Working

No one ever asked me if I wanted to work, I was brought up that in order to get anywhere in life you have to work hard for it, it was assumed that as soon as I was old enough I would work to earn money to buy the things I wanted.

I guess my parents were quite strict looking back but it taught me a good work ethic, and I learnt a lot when I started working.

I was 13 when I got my first paper round, I got up early, walked to the local shop, picked up my papers and off I went. From memory (it's going back a while), I got paid £2.50 a day for this round which took about an hour to do. If I didn't do it I didn't get paid. Occasionally if the weather was really bad my mum would take me round in the car but this was a rare occurrence! This was the first time I'd had to get myself our of bed independently by using my alarm clock and get myself out of the house at a certain time. I was pretty good at it though from what I can remember, and I used to love opening my pay packet...I can remember it now. I used to save up my money, to buy tapes (remember them), and later on CD's as well as things to play them on, and clothes.

When I was 14 I moved onto working in a cafe, I remember seeing a sign in the window of a new cafe which was opening in the town which I grew up in. I went in and put myself forward for it (I think I was sick of the early mornings of the paper round), and they gave me the job! I worked at the cafe two evenings a week after school and all day on a Saturday, I was paid £2.50 and hour so the money was better than the paper shop too. I must have thought I was quids in :)

When I was 15 the two evenings a week after school were beginning to eat into my study time and so I found another job at a local pub advertised in the shop and I rang up and after going in to meet the couple who owned the pub I got the job. I worked Saturday evening and Sunday lunch and got £2.50 an hour for the work plus a meal if I wanted one.

All the time I was learning valuable skills, such as time management, customer service skills and patience. I was also learning how to deal with burns as the chef used to make the plates soooo hot (this skill will be useful to me later in life). Even though I was working every weekend I still managed to work hard enough at my school work to get 9 GCSE's, 1 A, 6 B's, 1C, and 1D.

In the summer after my exams I was 16 I got a job in the local golf club as they could give me lots of work during the summer before I went to college. At this age I had my sights set on buying a car, I lived in a small rural town and to get anywhere you really needed a car. As with everything else in my life if I wanted something I had to save up and buy it myself, so that's what I did. I had enough money from a savings policy my parents had started when I was a baby, to buy a cheap banger, however there was no way I was going to be able to afford to insure a car...so I worked my ass off all summer and by the time I was 17 in the January I was able to afford to insure my banger third party fire and theft! I don't think at the time I realised what an achievement this was, it was only when I chatted to my friends and found out that there parents had bought them cars, and that they were on there parents insurance as a named driver that what I had done was unusual. I was quids in once I started to build up my no claims bonus and the car I bought Dubby, still has a special place in my heart.

I learnt so much in my time at the golf club, pride for myself and my work, managing my own time, I used to run the half way hose on a weekend, even did the rota myself for when I couldn't do it. I learnt about fine dining, silver service, and one of the most important lessons of all, how to smile sweetly and apologise, even though you know you did nothing was wrong and the person you are apologising to is just a prize twat! Golfers, particularly the female ones seem to be a breed of people who can complain about the slightest little thing for no reason, other than they like the sound of there own voice! It put me off every attempting to play the game myself...for life, but boy it taught me how to deal with them!

Again I worked there throughout my A levels, worked hard so I could afford to put petrol in my little car and go out occasionally...when I wasn't working. I still managed to get decent grades in my exams, a B and two C's anyway. During this time my mum was very ill with cancer and she died the next year, I was able to escape when I was at work and do something that I enjoyed and turned out to be pretty good at aswell. I also got a lot of emotional support from the person I worked for and her best friend. I lost touch with Vanessa and Sarah and I can't for the life of me remember there surnames even then (although they've probably changed now), and I do sometimes wonder where they are and what they are doing now. They taught me and invested so much time in me, I would love to be able to let them know how I got on!!

Vanessa moved down to Hereford to be with her husband and the catering at the golf club who I did not get one with and found it very difficult to work with as she had such low standards and Nessa had taught me always to be the best I could be. I therefore left shortly afterwards.

