MY WORK, EDUCATION AND TRAINING HISTORY….

 

July 1956 - I began my working life in the summer when I was 16 years old. Myrtle Shaw, a friend of my mother, let me stay with her and her adult son, Ronnie and four foster daughters. My first job was at a restaurant, behind a counter serving people. I lasted one afternoon and was fired. My second job was at a roadside ice cream stand a week later. I would have been fired but the owner was a friend of Ronnie and I was allowed to stay for the summer with reprimands to do my job correctly, like wear a hair net etc. 

June 1957 - After graduating from high school in Canton, Maine at age 17, I went to live with my aunt and uncle in Quincy, Massachusetts. I got a job at the John Hancock Life Insurance company in Boston, filing. Later, received a transfer to a job in a different department, which was a step up, to a typing job and later up further to a figuring job. All for life insurance applications.

June 1960 - I quit the John Hancock for a better paying position at a light bulb factory in Lynn, Massachusetts where I was living, and was making $1.98 per hour after two years. No more fighting traffic driving to Boston. I subscribed to a home study drafting course and bought a drafting table and lamp. I did well, getting straight A's for the first several lessons. 

November 1962 - I quit the factory and headed for California with my best friend, Mabel. After being trained on the adding machine at a job agency, I was hired to work with figures in a Los Angeles auto parts store. I became quite speedy with the adding machine and calculations. I lost interest in my home studying drafting course. 

April 1964 - I quit the auto parts store and drove back to Lynn, Massachusetts with my dog Koko, to meet Joe, whom I'd been writing to, since moving California. I got a job at Fileen’s clothing department store in Boston doing figuring work with invoices. 

Joe and I married in August and had three daughters during the next four years, but on Nov. 11, 1968, when my third daughter was 5 months old, I essentially forced Joe to leave, because he'd returned to drug taking.  

Sept. 1969 - I worked one year as a teacher's aid in a kindergarten.

June 1970  - I was one of eighteen, out of 300 applicants chosen to take part in a three year federally funded Day Care training program, directed by Dr. Carl Smith. He predicted that Day Care would become in demand, because mothers were working more and more, outside the home.

June 1973 - At the end of the program, we were allowed to transfer credits from the Day Care program to Salem State Teacher's College in Salem, Mass., for those who wanted to take classes toward a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education.

January 1975 - I left college to get a Real Estate brokers license and began working for a Real Estate agent, but quit the agency upon realizing the Real Estate Profession required me to show houses evenings and weekends. I was a mother of three young girls and did not want to work outside my home, allowing someone else to "raise" my daughters. I returned to college.

Sept. 1975 - I took a Leadership training Course for Camp Fire Girls, Inc. and became a leader for six months.

June 1976 - I received a Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education.

December 1976 - I took a class in Parent Effectiveness Training, wanting to become a better parent. 

1976 - 1977 -Cleaned houses through my own advertising. I almost began a business with a friend in house cleaning, but realized I did not like living in Mass. and moved my family to Tennessee.

Sept. 1977 - Worked as a day care provider, caring for one child in our rented home for three months. I quit because I needed a job that paid more.

January 1977 -  Took and passed the Graduate Record Exam (GRE.) 

Jan. 1978 - Hired as a day care teacher assistant for a day care teacher Becky, who became a close live-in friend. We quit in June and we all moved to Ventura, CA. in August.

Oct. 1978 - I took foster parenting classes and became a licensed foster care parent, caring for two young children, but their father took them for a Christmas visit and kept them! 

Jan. 1979 - Began taking many free classes I liked at the City College; piano, tennis, ceramics, recorder, swimming (or the non-swimmer) and speech.

Sept. 1979 - With a desire to use my natural abilities, I enrolled in carpentry school, I loved working with wood. I made a beautiful tool chest. Learned all about building tract homes and became a carpenter apprentice.

Jan. 1979 - My first carpentry job was tearing up carpets in JCPenny's for $4.00 an hour. In June I was laid off. I didn’t like the many errors made in tract homes so I gave up carpentry and took the required classes to learn to operate heavy equipment. I loved operating machines, plus heavy equipment paid much more than carpentry.

