IT'S NEVER TOO LATE!

When the company computerized, they no longer kept a policy typing department.  Each examiner had their own computer and was taught to use them to do their own title policies.  Those of us who had been doing that work were divided up between divisions of the company and assigned as clerical assistants and later turned into receptionists.  Temporary workers were also brought in for those positions.  The company discovered that these young people, right out of school, had more computer skills and could to do more than workers like me, who had been there for years.

At the age of 50, after 20 years of service, I was fired.  I signed an agreement that they would send me to an outsourcing firm for help in locating a new job if I did not try to sue them for age discrimination, which I had not thought of at that time.  Later, when I found out that no one wanted to hire workers my age, I was sorry that I had made that agreement.  The outsourcing service did show me how to create a resume, however, and I became more confident from meeting with them.

I was actually relieved to not be working.  Now I had no excuse to not write.  I had time for it, and anything else I wanted to do.  I had to look for work while collecting unemployment payments and even got an extension, but that time was very much like now, jobs were hard to find.  When I saw that a new store was going to open downtown and they were hiring I thought I would give that a try.  It would be a nice change for me.  I had never had a retail position.  I went to their hiring fair, took the tests and passed, and made it through the interview.  I was going to work for Syms, an off-priced clothing store. I had never heard of them, but they had a loyal following in the suburbs, where they were already located, and on the East coast.  They were opening their first Chicago store on Wabash Avenue.  More on that tomorrow.