I didn't do nothing though...I got a job in a local pub behind the bar and found a new talent...pulling pints! I was having a year out whilst I got my head straight after my mum dying so I didnt quite a lot of work in the pub and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I can't remember how much I was getting paid now, I don't think minimum wage had come in yet though it was still pretty poor!I was never in debt though, didn't have a credit card, if I wanted something I saved up and bought it, it didn't even cross my mind for a few years that there are other ways to buy things!!

In October 1999 I started Uni as a student nurse, I still worked behind the bar though, and after I did my first placement in a nursing home I worked there on the bank too. I would do a full day at uni or on a ward and then I would go to the nursing home or the pub and do a few hours there. I must have been shattered but I don't remember feeling like that, I had moved out of home and had a mortgage and bills to pay (yes I was only 19), but I just got on with it. I got my college work done (goodness knows how) and qualified as a nurse in 2002. I had by my third year stopped doing bar work but I was still working in Nursing homes whenever I could, usually two evenings a week and at least one day of the weekend dependent on my student shifts and much more in the holidays.

When I was a student I always seemed to have enough money to go round by working in the nursing homes too I managed to pay all my bills and have enough left to have a couple of vinos with my friends too! I rarely went overdrawn and I still didn't have a credit card. In fact looking back the only time I got into debt was when I got involved with a fella!! Nevermind I lived and I learnt lol, you can never regret what you didn't do eh?

When I qualified as a nurse I went to work in accident and emergency, I earnt £17000 when I first qualified, and I thought I was rich beyond my wildest dreams. It was the first time in a long time I only had one job! I still used to do a fair bit of overtime though as I didn't like to have many days off, I would get bored! I used a lot of the skills I had learn thus far and developed many more which still stand me in good stead now. I also met my soul mate, who is now my husband (although it was many years before we became an item), whilst I worked in A&E.

After four years in A&E I was ready for a change, and the matron told me she would never give me a sisters post because I was too balshy, and I decided to get out, I applied for a job as a care coordinator with people with learning disabilities on a whim during a quiet night shift...I got an interview and was offered the job! always one to believe in fate I took the job and that brings me to now, I've been doing the job for nearly four years, and I enjoy it tremendously. Every day is different, I manage my own caseload, and time and am developing a reputation as a bit of a specialist in working with parents with learning disabilities. I have whilst working full time over the past five years also undertaken a bachelors degree in which I gained 2:2 honours, and up until I found out I was pregnant in Oct 2008 I still did shifts in A&E just to keep my hand in.

I worked until I was 35 weeks pregnant with my son and then I went off on Maternity Leave in May 2009 and I was off for nearly a year. This is the longest I have not worked for, but I can honestly say I didn't miss it...becoming a mama was the best thing that ever happened to me. My little spugy is the most fabulous thing in the world and I love being a mummy to him, I enjoyed going to new places, meeting new people and watching my little man change in front of my eyes. I joked about never going back to work as I liked the idea of being with him all the time...in reality though I think I would have got bored by the time I went back to work I was ready to tax the old grey matter. I didn't want to work full time any more though and I went back in April 210 18.5 hours per week. So I now work two and a half days a week, and I am at home with spugy the rest of the time. It is the perfect work life balance, and the financial benefits are also very nice.

I don't know what the future holds for me work wise, there have been a lot of changes in the team I work in whilst I have been off. I thought all my ambition had gone, however I recently saw a new job advertised which I thought sounded really interesting so I applied for it...and there is also talk of an opportunity to act up in a more senior position, which again I have expressed an interest in, so maybe I am still a career girl after all. I worked hard to get where I am, and as long as I can achieve a balance maybe I can still progress!

The most important thing in my life is Spugy, there is no way work would ever come before him, but I am pleased to be a working mama and to get a balance, I am teaching him the same way as my parents did me, that working is important, I pay tax and contribute to the county I live in. I have high self esteem because I know that I have worked hard and have achieved. I don't know that I will encourage him to get a paper round at 13 as times have changed but I will encourage him to work and also to work hard at school, college and uni so that he can get a good job in the future :)