When our friends at Silver Bloggers @hive-106316 launched the challenge to talk about our first job, I stared at the screen for a long time. What do we mean by ‘first job’? Is it that first envelope of money we receive for a task, or is it the first contract signed with a stamp and letterhead? In my case, the answer is not a single date, but a journey that began amid the smell of old paper in a local library and ended in front of the blackboards of my country's most important university.

The Labyrinth of my First Job

My baptism into the world of work was ‘informal’ but deeply formative. It was called the Manguito Library. There, for a small allowance, I was in charge of organising shelves and keeping things tidy. However, my real payment was not money, but unlimited access to knowledge. Between books, I devoured subjects I didn't even know existed. The sacred silence of the library taught me the discipline that would later take me to the Central University of Venezuela.

Soon, that spark of knowledge turned into service. I began helping my neighbours' children with the subjects that kept them awake at night, including what they referred to as “the three Marys”: mathematics, physics and chemistry. What started as a favour became my livelihood throughout my university career. Visiting homes as a private tutor gave me a human perspective that no book on numerical analysis could ever give me.

At the age of 18, my vocation took a turn towards the social and spiritual. I joined the Maryknoll Missionaries, a job I did for eight years, five of which I also spent as a catechist. There I learned that work is also about dedication. It wasn't about numbers, but about people; it wasn't about getting, but about giving.

However, in terms of administrative formality, my official ‘debut’ occurred during the eighth semester of my degree programme. It was a moment of excitement and pride: I formally joined the teaching staff at Fe y Alegría. Almost simultaneously, I achieved what is a dream for many students at the UCV: to be appointed to the Chair of Mathematics for three years. Going from being the young man who sorted books at ‘El Manguito’ to being the professor who explained the complexity of calculus at the University City was a perfect cycle.

Today, looking back, I understand that there was no single ‘first job.’ There was a construction of identity. The library gave me curiosity, home tutoring gave me pedagogy, the missions gave me heart, and the university gave me professional rigour. All of them, informal and formal, are the foundations of the adult I am today. At the end of the day, work is not just what we do to live, but what we do to become who we are.

Hi! Everybody (friends), if you've made it this far, THANK YOU! You are welcome to participate; the link with all the information is below. But I also hope to read your comments in the reply box. Thank you for joining us in these waters of HIVE.