1979 - Aug. Hired as a full time Operator Engineer apprentice (heavy equipment operator, two separate hirings) at $7.00 an hour. Laid off after first job, then fired August 1980. I was the only female operator apprentice and felt discriminated against.

’79  Sept. - Took a class in Blueprint reading for Mechanical Drawing. I discovered I didn't like drafting.

Jan. 1980  - Became interested in computers and went to Control Data Institute school in LA and learned four programming languages; Assembly, Pascal, Fortran and Cobol.

November 1980 - My very close friend and partner left for good, against my will, which triggered an unknown and therefore un-dealt with, babyhood emotional trauma. This caused a shut down of my strong "left hemisphere" experience of life as my old self. By the following morning, the world as well as myself was seen in a totally different light. I became disoriented, not knowing which end was up for a year, as my right hemisphere, which had been dormant until then, seemed to come to life. After a year passed, a more positive left hemisphere identification became available to me, which seemed to give me me a much more healthier experience and identification in life. 

March 1981 - I Graduated from Control Data Institute, (but cheated to do so) and wasn’t interested in, or able to, pass a job interview. My comprehension learning disability and grief began rearing its ugly head and I lost all ability and therefore interest in and for computer programming. 

August 1981 - Became an Herbalife Distributer and failed at that. I didn’t feel comfortable convincing people they needed my product for their health.

Sept. 1981 - I joined Toastmasters in an attempt to eliminate my fear of speaking in front of people. I went through three or four out of ten required speeches, then quit because of fear.

In addition I also took the first of three separate semesters of elementary Spanish in an attempt to learn the language. 

Oct. 1981 - Hired by Kelly Temporary Services, as an office worker, but fired after three months because I preferred to have breaks and lunch with factory workers, instead of the office women I worked with. However, my boss told me my job performance was excellent.

Nov. 1981 - Hired  by restaurant owner, Jim Font to set up his computer and do accounts receivable for him and year end tax employee forms, which I enjoyed doing and Jim loved my computer skills. He was killed in his helicopter and I was eventually laid off by the new owner.

Jan. 1983 -  Bought a video camera and wanted to start a video dating service. I rented an office, had it remodeled by a friend, set up a desk and my camera and waited. No business, because I didn’t know anything about marketing.

April 1983 - Took evening classes and received a certificate in Swedish Massage. I found it to be physically difficult to carry my heavy massage table upstairs to clients homes for my 100 hours of massages to complete the course. City licensing had also just begun and it required more classes and testing for a license. I gave up the plan of massaging for a living.

Sept. 1983 - Took a new computer programing language called Basic.

Jan. 1984  - Hired by a  drapery hanging company in Oxnard. I did simple low wage office work at first and later hung draperies and estimated jobs, which paid $9.00 an hour, but was long hours and physically demanding work. I slowly realized I did not want this as my life career and quit.

Sept. 1984 - Hired by Mac Donald's in Ojai as a manager trainee, but was soon demoted to assistant manager status when the owner saw that I couldn't hack it. My learning disability, coupled with anxiety, got the best of me and I functioned poorly. I quit shortly after my demoted role began. 

Jan. 1985 - I got a different drapery hanging job with a different company, but was fired after two weeks for taking too long to hang many draperies in someone's home.

Feb. 1985 - I got a job in a print shop for $4.00 an hour, but realizing I could not support my family with that income I decided to see if I could get a Masters degree in what I was very interested in and knew quite a lot about; psychology. I wanted to find out what I didn't know already know about the source of my feelings of personal inadequacy, defectiveness and unworthiness as a human female.

June 1985 - I was accepted into a 3 year Masters Program for Counseling Psychology, and took two prerequisites to qualify for the program in Sept., not being convinced I could ever complete the final thesis.

As part of my Program, I did volunteer counseling at the now defunct Camarillo State Hospital, a County alcohol treatment center, Interface Counseling Center and for Ventura County Mental Health. 

June 1988 - I graduated with an MS degree in Counseling Psychology, with no license attached. I feared I could not pass the state exam, so didn't become licensed. I failed to find a job as a psychological assistant. But I filed for and became credentialed to teach or counsel at Ventura Jr. College. However, I didn't have enough confidence in myself to apply for employment. 

