Daily writing prompt

Tell us about your first day at something — school, work, as a parent, etc.

View all responses

After graduating from the Job Corps center in 2007, I moved to North Carolina. After a long job hunt, I got a position at a local pharmacy chain.

I recall being told by the store manager not to discuss my wages with the other staff. I knew from my training at Job Corps that this rule wasn’t valid; it violated the National Labor Relations Act.

Discussing wages and hours is are protected activity.

That first day, I was indeed asked about my wages by the woman training. I gave an honest answer without much thought. She ended up getting angry at the manager, and I was taken aside and reprimanded later that day.

The drug store chain is no longer in business. I can remember many things that were not right about the way they were operating, the treatment of staff, differences in pay for men and women, and a lack of diversity overall.

After about 6 months in that job, I left to do work more in line with my training in building maintenance and landscaping. Although I eventually ended up going back to pharmacy work later on.

I spent 13 years of my life working in retail pharmacies. I am ready to move into a different industry. Hopefully, once I finish my business degree, I will be able to secure some appropriate employment.