• Name: Bland Proctor

• Age: 46

• City of residence: Victoria

• Current title: In-house counsel with the Estate of Thomas O'Connor

• First job: I was a ranch hand during the summer when I was 17.

• What it taught me: That job caused me to appreciate the hard work involved in ranching and to consider other paths. I realized the value of an education.

My First Job is a feature that highlights people's first - or wackiest - job and what they learned from the experience. Please limit responses to 100 words or less. Responses may be edited for style, content or length. A photo of the jobholder accompanies the feature.