Sometimes a person’s career path can be a simple and straight path forward. Other times, the road winds back and forth before a person finds out where they feel they are meant to be. During Correctional Officer and Teammate Appreciation Month, many teammates take a moment to remember their own paths that led them to work in corrections. For Tecumseh State Correctional Institution (TSCI) Accounting Clerk Annie Othmer, she was ready for a dependable job. “Honestly, I never thought I would work here. But raising a two-year-old on a $9 per hour job was not cutting it. I started looking for something with better benefits and kept on coming back to the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) opportunities. I was recruited and asked to apply to work in the office. That is what helped me commit. I just love our TSCI family.”

Six years after accepting the job, Othmer is proud of her growth and contributions at TSCI and NDCS. “I feel like I have become well-rounded and get to help out a lot of different areas of the office. I am proud of the decision I made to come work here. It was very good for me. I have time for my family and I enjoy my line of work.”

Othmer’s day-to-day routine varies. That is another thing she enjoys about her role at TSCI. She assists with inmate accounts, pay, helps with efficiency of the accounting department, tracks and logs different forms and also tracks savings account requests for the incarcerated population. “I will continue to grow at NDCS and I love TSCI. I love the fact that there are so many opportunities here. We have people come back to work here after leaving all the time. We all take care of each other.”