Andrew Lloyd Beaver PA | Short Story About A First Job

Andrew Lloyd Beaver PA was excited for his first marketing job. He was freshly eighteen, and hadn’t even dared to dream about having a steady job in his field, yet. He assumed in those first few years that I’d have seasonal jobs at firms until his resume was built up. However, he was hired in the industry, and while he was just a low-level assistant, there were hints that he'd move up fast.

Andrew Lloyd Beaver PA's personal story:

Hints were enough. I spent my days looking for extra work, determined to show just how dedicated to the firm I could be.  

That was my first mistake. I didn’t set a single boundary. For me, there wasn’t my work life and my home life. I didn’t differentiate my time, and I didn’t set aside time for myself. I just assumed it would work.  

Boundaries are a necessary part of a healthy workplace. Without them, I was easy to take advantage of says Andrew Lloyd of Beaver, PA.

My coworkers saw my dedication as an opportunity to help themselves.  

I’d always been a people person. Work meant that I couldn’t talk as much and get to know my coworkers as fast as I liked, so I jumped whenever they needed something. Lost their pen? I started buying extra for people to have. If they needed another quarter for the vending machine, I started digging in my wallet. Need to proofread something? I was happy to glance over their emails.

However, it didn’t end there.

Suddenly, I had calls to make that weren’t part of my workload. I had extra files on my desk that needed to be looked at. I was staying later and later, and my own workload was piling up. My boss started staring at me hard and long, and I couldn’t blame him.

They say you should keep your workspace clean and organized to make your work feel manageable and less stressful. My desk became a monument of sticky notes, wrappers, and coffee cups that I didn’t know whether or not I actually finished. One bump could have spelled an avalanche of case files that I didn’t have time to rearrange.  

They say you should make time for exercise and healthy eating. I was living off of fast food and coffee, and anyone could have seen from the slump in my shoulders and my bloodshot eyes that I was too tired to even consider hitting a gym.  

Since I was salaried, I wasn’t even getting paid for the extra hours.

I was exhausted, but when my coworkers sidled up next to me and said “Hey, Mr. Incredible,” “Hey, chief,” or even “Oh, Mr. Andrew Lloyd,” I just smiled and let them walk right over me.  

Then I made a mistake.  

I messed up a marketing plan for a new client, and if someone hadn’t been checking my work, it could have cost the firm both the client and a lot of money. Workplace fatigue has been the cause of disasters, injuries, and an absurd amount of money. I almost joined the statistic.

I was in my boss’s office for maybe two minutes, but the disappointed look in his eyes and the pinched frown he wore made it feel far longer.

I cleaned up my desk. I set up a calendar for myself to start organizing everything I needed to do. I even put grocery shopping and exercise on the list.

Then I started saying “no.”  

I went from the most popular person in my office to feeling like the only person in my office. I got the cold shoulder. No one would even say hello to me in the morning. Yet, when I came in after having a full eight hours of sleep, I couldn’t find it in myself to care.  

Instead of agreeing to do anything regardless of if I could or not, I started listing everything I needed to do. Then I put it in order of priorities. What was important? What was time sensitive? What took the most amount of time?  

Once work was manageable, I started reaching out to my coworkers again.  

If they needed a pen, I’d let them borrow one, and I’d ask for it back when they were done. If I had money to spare, I’d let them borrow some for the vending machine. When it was convenient for me, I’d lend a second pair of eyes to check their work.

I had learned. Being kind is well and good, but make sure to have boundaries lest they take advantage.

This is a fictitious story from Andrew Lloyd of Beaver, PA about his "first job." I hope this helps anyone who is about to start their career. Don't fall into these mistakes!