They could be hidden in shoeboxes or at the back of a junk drawer. Each proudly showing a company or organization’s logo and text with your name boldly engraved. These mementos are name tags. Collected over time, the badges represent the little steps toward personal growth and the big firsts that change your future trajectory.
Do you have a badge from that part-time job at Blockbuster? Did you get a badge during the internship at an elementary school that confirmed you wanted to be a teacher? Perhaps you have a badge from working at the Honda dealership while putting yourself through graduate school. Every person has their own path in badges.
Explore some of the popular name tag milestones that shape our customer’s lives:
- First Job
It could have been making pizza, waiting tables, or answering phones. Everyone starts somewhere. This badge was made with your name on it. The little restaurant brand that sits on the edge of those plastic name tags represents the time you received your first paycheck.
- First Promotion
The small line of engraved text under your name takes on a whole new meaning with your first promotion. This part of your badge might have indicated that your role changed from “Customer Service Representative” to “Supervisor.” Maybe you became an assistant manager or finally moved to head chef. With each distinction comes more responsibilities and a sense of pride for moving up within your company.
- Photo ID for School Orientation
Many people step across the threshold to college life with a photo ID bearing their school’s name. You have completed high school. You searched for a school that met your geographic, academic, and financial needs. You filled out the applications and got accepted.
With the snapshot, printed ID and lanyard bearing your university’s colors, you were ready to start a whole new level of classes and stage of life. You might remember your college photo ID as your pass to everywhere you went. It was always with you in the library, that dorm room, and the dining hall.
- First Internship
Before entering your field as a full-time employee, you might have started as an intern. Whether it was paid or unpaid, it was your test run in the environment where you hoped to spend the rest of your career. Sometimes, it’s an affirming place where you decide that this is what you are truly passionate about. For others, it’s a way to find out a path you do not want to pursue any further. Either way it’s one stop in your journey.
- First Work Conference
When your company starts investing in your career development, it’s another time to celebrate. Progressing in your field is a big deal. As you head to the tradeshow, networking event, or work conference, you represent your company. You bring your expertise and business attire. With a magnetic badge protecting your professional clothing, you are ready to put your best foot forward.
- First Job as a State-Licensed Hairstylist
Everyone who has put in the long hours to complete cosmetology school, studied for the exams and received their license, knows the hard work it takes to break into this field. And once you got a job at a salon, you found yourself on shampoo duty and shadowing other stylists before getting your own chair. When you’re wearing that blingy badge that shows off your name, it’s game on. You’re ready to build that client list!
- First Day of Residency
There might be a photo ID or badge lingering in your stack of student loan paperwork. You might notice it each month when you go to pay off the debt that helped you get to where you are in your medical career. Becoming a physician has many critical phases and remembering the uncertainty and excitement of your first day as a hospital resident can help keep you motivated.
- First Political Campaign You Volunteered for
Whether you dream of running for office one day or are passionate about your local candidate, being an active participant in an upcoming election can be inspiring. It is always interesting to remember the issues at stake and reflect on elections that were won or lost. Whatever the outcome, you hold on to the fact that you defended what you believed in and tried to make a difference.
Over the years, many of us store up a legacy of old name tags. If you gather them together to consider where you’ve been and what you’ve done, you get to see a timeline of your life. IDs and name tags aren’t just for showing our name at work or school. IDs and name tags often become keepsakes, reminding us of how far we’ve come and motivate us to go farther.