I then volunteered at the Colston Youth Authority Juvenile Detention Center in Ventura and did complete my thesis work in "Anger Management for Juvenile Delinquents."

Aug. 1988 - I took classes at Ventura College and received certification in Alcohol and Drug Studies.

Jan. 1989 -  I was hired as a part time Independent Contractor to teach classes and counsel individuals who were court ordered to attend the (now defunct) Alcohol Information School in Ventura; clients who had been convicted of driving while intoxicated.

Jan. 1991 - I was finally offered a job as a welfare case worker (after interviewing twice for the job). I did not accept this one and only full-time job offer (because I had begun to earn $100.00 a day living with and caring for the wife of an elderly person.

However, it was the first time I ever passed an interview in front of several people, from the many interviews I had been to. I was quite proud of myself for that. It bolstered my self-esteem greatly and I rejoined Toastmasters and did three or so more speeches. Then with seven out of ten speeches completed, I quit again as a result of emotional fear.

June 1991 - With my first live-in job finished, I went to school for and received Certification as a Nursing Assistant/Home Health Aide. I continued working living in with elderly people and caring for them full time, 5 to 7 days a week. 

June 1992 - I applied for LPN nursing school, but was not accepted.

Aug. 1992 - I became voluntarily homeless in Santa Barbara, sleeping on a different quiet street each night in my pick up truck which I'd bought a camper shell for and had built a carpeted interior, in preparation for a getaway from home. Daughter Tami took over my rented house and the three housemates.

I took classes and became certified as an Administrator of a Residential Facility for the elderly. I looked into buying a home for the purpose of running it as an administrator, but lacked sufficient employment for a loan.

June 1993 - Took prerequisite courses for the Registered Nursing program in nearby Santa Barbara, CA.

Sept. 1993 - I was accepted as a Registered Nursing Student at Santa Barbara City College and began taking classes. I was the oldest student, in my mid fifties.

After moving to three different places in three weeks, I was stressed, getting sick and being reprimanded for my work in the nursing home, I quit the program. This was the first time I had ever quit any kind of an Instruction Program.

I continued to be employed with agencies, living in and caring for elderly people until 1994. Then physical and emotional stress finally overcame me and I was subsequently fired and then blackballed by the agencies I worked for. I was able to get two more live-in jobs but was eventually fired by the elderly people themselves leaving me somewhat homeless in Santa Barbara.

April 1995 - An ex-patient from Santa Barbara called me directly and asked me to come care for him. I went back to Santa Barbara and worked as his caretaker, without an agency knowing, until he died that August.

Sept. 1995 - I began taking classes for computer maintenance and repair at SBCC while living in my camper truck. I loved working with computers and especially computer building and repair classes. 

At the end of my second year at City College, still voluntarily homeless, I began taking multimedia classes, Photoshop and web design classes and loved them also. I built a web page using straight HTML code. I wanted to make web pages for people as an occupation, but lacked the knowledge to start a business, having failed in my first business attempt at a video dating service in 1983.

January 1996 - I tore myself away from the classes I loved and left beautiful Santa Barbara (I couldn't take living in my truck anymore) and began to remodel a 1972 motor home I purchased for $400.00, in the back yard in Ventura where daughter Pam still lived in the house I rented in 1978. I spent three years remodeling my RV. During that time I took more Photoshop classes and web page classes at Ventura Junior College. 

1998 - I devoted full time day care of my grandson Jaz with pay, freeing Pam to take more classes in Photoshop and photography and become proficient in her work so she could start her own business in digital portrait photography and graphic design. I also wrote poetry and articles like my emotional journey which I kept current.

I finally realized I could not get and keep a job, no matter how hard I tried, so at age 58, I applied for a social security disability. The required examination by the social security psychiatrist convinced them my comprehension disability kept me from getting and maintaining employment. It became apparent to the psychiatrist that I did indeed have a disability and I began to receive social security disability payments.

September 2000 - Pam began her business and Jaz started kindergarten. I began writing my memoir.

August 2001 - I took a class in PowerPoint.

September 2001 - Jaz started first grade. I began writing my Apple/Orange construct book as well as a proposal for a grant that will provide every child with a mentor in day care centers and elementary schools across the state who will get "promoted" with their students throughout the student's school life. My first article on the subject was published in June 2001 in the free Santa Barbara local Reporter newspaper.

