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50 Shades Of Blue

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9. My first "real" job was as a Fed. Govt. clerk-steno. 1974.

Wed Mar 6, 2019, 09:13 PM

Mar 2019

Not only did we have to make numerous carbon file copies of every letter and memo we typed - the letters and memos we typed weren't allowed to have any corrections in them. You could get to the bottom of a long letter you'd type perfectly and hit the wrong key in the last word - have to rip it out of the typewriter and start over.

My first government typewriter was an IBM Executive typewriter. I hated that thing with a red hot passion.

But if it weren't for all the clerical work that computers and automated voicemail and email and work from home have now replaced, I wouldn't have gotten promoted out of the secretarial field. I do have some fond memories of it. (Not so fond of having to take dictation! Does anybody still even teach Gregg shorthand?)

Thanks for the walk down memory lane!

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We had it tough in the office back then. [View all] trof Mar 2019 OP

Using punch cards to write programs. guillaumeb Mar 2019 #1

Oh yes! Useless in FL Mar 2019 #15

I use to be one of those keypunchers. Delmette2.0 Mar 2019 #28

Back Spacing GP6971 Mar 2019 #2

Writing on clay tablets SCantiGOP Mar 2019 #3

Wins the day! marked50 Mar 2019 #19

Back in the '70's sazemisery Mar 2019 #4

Putting footnotes at the bottom of a research paper page. badhair77 Mar 2019 #5

Doing double entry accounting by hand, with a pen htuttle Mar 2019 #6

That journal page prought a flashback to Accounting 101. trof Mar 2019 #26

I used one with a "one armed bandit" style handle. NurseJackie Mar 2019 #31

Communicating to overseas clients by Telex. . . DinahMoeHum Mar 2019 #7

Happy memories of that n/t Lulu KC Mar 2019 #25

I miss the smell of mimeographed papers. BigmanPigman Mar 2019 #8

what was that stuff anyway KT2000 Mar 2019 #11

I don't know what the solution/chemical was but when I became a teacher BigmanPigman Mar 2019 #14

I loved the smell of mimeograph in the morning! mountain grammy Mar 2019 #17

..... BigmanPigman Mar 2019 #18

Yes! It smelled like ... JustABozoOnThisBus Mar 2019 #23

My first "real" job was as a Fed. Govt. clerk-steno. 1974. 50 Shades Of Blue Mar 2019 #9

IBM Selectric KT2000 Mar 2019 #10

Loved the Selectric! AwakeAtLast Mar 2019 #21

MA thesis, PhD dissertation on 2 carbons. Admin went thru each page sorting 1st,2nd copy by-- bobbieinok Mar 2019 #12

Ohhhh... I remember those days. We prepared manual spreadsheet Useless in FL Mar 2019 #13

Was in school for those oldies, elleng Mar 2019 #16

Using an adding machine (big, black, clunky) with a handle lillypaddle Mar 2019 #20

Bright yellow punch tape, the slight oily feel, the "chads" kept in a metal box. philly_bob Mar 2019 #22

Ashtrays on desks. A beer and burger for lunch. JustABozoOnThisBus Mar 2019 #24

And the overhead trolleys nitpicker Mar 2019 #27

I've been enjoying reading about everyone 's memories! And I can relate to most. Ohiogal Mar 2019 #29

A while back I read an entire book about the development of photocopying. PoindexterOglethorpe Mar 2019 #30

They laughed at me at work one time a few years back bearfan454 Jul 2019 #32