Why I Love My Job: Part 1

For anyone who doesn't know, I am the Trainer at Lehman's.  May 7, 2011, will mark my 10th year at Lehman's.  It's hard to believe that it's been that long!  I've been really thankful for a lot of things lately, and one of those things is my job.  I know that not a lot of people can say that they love their job, but I can definitely say that!  I thought I would take some time to think about why I love it so much. Note: this is written only from my personal experiences.

A Little Background Info

Mural that I painted in the CSR Dept.

I started out as a CSR (Customer Service Representative) at Lehman's.  All I can say about being a CSR is: it's HARD!  Unless you are or have ever been a Lehman's CSR, you have no idea just how hard it is.  You are pretty much expected to know everything about everything, whether it's "Lehman's-related" or not.  You have to be a customer service rep (obviously), but also other things not necessarily in the title like: product specialist, order taker, phone operator, salesperson, problem investigator, therapist (weird but true...some customers just want someone to listen to their problems), GPS, travel agent, phone book, and not to mention doing many of these things at the same time!  It's so many jobs rolled into one.  During the busiest times of the year, there isn't even time to breathe between calls...they just keep coming!


As hard as it was, I was (and still am) grateful that that's where I started.  I started in May 2001, just before graduating from high school.  After graduation, I went to Malone to pursue a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education.  I worked part time all the way through college.  It was such a blessing to be able to work somewhere that was so flexible with my changing schedule.  So it was A LOT of Thursday nights (working til 8 pm) and Saturdays.  Upon graduating in 2005, I began to do a little substitute teaching, while looking for a job...and of course...during that time, continued to work at Lehman's when I wasn't subbing.


About a year passed, and then a huge opportunity opened up, in May 2005.  There was a new position opening up: Trainer.  I felt like God was telling me that this is where I should be.  As much as I loved teaching, deep down, I knew that there were some parts of it that I was never going to like (parent-teacher conferences, discipline, etc.).  I thought that it was strange that it was hard for me to picture myself with my own classroom.  Even if I could find a job, part of me didn't want to leave Lehman's and all of my wonderful co-workers.  So, I applied and got the job...and the rest...is history!

My Job Today
If I had any other job at Lehman's I don't think I would have been as prepared to move to the Trainer role.  As a CSR, you learn just about everything, and how it affects other departments around the company.  Since I had been there 5 years, I started doing a lot of the training for new CSRs, so that wasn't a huge transition for me.  I had already accumulated so much information, and worked on organizing it the way that I found it the most helpful.  I knew that when I first started, there wasn't much training at all...you were kind of expected to learn it as you go.  I knew how difficult it was for me at times, so I knew what new CSRs were facing when they first started.

The job of "Trainer" was a brand new position, so I had the opportunity to start everything from scratch.  At times it was (and is) a challenge, but that challenge is also what makes my job fun...and definitely not boring.  On May 21, 2011, I will have been Trainer for 5 years, and there are no signs of slowing down now :)

...Now find out why I love my job, in Part 2...