Do you remember your first job? Not the one cutting lawns babysitting or delivering newspapers. I mean the first job with a boss, co-workers and a paycheck. It’s an almost indescribable feeling to get that first paycheck.
I’ll never forget my first job, my first boss and what I learned. I’ll never how hard that job was.
Recently I was lucky enough to see my oldest son start his first job and receive his first paycheck. The look on his face when he got in my car and showed me that check was extraordinary.
I felt so proud and so lucky that I was able to witness his happiness and his satisfaction.
As the school year ended and the summer of 2016 began, Bryan was eager to get a job. Initially he was going to work at a local restaurant. The establishment was owned by a friend; the mother of one of his schoolmates. She was happy to give him his first opportunity to make some money and enter the workforce. Unfortunately it did not work out because Bryan decided to play football this year and the summer practice schedule would not work with this job. He decided to decline the position to pursue football. I’ll always be grateful for her offer to hire him.
Bryan has played AAU basketball for several years. His coach Gary Jolly is my friend; he is a partner in a busy local landscape business. Gary is an outstanding parent, coach and as it turns out, first boss. I called him on a Wednesday and asked him if he needed any additional help this summer. He told Bryan to be there Friday morning at 7:45 a.m. to start.
Bryan and I spent the next day shopping for a pair of work boots. I tried to give him some advice and encouragement. It turns out I really did not need to give either.
He went to work that Friday and by all accounts performed admirably the entire summer. He worked three or four days a week the entire summer. He got off at 4:30 or 5 and then went to football practice. He did not miss a single day of work or practice and picked up extra days when they need him.
The service employes at least 15-20 employees and he was the only high school student. All the others were college age or family men. The reports I got from Gary were that all the guys liked working with Bryan.
“He shows up, does a great job and is great to be around.”
What a great thing for a father to hear from another parent.
You spend countless days trying to teach your children about responsibility, and self-respect. You want more than anything to instill a work ethic in them that will carry them through life and help them to be successful. It’s so hard to know if you are doing the right things to send those messages and plant those seeds. Then one day you get lucky, and you get to hear that glowing report my buddy delivered.
The dignity of real work
Now if the story ended here it is still a great story. But there is more to this. You see, I wanted Bryan to be successful in his first job, and I wanted him to enjoy his summer. I got so much more!
I can remember classmates and friends in my past bragging about a job their dad or uncle or friend got them. The highlight of the job was “very little work and great pay. Two hour lunches and nobody is watching over us. I’m getting paid to do nothing.”
I think you’re getting my drift. This is not the kind of job I want nor do I want it for my son.
I was lucky enough to have a friend who took Bryan under his wing and gave him a job to be proud of.
Whenever I picked Bryan up from work I wanted to know about his day. Frequently he would say “it was a hard day, but it was good.” He would tell me how the job went and how great it was to see a finished paver brick patio or garden fountain completed. What I heard in his voice was pride in accomplishing a job; of earning a paycheck and doing a job you can be proud of. He worked side by side with adults and earned their respect.
One day in particular he came home and told me he had been left alone all morning on a job site because they were shorthanded. They had him dig out a large area that would become a patio later that day. He was so proud that they trusted him to get the job done on his own; and he did.
Getting to see Bryan’s face when he got that first check was awesome, but hearing the pride in his voice when he spoke of how he earned that check was so much better.
I am sure that one of the reasons Gary has a successful business is he knows how to treat an employee. He works his guys hard, but pays them a respectable wage for the work.
Most people are not looking for a handout. They want to work and be respected. This is what I wanted for my son. This is far better than asking someone to coddle your son or daughter and give them a no-show job. Gary gave Bryan self-respect and helped him develop a work ethic that will hopefully follow him his entire life.
Michael Duffy is a nurse who now works as an after-hours Hospice nurse. He and his wife, also a nurse, adopted their two sons in 2006 from Guatemala, the “best thing that ever happened to us.”