Defining Moments

Thought For The Day

Albuquerque, NM

In the early months of 1967 I was working for Colgate Palmolive Co in the East Bay Area of California, Oakland in a general description and living in Walnut Creek. I had moved there about a year before because of the generosity of my "Uncle Chuck and Aunt Lorna" who provided lodging until I got on my feet. I secured employment in about two weeks and moved into my own apartment. I was twenty three, knew everything and had demonstrated it to anyone watching. I had no clear map for my future but rather took things as they came along. My first year with Colgate was successful and I showed promise to my managers enough so that my District Manager invited me for dinner to his house in typical California Style. After a pleasant dinner he invited me away from the rest of the family and we found a private place to sit and talk. Among other topics he broached my lack of a college degree. The gist of his comments amounted to this: When you get promoted and move into the next stage of your career, Product Manager in New York, you'll be judged with and compared to employees with a college degree. When you are compared you will not come out well. Given an equal evaluation in other areas, you will lose out to anyone with a degree.

Here's what he suggested. Based on our conversation he felt I could graduate in two years. He was prepared to offer me a leave of absence with a promise to rehire and place me back in the same job after graduation.

I thought long and hard about that offer and finally accepted the handwriting on the wall and made arrangements to go back to school for my degree. Everything that needed to happen did and in two years and a few months I graduated from the University of New Mexico.

Turned out I did not go back to Colgate. The offer was for a position in Oklahoma City. That did not fit my set of plans and so I took another direction. But I got to keep the degree anyway. And, I get to keep that no matter what else happens in my life.

Herb Ratliff, March 15, 2012, All rights Reserved.