Why I Got Interested in Broadcasting

When I was 15 years old, I had my first job: answering the telephone in an office.  It was difficult because I was very nervous every time I answered.  In fact, I still feel anxious whenever I get a telephone call today. 

At this particular job, I had a supervisor who stood over me everytime I was on the telephone.  On one particular day, I was reaching for the ringing telephone when she screamed at me, "Give me that phone, Girl!"  I said back not shouting at her, "But I'm the receptionist."

Next thing I felt was her hand against my face.  I got up and cried while she answered the telephone.  That's why I hate telephone jobs.

The following summer, I started to think about broadcasting as a career while still in high school.  However, I ended up in jobs that involved answering the telephone and having an abusive supervisor.  Ironic, isn't it?

It's odd that I ended up doing a volunteer job at WBCN answering the telephone.  The only reason I did that for almost six years was to help me get my foot in the door of the broadcasting industry.  It didn't.  At least no one abused me at WBCN.

Even stranger is that I remember while I was still in high school, a friend of my parents who worked at Channel 9 in Washington, DC, escorted me to the newsroom where she worked.  I spoke to her co-workers about their careers and how they got started.  No one there mentioned anything about doing a job that involved answering the telephone in order to get into the industry.

That's why I'm writing a memoir about my career problems and how Asperger's Syndrome and my other disorders interfered with my finding the right career path.