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| Beartown State Park, WV |
Estée Lauder: “I never dreamed about success, I worked for it.”
My first job when I was growing up, was helping out one of my dad’s friends at a flea market. His stall sold everyday items from batteries, detergents, soaps, toys, to things like hand towels, in the borough of Brooklyn. My brother and I had agreed to help him out in exchange for a 2 night/3 day trip to the city of Boston to do some deep sea tuna fishing.
The job itself was setting up the stall in the morning, selling items occasionally, and closing up the stall in the late afternoon. We worked 2 days over a weekend, and we didn’t mind the work, as we weren’t doing much at that age anyway. We were happy for the distraction and we were excited about that upcoming trip to Boston!
During the two days of working retail, I learned quite a few things. I learned the true value of money, how hard you have to work to make money, and how difficult it is to deal with people. Whereas before, money was something I always received from adults as gifts or allowances (parents/uncles/grandparents/etc.), after that weekend, I at least understood what it took to earn money.
I didn’t hate that job as it was only for two days. My brother and I constantly chatted between the sales killing time, and we got to eat some delicious take out food which was awesome. Looking back, the experience was a great life lesson.
I learned some valuable things about money and people in those two short days of working at that flea market. I also learned the idea of delayed gratification, as I had to work first before getting my reward (Boston trip).
The following year (12 years of age), I worked for 6 weeks at a grocery store/deli during the summer months to help my parents out. I got paid for working 6 days per week for owners who were very demanding.
Instead of teaching me how to do something, they assumed I should know how to do things already. The experience toughened me up. I learned there that to work without any specialized skill, is a terrible idea. By working in a field that I didn’t know much about, I got yelled at often for not doing the work well.
The big takeaway from that job was that I should NOT work at places like that permanently…
During my college years, I worked part time at a deli/grocery in Manhattan to pay for tuition and to earn my allowance. There were weeks where I worked 36 hours, then go to classes during days I didn’t work. It was tough going.
Work itself was similar to what I had experienced previously in that I was Jack of all trades. I worked as a cashier, a deli counter person, stock person, delivery boy, as well as a translator. I think the toughest thing I did everyday was dealing with people working as a cashier.
There was one particular lady who was not the happiest person I’ve met, who constantly questioned whether I was charging her the right amount for grocery items, especially fruits and vegetables. She would complain on just about every single transaction. It got to a point where I had to tell her to stop shopping at the store, if she didn’t trust us.
Needless to say, our relationship didn’t get better afterwards. She still came to shop at the store, and I basically ignored her snipes, comments, and questions. After doing that work for close to 3 years, I was glad and relieved the owners let me go due to declining revenue.
They had to save money on wages, so I was let go. I was actually happy the day I was let go, as I didn’t have to deal with that lady.
That three year experience taught me this important lesson: I knew that I never wanted to work at similar places going forth. I didn’t want to work as a cashier, nor as a deli person. I was fed up with delis and groceries, but most of all, I was fed up with dealing with entitled, rude, unhappy people every day…
I knew I had to work at a different field, learn a specialized skill, so I can work smart and earn more money.
The many life lessons had taught me what I wanted to do vs what I didn’t want to do. This in turn would eventually take me on a journey to become financially independent. That specialized skill I had thought about starting in my teens, which was realized in my early thirties, ending up being Information Technology.
Thanks to this specialized skill, I was finally able to retire in August of 2020…
With that long and winding introduction out of the way, here are the reasons why I think everyone should work at a young age:
- It teaches you about the value of money
For most youngsters who are used to receiving money, the value of money is meaningless. A $20 in allowance received from adults eventually feels like a small sum eventually. After awhile, even a $100 doesn’t feel like a large sum.
For those youngsters who have rich friends (actually, friends whose parents are rich), then this becomes a case of “Keeping up with the Joneses.” You never appreciate what you have, and you always compare to what your richer friends receive in allowance from their parents. This in turn makes their allowance seem like nothing in comparison…
Human nature dictates that we always want more and more. Peer pressure, especially for teens and young adults, is suffocating. What your friends have or receive, you want it as well. This wanting for more never stops as adults, unless you stop this nonsense.
The best way to stop this nonsense is to learn the true value of money by EARNING money yourself, preferably at a young age. By realizing how hard it is to earn money, will you finally understand how hard your parents have to work to give you that allowance.
Money is earned with blood, tears, patience, and perseverance. Everyone will eventually learn this to be true. Whoever picks up a paycheck understands how hard work is, and how incredibly stressful work is…It’s only by learning this fact early on that you will become a better person financially and emotionally.
- It teaches you about people
Most people I know who worked at retail/hospitality/sales industry, all understand how difficult people are. People are demanding and it only gets worse the more expensive the item you’re selling gets.
When I sold Toyotas and Pontiacs in my early twenties, I once sold a Pontiac Grand Am for a $50 commission. It was also a sale that involved 2 other salespeople, so that meant that incredibly huge commission(!?!) of $50 would be split three ways!
To make matters even worse, the family that purchased this car was incredibly demanding at every turn of the sales process. Long story short, the deal fell through when they incorrectly assumed they would get both the low finance rate AND the manufacturer’s rebate. In most cases back then, it was one or the other, but not both…
I was exhausted to say the least. Here I was, trying to make a honest living, but failing miserably thanks to that family or others like them. For all the work that goes into selling cars, earning money was made doubly hard when dealing with difficult people.
At times, I wondered if earning $17 commission on a car was worth my 2-3 hours expended trying to make a sale. It obviously wasn’t. Not after putting up with these difficult people. Frankly, I thought working at McDonald’s would at least pay me no matter what. At least I didn’t have to close a sale to get paid something…
When I thought it through, had that sale completed, I would’ve made less than $6 per hour on a $17 commission!!!
After working 9 months at the Toyota/Pontiac dealership, I jumped ship to a luxury car brand, Acura. I managed to double my income the following year thanks to that jump. I was also able to buy my first real estate thanks to that job.
At that luxury dealership, I ran into more demanding people, BUT I also made acquaintance with many honest, down to earth, easy going, and helpful people. Dealing with nice people made me realize there are still good people out there! It honestly restored my faith in humanity!
It was because of people like my supervisor at the Acura dealership, Mike, who gave me a chance even though I had only worked 9 months in the industry, that I made it through all those years at the Acura dealership. It was also people like my supervisors at my last job Brian, Kelly, and Tom, who also took a chance on me and helped me land that job, that I’m here doing what I’m doing today.
I couldn’t possibly have made it this far without the help of these and many others, in my journey to financial independence. For that, I really am thankful and grateful.
The moral of the story here is this: people are really difficult, but what keeps you going is the good people you run into. Just when you think people are hopeless and heartless, comes someone who is interested in helping you and looking out for you. It got me through the tough times, and it’ll get YOU through the tough times as well!
- It teaches you about what you should do to make a living and what you shouldn’t do to make a living…
Working all those years in retail/grocery/deli made me realize that I didn’t want to work in that industry forever. It was no way to earn a living, dealing with angry customers, making close to minimum wage, and getting belittled by entitled people.
I knew and realized that I needed to learn a skill that pays much better. I knew I wanted to deal with nicer people. I also wanted to find a job that provided good benefits, like medical insurance, and retirement plans.
I wanted what most people want, that is, a better future for them and their family…
That self awareness of where I was in life and where I should be going to accomplish that goal of a better future, would not have been possible without going through those difficult jobs as a cashier, deli person, and a car salesperson.
Where I should be going became crystal clear after five years of selling Acuras. I quit that career to study computers, which would allow me to retire early and be financially independent.
You should figure this out yourself as early as you can. Figure this out by gaining work experience, then ask yourself what you want to do vs what you don’t want to do. You’ll also have your own eureka moment that points you in the right path towards a better future.
In conclusion:
Looking back, I’m glad I got to experience what I experienced at such a young age. It made me realize early on the true value of money, as well as what I wanted to do (and what I didn’t want to do).
The many life lessons I learned while working at a young age, would make me the person I am today. It helped to create my value system which has carried me through my working years and the now.
There is something very enlightening and useful about going to work, earning money, and dealing with different people. It is one of the most important things you can do at an early age, which will then carry over into your adult life.
Always learn from your experience, try to improve your life, and work towards a better future!
Thank you all for reading!
Jake
Wandering Money Pig
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