Well, I first found out that I had a job at Sam’s Club at the end of August of last year. I’ve spent the last nine months clocking in and pulling a check from Wal-Mart Stores, Incorporated. It’s been a slight burden at times. There’s been parts of it that were really enjoyable. For the most part, it’s been a weight that I’ve carried around. There was always of the question of “Who is the father?” Of course, in my case, it was more like “Do you know who his father is?”
Today, I gave birth to a new freedom. I turned in my badge, I cleared out my desk, I gave out some hugs, I said some goodbyes, and I walked away. Sam’s Club is a legacy that I will never want. My father has worked there 23 years, and it seems like everyone in the company knows who he is. My sisters both work at Sam’s–as does my brother-in-law, some uncles, and a few cousins. To walk into work and to always know that you’re Mike’s son, Larry’s nephew, Kristina’s brother, or whoever else is a burden that I was unfit to carry. Sure, there were plenty that just know me for me, but there was always another manager or another big wig that would walk through the club and remind me that I will always be the youngest Miller there.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m proud to be Mike’s son and so on. My father has done more for this company than he will ever be credited, and it is certainly nothing of which I should be ashamed. Nonetheless, it’s hard to walk into a job that doesn’t excite you and for which you have no passion and to have everyone expect of you that you should aspire to be your father. It’s also hard to know that there are those that honestly believe that you’ve got your job because your “daddy” helped you out, even though you know you had to earn everything you had.
Tomorrow, I walk into the doors of a company that doesn’t know me from anyone else. Not one member of my family has ever worked for Apple. The only thing that got me my job was my experience, my degree, and recommendations from those who have seen my work. There’s no footsteps to follow, there’s no family history, and I like that. So, here’s to creating your own legacy.
