Now some people have horrible first jobs. They scrub toilets or flip burgers. I, on the other hand, was lucky enough to be blessed with a huge opportunity although I did not see it as that at first. At fifteen I was sassy and used to being taken care of by my parents, but here I was attempting to work. It was an awful attempt at first. I almost got fired in my first few months of working there. I am pretty sure at that point in time everyone hated me. But for some reason one day, I woke up with a new attitude. It was almost like God telling me to get my butt in shape before I mess my life up. I was determined to prove everyone wrong including my parents, and show them I could do this. I started kicking total butt at work, minding you it is a laser tag place that was insanely busy. I covered shifts and became a great employee by stepping up to the plate. By my sixteenth birthday, I was being mentored by my boss who I thought once hated me.
After that I continued to grow and become not only an employee to the company, but a major asset. Customers knew me and most of them loved me. By the time I turned eighteen after almost being with the company for three years, I got a promotion. I was a young, fresh-faced assistant manager. While that had some difficulty on top of college and a second job, I somehow wrangled it together because I loved that place. That place was home.
I was about to begin my junior year of college when I realized my life was not all I wanted it to be just yet. My last day I cried to my boss who I thought once hated me, but I hated the fact I now was leaving someone who had became my work mom. Yet she told me this would not be the last she was seeing me, and she was right.
After graduating college, I started back working at my first job on some weekends just for some extra money in the bank. Who said you cannot go home? I disagree with them. I love that place and I always will no matter what. I hope to continue to grow there into a better person and hopefully become a mentor like my boss did to me (and still is).
I am not saying it will be a forever home, because I cannot tell the future. But I know that it will always be a place that holds a spot in my heart and I will love it dearly for that.
So for any of you looking for your first job or want to find a job that feels like home, it is out there for you. Laser Quest once was nothing but a paycheck for me, and now it has so much more sentimental value than that. It is all my favorite memories in one place (that I made while making money)...What is better than that? All I can say to you is do not give up hope in your search, and most importantly do not give up hope for yourself.
