---
title: Started work at SJI
date: 1993-08-15
week: 1014
geo: [38.63066,-90.236414]
type: work
---

Although the SBC assignment was great, temp work was too sporadic. So I found steady work that could accommodate my class schedule. This was with promotions fulfillment company SJI in Mill Creek valley right next to campus.

Later when we moved back to the city, I would ride my bike to class, then walk it down some old access stairs from the Grand overpass to an office within their warehouse.

There, I would count coupons for hours. We unpacked submitted coupons from retailers, counted a sample set and used scales to then validate the self-reported totals. Using green-screen VT100 terminals, of course. Our performance was graded by speed, but it was easy to converse while working.

Every one of my coworkers was a black woman, most in their 30s.[^mgmt] They were incredibly accepting of me, and the experience of working alongside them significantly influenced my adult worldview.

[^mgmt]: Management, of course, was all white and mostly men.
