Career Advice

August 28, 2005

My First Job: Dr. Ronald Inge, vice president and dental director

Dr. Ronald Inge

Current position: Vice president and dental director, Washington Dental Service, which serves about 2 million residents statewide.

First job: Working as a gardener while a teenager.

Pay: $5 an hour, enough to start a savings account.

How I got the job: My mom's boss mentioned that she needed someone to garden at her house and my mom essentially signed me up on the spot. It was a hiring process that I learned about after the fact, but it provided me a solid foundation that has lasted throughout my life.

What I learned: Responsibility. I had to show up on time and find my own way to get to the job, mostly riding my bike. I was responsible for completing the task in a timely manner. I also was committed to doing the best job that I could. (Editor's note: Inge went on to study and play football at Stanford. There he scored the game-winning touchdown to beat archrival Cal 27-24 in 1976 in what Stanford fans consider one of the greatest games in the longtime rivalry between the two schools.)

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