I were in a hurry and would have to decide later. My mother looked peeved.
My mother continued to yell at me the entire car ride home. I was never going to accomplish anything if I didn’t work, she ranted. I wanted to but not there. She reminded me of all the responsibilities I had and that I was in no position to be picky. She was disappointed in me and I could sense that. I tossed and turned that night knowing that it was time for me to step up to the plate and actually be an adult.
The next day, I got dressed up in my business casual best and marched my little butt to that department store. I filled out an application and had an immediate interview with Human Resources. I was hired on the spot and was scheduled for training for the following Monday.
I have worked at my part-time job for almost two months now and I do not know how I survived without it. I can pay my bills and was even left with just enough money to pay for Christmas gifts. I have met great people and I actually have a knack for helping others. My mother is real proud of me and applauds my small accomplishments. Yet, she reminds me not to get too comfortable.