The Things Kids Say...(a story about graduation)

The other day, I was sitting in my car with my boy and he asked me what I thought was a very good question. He said, "Daddy, what do you want to be when you graduate from your job?" At first, I felt like correcting him, but I stopped myself. His question reminded me of a lesson I learned a few years ago.

I come from a low income blue collar family that honored the virtue of hard work. It was engrained in my thinking from early on that hard work and sacrifice would eventually lead to rewards. While I came to realize those virtues weren't wrong, I also eventually came to the conclusion that they weren't necessarily right neither.

I was one who has always worked multiple jobs. I once worked three jobs at the same time and worked from September to April without a single day off. I was rewarded by the fact that I was able to save up enough money to secure a loan for a house at a pretty young age. In addition to working multiple jobs, I was also very loyal. I wouldn't leave a place and instead settled in hoping to eventually get raised up in my salary.

Time went on, and before I knew it, I had been working at the same job with roughly the same salary for 11 years. It was then that I realized I would have to make a change. At first, I was a little jaded. I had done what I was taught; I worked hard, I was loyal, I was dependable. Where was my reward? I shook it off and began my search. It would be some time before I came to realize that reward. As I began interviewing, I soon learned that I had attained a lot of the skill sets that businesses wanted. Working 11 years at a small company meant that I head been involved in almost every aspect of the business. Sales, marketing, inventory, customer relations, technician, negotiations, logistics, I head been involved in all of it. That, was my reward; That education and experience.

Now, having that reward wasn't going to lead me to success by itself. I had to make it work for me. I had to know how to market that experience, but most importantly, I had too ask for a better position (and salary). That is the part my parents didn't tell me. The reward isn't given to you, but made attainable. It's up to you to go out and take it.

So I guess in a way, I did graduate from that job. And I look to eventually graduate from my current employer as well. As for what I want to be when I do graduate this one? Well... I'm still figuring that out, but I do know that any reward I am gaining from this experience will have to be taken.

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