The 8-hour day.

We have all had jobs we really despise. If you have not, consider yourself lucky. I am not talking about jobs such as babysitting your brother or sister, or working on the lawn for the luxury of having a room at your home, I am referring to the jobs that you knew, when you took them, were never going to be the ones you stayed at too long.

My first job, and this is fitting I guess, was a bagel baker. At age 15 you look for ways to make your first few dollars because these are the ones that allow you the freedom to buy things there’s little or no way you could afford on your allowance. It’s funny because as a bagel maker I would wake up on Saturday morning at 5:15 AM and head to work. That meant every Friday I would have to come home early because I had to go to work the next morning---sure enough, because I got up at that ridiculous hour, I was tired on Saturday night. So goes the rationale for my first job.

But I stuck with it---I mean it did pay $1.65 an hour, more than I had made as a baby sitter or lawn cutter. My first purchase…a pair of Bauer Supreme hockey skates for $150.00. That may not seem like a lot, but this was 1973. In today’s dollars that would be well over $500.

More jobs came and went; from selling Christmas ornaments and women’s shoes at a local retailer---my Mom helped me get the job as she was one of the star sellers of women’s hosiery at the store. The best part of working there---I met a lot of girls. I mean when you are selling women’s shoes the people shopping tend to be women; I was horrible at selling, I was very good at schmoozing.

During college I worked at a women’s wear manufacturing plant where my Dad was an executive. I worked in a much different area then he did---I was on the loading and shipping dock, he was in the executive offices. He did a great job, I was there for the money and it showed.

As I made it out of college, after stints as a camp counselor, advertising sales person for the campus newspaper and other jobs, I knew what I wanted to do and what I didn’t want to do. First and foremost, I didn’t want to have a boring job. When I hear people describe their jobs----accountant, tax attorney, and other occupations I would never have the desire to do---I realize that learning early in life what you do is the best education you can have.

The photo above was taken at the Art Museum in Chicago; it’s very apparent that this guard is elsewhere in his thoughts as he appears to be “holding up the wall” after a very long day. I am sure he is either on an island, at a ballgame, or doing something other than his role as a security guard protecting priceless works of art. For those who love the arts, this would be a dream job---for him, he appears to be dreaming how to leave it as soon as he can.

Thanks for stopping by.