Thursday, 8/11

It's nice to know the “kids” have gone far in life.

Over the years I've probably hired 40 young people to work part-time shifts at the station. Most of them have been NMU or high school students, who wanted a little money and a little experience as they were working their way toward whatever it was they were about to become.

And now I know some of them have been quite successful.

This week, I've had to fill out forms for two of my ex-part time employees, to verify they worked here and to answer a few other questions about how they were then they worked here. That in and of itself isn't unusual; it's the organizations asking for the information that were.

You see, I had to fill out forms for the California State Bar Association and for the Georgia Medical Association. Apparently, one of my ex-part timers is now a lawyer and another is now a doctor.

I guess I chose wisely when hiring way back when, huh?

8-)

It's funny—usually, when I have to hire someone, I usually don't hire them based on the fact that they want to work in radio. I hire them because they're smart, unflappable, and willing to learn and adjust on the job. I've actually bypassed a few prospective employees with an interest in broadcasting because they didn't seem to fill one (or more) of those attributes. Instead, I went for people who I could easily train and who seemed like they would work out just fine.

And the two for whom I filled out forms this week—the lawyer and the doctor—were among those.

I've lost track of most of the part-timers I've hired over the years, although I do know that some have gone on to work in broadcasting, while at least two have become teachers. And while I know their time here was just a temporary way station on the route to their “real” jobs, I hope they look back on their time here fondly.

And now, when they argue in front of a judge or perform surgery on someone, I also hope that a little bit of what they picked up here helps guide them into doing the best job they can.

(jim@wmqt.com), proud ex-boss of all of them.