Day One

Day 1 of 6787 working days to date, by my rough calculation.did not start very well. I had completed my final exams in my four year course grandly titled 'Urban Estate Surveying' but had little confidence in passing as, frankly, I had lost my way and interest somewhat in the last crucial part of the degree. There was no particular reason for this. I think I had just grown up and could see and hope that there was perhaps more to my future than just work. In the third year of the course I had been out on a placement and this had been quite miserable as I was a bit isolated and struggled on a pittance of a wage, so much so that I did qualify for a rent rebate on my accommodation, a damp shared house down near the racecourse in Lincoln. The work was however interesting and I did learn a lot which stood me in good preparation for my later entry into my first real employment. On returning for my final year I no longer enjoyed the company of those on my course. My previous housemates had all found a house together. I ended up cycling with all my worldly possessions in panniers to Nottingham for the start of the final year and until I could find proper accommodation I slept on the floor and took temporary board and lodging with a family from the local cycling club. The academic year dragged through to Christmas. In the early part of 1985 I had a couple of job interviews through my course. The first in Leeds was with a large Corporate. Posh central offices,large brass plaque with multiple Directors, about 3 floors of busy offices. The interview went well and I was provisionally offered one of two graduate positions. The second interview was in my home city, Hull. A stark contrast from the Leeds organisation in that the firm was very traditional and entering their centenary year, housed in a Listed building right in the city centre and now whittled down to just 2 Partners who, I gathered hated each other. I was interviewed by the very senior Partner. We got on well and I was offered a job straight away subject to passing my degree. The Leeds job promised the most but the Hull position was convenient. The final choice was out of my control. The job offer in Leeds was withdrawn as they decided they only wanted one graduate and it was not me. The summer between finishing the course and getting my results was idyllic. I signed on the dole. There were no jobs on offer. I cycled just about every day and all day with my weekly total of distance covered usually exceeding 400 miles including some 8 hour efforts to to Scarborough, Helmsley, Thirsk, York and back. I was the fittest I would ever be and had some good racing results. My sun tan was the usual for a keen cyclist with part arms and legs bronzed and covered parts just bright white or pink. I resembled in my racing kit, a neapolitan ice-cream. The envelope I had hand written and provided to my course tutor for my results turned up on the doormat one bright sunny day. I held it for a few moments before opening making a mental note to check when it would be possible to take the final year again. I had scraped through with a lower second class degree. Relief was followed by some muted elation and a bit of disappointment that I had not made more of a go of the course. I had for the first time in my life intentionally done the minimum required for something. Some whistling and singing was heard on the subsequent cycle run. Things were now ramped up and serious. The lazy summer had to be prolonged and I held off ringing for a start date with the Hull firm for a couple more weeks. When I did finally make contact with the senior partner he thought I had left the country or died because of the lack of communication. In preparation for Day 1 of work I bought a blazer and light grey trousers from the factory shop of a large clothing manufacturer. The items were seconds which had been part of crew uniform for British Airways. This was evident from the part removed branded labels. I was the lightest and sleekest I had ever been following my almost professional cyclists existence for the previous 3 months. I was to drive myself to my first day at the office in the 1966 red Mini that I shared with my sisters. On the way down the by-pass, some 4 miles from the city centre it ran out of fuel and I had to walk some distance to buy petrol and a container. Consequently I was very late for my initiation meeting. I had missed the senior partner and just sat in the reception area, more like a living room, not sure what was to happen. I was shown to a large empty office and waited again. Some time later a small, slightly built man came in and sat down without noticing me and was quite startled upon looking up to see that he had company. He was the other Partner and had not been informed that 1) I had come to start a job and 2) That there was a job on offer anyway. That did not bode well. Perhaps I had been used as leverage between the two warring Partners. I persisted and some 6786 working days later I am still in the same line of work although for the past 21 years self employed. The centenary year of the firm was sadly just about its last as it got acquired and swallowed up in a larger brash practice as a means for the adversarial Partners to retire and escape each other. I was thrown straight in at the deep end of work with a good team of Surveyors and quickly developed my own style and procedures. The best thing to come out of working for Chas Charter and Co was meeting and marrying one of the girls from the rental department and we are on about day 8765 of that great adventure.