Growing up with two Elementary School teachers as parents, I didn’t have much first hand experience with office jobs, until shows like “The Office” became popular.Then, much of the discourse surrounding these types of jobs was in a negative way, such as “I don’t want to be stuck behind a desk/ in a cubicle my whole life” or “Working a typical 9-5 is not for me”. 

As I got older and started to learn more about myself and what environment I focus best in, the idea of working a 9-5 job sounded more and more appealing. I knew I wanted something where I could leave my house, go to work, come home, and do things that I wanted to do.  So much of my academic career involved going to class as well as spending long hours outside doing homework or other preparations for my course. To me, the ideal job would be without any “work creep”, or doing something job related outside of the 9-5 hours. 

When I first received word that I would be starting work at the Detroit Land Bank Authority, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would I be sitting in my cubicle all day making spreadsheets? Would I be asked to visit properties around the city? Turns out, both were kind of correct, and I love doing them both. As a project liaison, much of my day revolves around communicating with individuals who are either about to purchase property from our team or have closed and are currently working on completing their project. For the most part, this correspondence occurs via email or phone, however when we are doing the closing itself I meet with the purchaser in person. By and large, these things are all done from the comfort of my own cubicle, or at least within the office. About four times a year however, we as the Projects Team go into the field and visit some of the community partners that we worked with to see their plan in action. My first visit was shortly after I started, and it was amazing to see how the community has embraced and benefited from so much of the work we do. 

Although making excel spreadsheets gives me great joy, I know that my love for my office job would not be the same without the support and friendship of my coworkers. I can honestly say that the Projects Team is the best team at the Land Bank (Not that I am completely biased or anything 😉 ) What I love most about my team is the culture of support encouraged by each member. For example, when one of us is out of the office the rest of the team helps out to keep the ship running smoothly. Beyond that, celebrating events such as birthdays is done in a thoughtful and loving manner, each observance done in a way that would best please the person receiving it.