Numbers 1

"I heard people are being let go," I whispered to Immediate Boss as I approached him. He got his Visine, put a few drops onto his right eye, and was about to reply when Big Boss arrived in our area.

"Ternie, could I have a word with.."

I interrupted him even before he could finish.

"I heard people are being asked to resign because of their very bad metrics. Is it true?"

"Yes, it's true." He paused as he gathered his thoughts to reply.  "You know how it is. Clients expect our account to deliver, and so far it's not.  At the end of the day, it's all about the numbers."

"But these are people we're dealing with, not just spreadsheets!" I heatedly replied in a hushed voice. "I feel dejected about the whole business of firing them at this point. If communication skills is the issue, why were they even allowed to pass the trainings that we had?"

-----

Barely two months into my first job, I snagged a possibility for vertical movement. An internal memo came out stating that the department was open for training apprentices. Needless to say, I immediately informed Boss Lady and Immediate Boss that I was very much interested.  It was a bold move on my part considering I was a neophyte in the industry.  All I had to back me up was good numbers, a sense of direction, and a whole lot of guts and determination.

The gamble paid off.  I asked, and I received.

I got into the apprenticeship program.

Numbers 2