In November 2001 - I became a substitute teacher for Ventura Unified School District. 

December  2001 - I rejoined Toastmasters for the third time and gave my tenth speech, however I had dropped my Toastmaster membership after my ninth speech so did not get credit for the tenth speech which I'd made on the spur of the moment at the meeting, which felt great and I received many positive comments. At that point I knew I'd finally conquered my fear of speaking in front of people.

April 2002 - Exactly 24 years after I'd rented the house in Ventura and I got a 30 day notice to vacate from the owner who wanted his house back to live in himself. I put what I had in storage and asked the Universe to please find me a place to live. I spent the next two months traveling north to the Canadian Rockies, visiting friends and meeting new relatives along the way. I found a potential future home in the forest near Eugene, Oregon. It was the only place in the whole country I could afford to live with my low social security disability income. 

August 2002 - I returned to CA. and parked my old RV at the Ojai Retreat in beautiful Ojai, California in exchange for 7 hours of work per week doing repairs on the Retreat House and cottages. 

I finally felt at home in a community of nice people who worked at the Retreat. It turned out to be much more than seven hours of work a week plus I took up two parking spaces, invaded the gardener's privacy in addition to being illegally parked on the grounds, unbeknownst to me. I left. Before leaving I had an opportunity to take a workshop held there to find out the purpose for my life. I discovered I loved Nature, trees and animals tremendously.

September 2002 - I parked my remodeled RV in a woman's front yard just a half mile from the Retreat Center in exchange for yard work and house repairs. I had no running water and had to secretly empty my toilet… frequently.

Nov. 2022 - Took a training workshop to become a life coach.

February 2003 - I lived in a yurt at the Ojai Foundation and worked voluntarily at the closed retreat. It was an exhilarating experience, but after two weeks, I was worn out physically and quit.

July 2003 - Took off for my new potential home in the forest in OR. 

September 2003 - Made two wonderful friends and thoroughly enjoyed living in the forest. Bought a 5th wheel trailer, a 1997 Jayco, and moved all my belongings into it. It felt like heaven on earth. 

I spent seven summers building a shed I called a writing studio, spending winters in San Diego, CA. with my daughter's family.

May 2006 - I took two prerequisite weekend workshops in California from the Fearless Living Institute by Rhonda Britten. After finishing I decided to try unsuccessfully, to become a personal life coach.

May 2009 - I placed an orchard ladder on a wet deck up to the back of my trailer, whereupon it slid out from under me as I reached the very top. After falling down on my deck from about five feet up, I broke my shoulder and back. By the Fall I had healed and completed my building.

2010 - I forgave everyone I'd ever felt hurt by, including myself. 

After walking across a creek in the forest one day, I suddenly felt empty and realize I'd lost the last part of my old ego identity as a poor, old woman, with no productive work, no family or close friends and a poverty income. I became detached from everything, accepted what IS and became free of all emotional suffering. I felt  enlightened, powerful, and joyously happy. I recognized this was my True Self. All depression ended for good and my old self  was again left behind. I began letting Life/Love/God/Spirit guide me in a new and unfamiliar world.

2010 - I Joined Unity of the Valley and volunteered at first, then was hired for child care while their parents went to the church service. I felt "born again" spiritually and the children were more present than adults seemed to be. After five years I left the children in order to be among adults who were also able to be present, at a different center called Center for Sacred Sciences.

2010 - I spent the last winter growing and writing, organizing and socializing. Meeting new people and finally experienced living in my completed cozy writing studio (shed) in the forest.

2013 - I eliminated all my shame by sharing my shameful events I'd had in my life with others who knew me, in an ongoing Non-violent communication group, (NVC) I'd been attending for a few years. I then began to love mySelf and others, unconditionally.

2018 - I discovered all my emotional fear of people had vanished, allowing me to completely surrender and be guided daily by the "Great Spirit/Energy" of the Cosmos.

2022 - I have been guided to serve others by sharing my wisdom, knowledge, strength and experience in some way. My focus is now on discovering what Spiritual needs other people might have and finding ways to support and/or guide them on their long journey Home.

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