5 Years

Today, I "celebrate" my 5 year anniversary working for Target. Oh boy.

I never thought I would be there that long, and had no intentions of staying this long either. It was back in 2002 that I was hired for seasonal. I was in high school and needed a job. Now I am in college (still), but I can say for sure that if I do make it to 10 years (shudder), I will be done with school by then. If I am still at Target at that time, I'll be a Target pharmacist!

Looking back at my 5 years, I mainly see how great most of the people were that I worked with. I'm still friends with many of them, even though they may not work for Target any longer. I also remember back when I first started how much fun it was to work there. There are still fun days now, but back in the day, it seemed like everyday was a fun one.

I'm definitely a different person now than I was walking into this job, and I'd like to think I've changed for the better. I've seen how awful some people treat total strangers and I can take that with me to know how not to treat people in the "real" world. If people want to have a good grasp on the many different varieties of people in society, working retail will get you that.

Sure, there were bad times. Times where it seemed like it was 'too much' to deal with. Times where it felt like people were put on this Earth to test my sanity. Well, I'm still here, and I continue to be. The only thing that got me through everything that happened at my store were my friends/co-workers. We all seemed to be on the same page, and everyone would listen and understand. It's what brought us together, complaining about something. ;) Even on the worst days, you could count on your co-workers to brighten your day. I hope when I'm out in the "real world" that I can find friends that are even half as awesome as my Target friends. I know that I'll be friends for life with my current Target friends, although it does feel like I "left" them to pursue my own goals. But, that's another topic.

So, as much as I bitch and moan about working there, it isn't half bad. The job may suck at times, but it's the people that make it worth it.

I know it's a bit sappy, but whatever. ;)