Moving Up

By Emmy Cai

As Elery adapts to her new job at the publishing firm, she looks back on her previous job at the local bookstore. The skills she gained stacking books may be more useful than she thought.

“Oomph… nooo,” Elery groaned as she pushed her alarm again. Rolling over, she forced herself awake and got up. 7:45 a.m… Coffee… Like a zombie, the sole thought of caffeine rang in Elery’s mind. She couldn’t function without her morning brew. She fixed herself a cup, patted her dog, TJ, fixed him his bowl, and ran to make the 8:30 bus. Today was a special day, so while pocketing her phone, she gazed out the bus window: a yellow house, a row of tulips, and the funny-looking tree that got struck by lightning last year… This would be the last time she’d be taking this route for a while. 

Elery took a seat in the staff room in the bookstore. After collecting her papers from HR, she reflected on her time at this job. It was her first job out of college and now that she had graduated with her English degree, it was time to move on to bigger things—not to say that wasn’t scary. In two weeks, Elery would have her own cubicle, and just thinking about that made her shiver.

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As Elery turned off her alarm, she let the sun glow on her face for a moment. Today was the day she would start her new job at AP Publishing. On the way out the door, she gave herself a final look in the mirror. Big day! she squealed to herself.

As Elery entered the new office, she admired the modern feel of the office. It felt good to know she was beginning a new career, almost like it was marking a new era for her.

Walking alongside Rebecca, her new coworker, she was introduced to everyone in the office.

“And here’s your very own cubicle. If you need anything, you know where Annie is, she’ll help you out. And don’t be nervous to ask around. You’ll be set up in no time.”

“Thank you so much, I really appreciate it,” Elery said.

Annie, from the next cubicle, peeked her head out and smiled at the sound of her name.

After Rebecca left, Elery plopped down on the chair, soaking it all in. I can’t believe it. I work in a publishing firm. It was everything she had dreamed about. 

Annie knocked on the side of the cubicle, “Hey! Welcome to the team.”

“Thanks! I’m just setting up my desk,” Elery laughed nervously.

“Oh, yeah, no problem. I wanted to brief you on our newest project for your first editing assignment,” Annie stepped into the cubicle and handed Elery two books. “The author, Jordan Zao, has worked with us before and published these two works: Settling the Tides and Conquering the Prophecy. So, just read those two. They work more with Young Adult books, and I think you’re going to be a great fit for them, based on your portfolio.”

“You read my portfolio?”

“Of course! You’re, like, really good.”

Elery sat a little higher. She thinks I’m good. She thinks I’m a good fit for this author. She took a deep breath. Maybe she wasn’t so out of her element.

“Wow, you have no idea what that means to me,” Elery gushed.

“That’s so sweet. I put their contact info at the bottom there,” Annie pointed, “And I think you should reach out as soon as you can. They already know you’ll be looking over their work and they’re really excited. And, when you get the chance, can you file these into the general system? They’re kind of long overdue.”

“Oh, no problem,” Elery chirped.  

“Thank you!” And she disappeared into her cubicle again. 

It took Elery all day to skim the two books. She could see what Annie meant, her work and Jordan’s work overlapped in many aspects. She used to spend her days sorting books just like these, and she felt ready to pitch new ideas to improve Jordan’s newest piece. 4:58, the digital clock read. Elery began packing her bag but remembered to rip the bottom of the paper where Jordan’s email was printed.

At home, the day crashed down on her. It was a lot for the first day. Definitely a change from the bookstore. She remembered the paper in her bag and began drafting an email to Jordan:

Hello Jordan,

This is Elery from AP Publishing. I’m going to be shadowing as a junior editor and looking over your work. 

Can we set up a time for a Zoom call this week?

I’m so excited to work with you.

Thanks,

Elery Gonzales

She read the email five times over. She had sent out hundreds of emails before but this one just seemed different, more important. It was the first email for her big job.

Giving it one last look, Elery thought good enough and clicked the send button. In many ways, Elery was grateful for this job, but even more grateful for the job at the bookstore. It was there that she had learned how to collaborate and communicate, which she was sure she would have to do even more of now; she learned how to work with customers, but now she traded customers for clients, and she was most grateful for her organization skills that had been honed through the sorting of hundreds if not thousands of books. She would lean on all of these skills as she moved forward. 

Process

I was particularly inspired by many of the stories I heard in the Macmillan workshop. As the guest speakers shared their career journeys, one thing became increasingly clear: where you start is not where you finish. Over the past few years in high school, I was forced to ask myself the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The truth is, I have no clue. But listening to the stories of these successful women, I am reminded that this is okay. My dream career may not come to me right away, but it is the skills I gain one the way that truly matter.