Exploring My Career Journey: From the Start to the Top
Throughout my career, I've had the opportunity to experience a wide range of job roles, from mowing lawns and setting up lemonade stands to managing teams at popular franchises and finally, becoming a lawyer. In this article, I will delve into my early employment experiences, focusing particularly on my lowest pay moments and how those experiences shaped my career path.
My First Job: Lawn Care Work
One of my earliest and most formative jobs was taking care of lawns and pools in a complex, where I earned just 75 cents an hour. At the time, this equated to 30 dollars a week, which was a significant income for a 14-year-old in 1964. Over the next two years, as I grew older, my salary increased to 1.25 dollars an hour. These early experiences taught me the value of hard work and laid the foundation for my future career endeavors.
Radio Station Internship and Lower Salaries
My first job at a radio station as a teenager brought my hourly rate back to 1.25 dollars. While this might seem like a steep drop from my previous job, it was still a respectable wage for a summer position. Interestingly, when I entered the legal profession and started volunteering through pro bono work, I earned even less - often nothing at all.
Subway Sandwich Artistry: A Career in the Making
One of the significant jobs I held was at Subway, where I started as a part-time employee at the minimum wage in my freshman year of high school. To be precise, my hourly rate was around 5 dollars. Although this was a low starting point, my career trajectory at Subway was much more robust than many first jobs. After receiving my first employee evaluation a few months in, I received a small salary increase, and this continued over time as I moved up the ranks.
As I advanced to become a shift manager and assistant manager by the age of 19, my hourly rate had reached 14.80 dollars. This was a significant increase from where I started, largely due to the additional responsibilities that came with the role. These experiences in the fast-food industry were instrumental in developing my leadership skills and organizational abilities. Even though I had to wait several years before I could eat Subway again as a customer out of fondness, the early years were part of a formative time.
High School Jobs: Summer Earnings
During my high school years, I held various jobs. For instance, I would sweep an old couple's porch for 50 cents each Saturday morning. In another job, between the ages of 10 to 13, I mowed the church yard for the money to attend scouting camp on Maui for a week each year. Since Hawaii has no harsh winters, mowing the church yard meant 52 weeks of work involving a push mower and a mop to clean the church. These experiences instilled in me a strong work ethic that would serve me well in my professional career.
Working for a Major Grocery Chain
Back in 1973, I had the opportunity to work as a cashier for one of the largest grocery stores in Canada. At that time, this was considered a well-paying job, and my hourly rate was 1.35 CAD. The high salary and reputable nature of the job provided a good base to build my career in retail and customer service.
Summing Up
Looking back, these early career experiences in low-paying jobs have undoubtedly influenced my perspective on career growth and the value of every role along the way. From the earliest push mower and porch sweeping jobs to the high-stakes legal profession, each experience contributed to my professional development, teaching me the importance of persistence and hard work.
Conclusion
My journey from a low-wage lawn care assistant to a legal counsel has been marked by a range of career opportunities and challenges. These experiences, despite the low pay in some of my initial jobs, laid the groundwork for my future career success and helped me develop essential skills that I continue to use today.