HI I HAVE A STORY FOR ALL YOU PEOPLE THAT WORK OR HAVE WORKED AT THE REMOTE ENCODING CENTER. IN 1993 I TOOK A JOB WITH LOCKHEED MARTIN LOGISTICS IN NASHVILLE FOR KEY ENTRY OPERATOR. IT WAS THE FIRST JOB I TOOK COMING OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL. I STARTED KEYING THE MAIL FOR FT. LAUDERDALE. I WORKED 3RD SHIFT FOR 1YR THEN TRANSFERED TO DAYS. I CONTINUED TO WORK FULLTIME TILL 1996 WHEN THEY TOLD ME THE CONTRACTED JOB WOULD END AND THAT CURRENT EMPLOYEES WOULD HAVE OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE USPS. I WAS SO EXCITED, I WAS ACCEPTED FOR EMPLOYMENT AND MOVED TO THE ANTIOCH REMOTE ENCODING CENTER. I LIVED 50MILES FROM IT BUT DROVE TO WORK CHEERFULLY EVERYDAY, I LOVED MY JOB. I EVENTUALLY MOVED TO ANTIOCH. I TOOK THE BATTERY EXAM SEVERAL TIMES I JUST COULDN'T MAKE IT HAPPEN MY SCORE WAS TO LOW. I CONTINUED WORKING AS A TE HOW COULD I REFUSE IT PAID WELL AND I ACTUALLY LOVED THE WORK. BUT TO MY DARKEST DESPAIR THE NEWS CAME 1998 THIS REC SITE WILL CEASE OPERATIONS OFFICIALLY 1999. I BATTLED WITH WHERE DO I GO NOW? 6 YRS OF KEYING THE MAIL AND WORKING LONG HOURS GONE IN AN INSTANT WHAT DO I DO? I FRANTICALLY SEARCHED FOR DATA ENTRY OPERATOR WORK. NO COLLEGE AND KEYING MAIL IS ALL IVE KNOWN FOR 6YRS AND COULD NOT LAND A CAREER JOB. BUT I HAD A GREAT WORK RECORD WITH LONGETIVITY IT WAS BOUND TO LAND ME SOMETHING GOOD. TO ALL THOSE PEOPLE MY EXPERIENCE AFTER LEAVING THE AREC MY WORK RECORD HAS TURNED FOR THE WORST. I HAD TO TAKE LOWER PAYING WORK THAT WAS MORE STRESSFUL THAN I COULD EVER IMAGINED. I ALWAY HOPED THAT I COULD FIND SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THE AREC BUT ITS JUST NOT THERE. THE FEELINGS ARE NUMB AND I HAVE BEEN MENTALLY ILL FOR QUITE SOMETIME. CANT SEEM TO COMMIT TO ANY ONE COMPANY, TO GIVE THEM EVERYTHING SO THEY CAN CUT ME LOOSE LATER. I'VE WALKED OFF ALMOST 10 OTHER JOBS SINCE YEAH IT WAS GOOD WHILE IT LASTED. BUT NOW I DONT HAVE MUCH. I OFTEN THINK ABOUT WHAT IF I HAD GOTTEN CAREER BUT IT JUST DIDNT HAPPEN FOR ME. AND FOR THOSE ACTUALLY READING THIS AND YOU WORKED AT THE AREC FROM 1996-1998 LOVE TO HERE FROM YOU. THIS JOB WAS MY LIFE AT ONE TIME AND I STILL THINK OF IT OFTEN WOULD LOVE TO TALK WITH ANYONE ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE THERE.