I'm pulling a cart loaded with newspapers behind me. I'm delivering mail around my neighborhood. How did I find myself in this situation? It's simple - I got a new job.
My farewell with my boss at my old job was not particularly warm. I came to the office to pick up my documents, she had to sign the routing sheet. I told her in good faith that I had already found a new part-time job, and in response, I got a cold: "Why do I need this information?" I was taken aback and didn't know what to say.
New place of work
This amusing story with my office job somehow became known to my acquaintances. The father of one of them took an interest in my situation and offered me a new job. I must admit, this job turned out to be one of the easiest and most comfortable for me. I was offered to deliver mail.
I figured the last summer month would be perfect for this kind of work. Without wasting time, I headed to the address given to me, where the municipal organization dealing with print media was located. I was expecting to have some sort of an interview, but the manager got straight to business as if I already worked there. Apparently, the high staff turnover was showing.
The manager began familiarizing me with the work process. We found ourselves in a large warehouse-like space. It was a huge covered corridor in a semi-basement room, filled with tables and shelves holding the morning print. People aged 40+ were pouncing on the stacks of newspapers, putting them into their carts and, without wasting time, went off to deliver to their routes. There was simply no time for them to socialize.
Then the manager and I went up to the office, where we discussed my duties and salary in more detail. He informed me that my workday would start at 6 in the morning and continue until I had delivered all the mail. To anticipate your question, my workday usually ended around noon. It was particularly convenient that each employee delivered mail in their own neighborhood, mostly to administrative buildings or private enterprises.
Contract
Everything suited me, and I suggested moving on to signing the contract. However, at this stage, problems arose. The manager said that the work is carried out without any signatures from both sides. Remembering my previous negative experience, I was greatly concerned about this. And I decided to stand my ground. I demanded a guarantee that I would be paid.
Quite a stir arose. Many experienced workers, who had been delivering mail for many years, heard my demands and laughed. They assured me that there was no need to worry about this issue - they receive their promised money every month. By the way, the monthly salary at this enterprise was 11000 rubles. I continued to insist, and I was even brought to the accountant. She tried to explain something to me, referring to the legislation, and eventually mentioned an individual contract that they would draw up specifically for me. I felt something was off here, but my intuition told me that everything would be fine. I don't remember whether I got any papers, but to cut a long story short, in the end, I received every penny. Perhaps it was my assertive behavior that guaranteed my salary.
Pleasant walks
So now I had to get up almost at 5 a.m., travel to the press distribution point (fortunately, it was close to my home), load the cart with newspapers and packages, and return to my neighborhood. The hardest part of this job was withstanding the hustle and bustle at the tables where couriers were loading newspapers. At that moment, there was a flurry and even scandals. The workers didn't always demonstrate good manners. But as soon as I started my route, a peaceful walk began. Summer days, native area, deserted streets - what could be nicer?
I can't recall any particularly critical situations at my new job. I didn't linger long at addresses and always moved on quickly. A brief smalltalk, and I was on my way again. Nothing bad simply had time to happen. Lovely concierges, to whom I left newspapers, sometimes asked me where the old man who worked before me had gone. I couldn't find a better answer than to say that he had gone on vacation.
Petty absurdity
There was only one unpleasant incident when I was leaving a serious private enterprise. My working day was coming to an end, and the cart noticeably lightened. The yard of this enterprise was paved, which made my cart start to make a loud noise. Adult and, judging by the clothes, successful people who came out for a smoke break said something unflattering to me. I couldn't deal with the noise, and I had to grit my teeth to avoid getting into a conflict.
If it weren't for my studies, I would have continued delivering mail. But with the arrival of September, I could no longer spend the first half of the day at work, and the company didn't offer other schedules. Therefore, at the end of the month, I quit my job, just informing the manager about it.
There were no problems with the salary payment. The organization was budgetary, so they didn't need extra problems. I wouldn't be surprised if they were skimming off salaries. At the end of the month, I stood in line at the cashier and received a bundle of banknotes, which I had honestly earned.
Results
I didn't have the time and energy to stop for a moment and think. It would be good to take a break and answer myself the question, why did I plunge into work again, instead of giving myself a break and thinking about all the previous experience. Like an obsessive, I tried to always be employed. But who would ask a student for not earning money? Wasn't studying the first thing that was required of me. Some social or other pressure drove me to get jobs further, ignoring the learning process.
In the process of working as a postman, I have acquired valuable skills and experience that can be useful in the future:
Organization and planning. Every day I organized my route and planned my work so that I could deliver all the newspapers on time.
Physical endurance. This job required me to be in good physical shape and endurance in order to carry a newspaper cart and walk around my neighborhood.
Communication skills. I talked to various people, from concierges to managers and accountants. It helped me to improve my communication skills and the ability to enter into a dialogue with different people.
Independence and initiative. I insisted on signing the contract and secured the payment of my salary, which testifies to my initiative and ability to defend my rights.
Ability to work in stressful situations. Working as a postman can be intense and stressful, especially during the "crush" at the tables with newspapers. I managed to cope with these difficulties, which speaks to my ability to work under pressure.
So, despite the fact that working as a postman may seem simple, it gives you the opportunity to develop valuable skills and gain experience that will be useful in any field.
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