Work Anniversary

Friday will be the 1st anniversary of my last day with
the Department of General Services for the State of
TN. And then Saturday will be my first anniversary
of my present job with the Tennessee Bureau of
Investigation for the State of Tennessee. This past
year has really gone by fast and it does not seem
like I have been with the TBI for a year.

I started working for the State of Tennessee,
Department of General Services, Printing Division
right out of high school at the age of 18. After two
years of working there, having met my ex there,
gotten married while working there, I left to have
my first child, Amber. That was in December of 1980.
I stayed at home with her for a year or so then I
decided that I needed to work, a least part time.
So I worked a mixture of different places like
McDonalds, Revco and Kmart. After being away
from the printing division for 4 years, I was asked
did I want to return. The guy I had worked with in
the camera room and dark room was moving over
to the art room and they needed to fill that position.
I was working for the Swim Shop in Nashville, selling
swim team suits all over the U.S. at the time. Going
back to the state sounded pretty good.

I went back in May of 1985 (24) years ago to the same
job that I had left in 1980. I worked in the pre-press
section of the printing division for 14 years. I ran
the camera room and dark room all that time.
Learning paste up (there was no designing and
laying out on computers at that time), learned
some typesetting, plate making for the presses
and stripping up of the negatives. During this
time, I had another child, my son, Cory, and
divorced.

As computers came in and things changed over
the years, like taking a design straight to a negative
from the computer, by passing the camera process…
my job was being fazed out. I was offered a position
in the procurement end of the printing division at
that time. I jumped on that one because I did not
care to be with a job. But at the same time, I was
scared to learn something new, would I be good at
it, could I learn the purchasing of equipment,
supplies, learn a computer program (let me mention
at this time…I knew NOT a thing about computers…
NOTHING)….but I learned it without a problem at
all. I passed the test to be an account clerk for this
position with flying colors. I loved my job, I loved
what I did. I enter acted and worked with vendors
that were just great.

Then after 3 years of that, I was offered another
promotion that would put me working with
customers (other departments within the state
that ordered printing). I was to become a printing
estimator and customer service rep. I thought,
okay…I am climbing up the ladder here, more
money and being a single parent raising two kids
I figured why not. I hated it. For four years I hated
it. I loved my customers but I so hated the pressure
of this job. I had to take in orders for my departments,
write the job up for the rest of the division to know
what they needed to do, how it was to print, the
amount of paper and ink it would take to do the job
….etc. STRESS! But I hung with it for 4 years.

At that point, I had a lot on me and I was looking
to move out of printing and was interviewing for
other departments…that in its self would be a
major step for me. Just over 21 years with that
division. I would be leaving my working family.
My boss got wind of this some how and offered
me another position. I would still be with the
same department, same division but I would be
moving into another building and working with
our Photographic Services people. They were
looking and needing a new secretary. I took it.
I loved it. I worked with other departments
setting up photo shoots, taking orders for photo’s,
keeping up with the other two people in the office
…the photographers, scheduling freelancers if
needed…lets just say, that office was mine. It
ran smooth and I loved it. But I was restless
and needing a change after 4 years.

Phil, photographer and friend had left Photo
Services to go work for the TBI. He told me
when he left, he would find me a job there.
Cause during his interviewing I told him that
he needed to tell the TBI that we were a team…
they had to hire me also!

Six months after Phil leaving, he emailed a job
spec to me for an Admin. Sec. for the Medicaid
Unit for the TBI and asked would I be interested.
I of course said yes. He went to the Asst. Director
and asked how he could get me on the interview
list. Having known the Asst. Director from when
he was GS director, having someone like Phil for
an employee (great work standards) , he was
willing to give me that interview. After a couple
of months, two interviews, background checks…
I was hired.

That was 1 year ago the 16th of this month that
I started that new chapter in my life.
I am still in contact with people from printing
and photo services…they were my family for 25
years. I still miss the job I did and the customers
from Photo Services and even up to yesterday,
customers call asking for me. But even with all
those years, the jobs and the changes, promotions
and people….I am happy I made this move. I married,
had two kids, divorced and had my first grandchild
while I was employed with the Department of General
Services. But coming to the TBI and working
with the awesome people I work with in the
Medicaid Unit, being welcomed
and excepted by them with open arms has been a
fantastic starting to that new chapter in my life.


So ….Happy Anniversary to me!
Thanks for stopping in,
Pam