On August 18, 2000, I lost my job as a Quality Assurance Administrator over a smokeless environment dispute. I shared an office with the Head Nurse of Metropoiitan Hospital at Mount Zion in upper Manhattan. The medium size office had its own private latrine conveniently connected to the lavatory of the head official of the 19th floor who to saved the hospital time by conveniently taking a smoke break in her private office.
Since I spent most my time outside running errands, picking-up and delivering supplies, or taking surveys of the services provided by the medical facility, I rarely had time to sit in the office and work.
I used the public bathroom and rest area, and took my smoke break outside the building.
One day I was instructed to help the Head Official’s secretary of the 19th floor complete the Staff Minutes using a tape recorder and being forced to sit-in on medical conferences (the Head Nurse Manager stated I needed extra training which the facility was not authorized to provide because I worked as a Independent Contractor through a Leasing Agency called Computer Services, Inc on W127th Street and 7th Ave).
The minute I told the manager that I was attending college per self-interest, she immediately began to put on her 2nd and 3rd shift schedule, sometimes working from 8am to 9:30pm, having to catch a ride into Richmond Hill, NY for fear of the desolate late night street roamers.
The morning of August 18, 2000, I arrived at work at 7:45am, and as normal made my rounds and surveyed the hospital area and equipment usage. At approximately 9:45am, I was encountered by IT Specialist who was head of the communications department and told “Ms. Robinson, I have obtained an incident report on you that describes how often you ran in and out of the Lavatory to take smoke breaks in the hospital building. Please be advised that we no longer need your services.” I tried to explain to the IT Specialist that all my breaks I take outside of the hospital building, but she adamantly dismissed me and told me not to come back.
I left the hospital work area furious, confused, and highly upset heading directly to York College at the Jamaica Center to register full-time. My initial CUNY college registration that cost $20.00 changed my professional life forever, for it allowed me to fully focus on elevating my professional educational status in the job market as an uprising Professional Accountant with background experience in the Supply Management and Acquisition Channel.
After graduation from CUNY in 2008, I realized I had made the right decision in putting labor work to the side to focus on education elevation for for the first time since 1980, I had employers knocking at my door giving me the option to choose who to work for and how much prevailing salary and gross wages to ask for.
By August 18, 2008, I was in Graduate School earning $45,000 yearly salary and a Dual MBA in Professional Accounting and Finance. Believe me. Education is the key to a successful career goal. It helps us rise above injustice and prepares us for a higher standard of living.