I landed my first real office job the same year the movie “Office Space” was released and the similarities between the late-90s tech-scene dark comedy and life — my life — were, mmm, uncomfortable.

The receptionist with the high-pitched, annoyingly insincere positivity answering the phone in corporate accounts payable and asking you to wait just a moment? Yeah, that was me. I had a headset, a desk full of blinking buttons and tendonitis from repeatedly pushing the same buttons over and over. And over. It was demanding work with a steady paycheck and few prospects for the future.

Until Gayle Berkeley came into my life.

Gayle was the director of consulting at our company, one of the big .com’s popular around Y2K. Each time she’d pass by my desk, we’d make small talk until one day she asked me to be her executive assistant. I was movin’ on up.

More From Forbes

Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap