My first job outside of babysitting for a few dollars and helping out with the little league snack shack was as a lifeguard. I took some classes at a community college and earned my Red Cross Lifeguard card and then a Water Safety Instructor card.
I was reminded of this when I read an article by one of my favorite economists, Walter Williams. He talks about minimum wage jobs and how important they are for the economy and for developing and teaching skills. During my time as a lifeguard, I needed to be responsible for a pool full of children swimming. I also learned how to plan a lesson and deliver it in a meaningful way when I was teaching swim lessons. Williams makes the point that a lot of people would not want to have a job at McDonalds, Wal-mart, or even as a lifeguard (believe me, it isn't as glamorous as Baywatch makes it seem. It's actually quite boring.), but the jobs help people develop. He then goes on to list a number of famous or successful people that got their start working at McDonalds.
What was your first job? Did you find that it provided you with a strong foundation for what you are doing now?
1 comment:
My first job was as a cook at a camp in Northern Michigan. We prepared 3 meals a day for over 100 people for the entire summer. It was hard work, and we had bad hours, but it was fun and I learned a lot about myself. It was my first time away from home for an extended period of time, and the independence was great!
I also became a lifeguard and enjoyed the responsibility that that job gave me. While it was boring at times, I still think it taught me discipline and organization and motivation.
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