In Search of the Perfect Job!

      I have always worked. I have been described as a person who lives to work, not works to live. My very first job was in 1964 when I was 10 years old. My father had three jobs at that time and one was custodian of the church we attended. He asked me to clean the sanctuary and chapel on Thursdays and Fridays and he would pay me 50 cents a week. Of course I did it and actually enjoyed it, especially when I got my 50 cents! At that point, I was hooked. I quickly learned that I could make more money by raking leaves, shovelling snow, and babysitting. What I learned at a very young age is that if I wanted something, I knew I could get it for myself by working. This was very satisfying.
      In 1969 I got my first official job at 15 years old. The local hospital hired teenagers to work in the kitchen and you could start at 15. I signed up for any hours I could get -- after school, weekends, holidays, and put my name on the call-in list. More than once, I missed events because of work, even as a child. Case in point, I love Christmas. I never wanted to miss a minute of Christmas. I remember one year the hospital called me Christmas morning and asked me to work. I did not make it to Nana's until mid-afternoon and missed all the morning activities. I was very sad about that. I have lived with these kinds of work-life balancing struggles my whole life, still do!
      But I an still working and enjoying my professional life and I have never stopped looking for the perfect job. This book includes dos and don'ts for finding the perfect job, a section on What was She Thinking? (the mistakes I have made), and short stories of my journey. Did I find the perfect job? Can you?