Intelligence Is A Secondary Concern

(School is about to begin, so I’ve already given my notice for a summer job. I only have about a week left of working there.)

Boss: “Hey, I’ve been going over your paperwork here, and you have to actually do it right. You can’t just scribble something down with made-up words.”

Me: “What are you talking about? I’m doing my best here.”

Boss: “You’re making up words! What the F*** is ‘tet-ra-chee’ supposed to mean?”

(I take the paperwork and see where he’s pointing.)

Me: “That’s ‘tertiary’. It means third, as in ‘Build a tertiary display’.”

Boss: “You just made that up. You have to do this all over again.”

(He then tears up my paperwork and throws it away. I fill it out again, making sure to use simple words. Later on, he calls me into his office.)

Boss: “I’m sorry. I looked it up, and tertiary is a real word. But you still have to use words that I can understand when you fill those things out.”

Me: “So, what grade level should I aim for… third or fourth?”

(I hand him the paperwork that I filled out again, but this time with my apron and my name badge and left the job for good.)