Growing up mostly in Fort Lee, NJ, in the 1960's and 70's, my family was not one of means. My father's family owned a deli in nearby Cliffside Park until they sold the place and he became a Bergen County Sheriff's Officer. My mother also worked (rare in its day) as a secretary in Fort Lee High School. In fact, we ALL worked beginning at an early age.
I got my first real job with real working papers when I was 14. I worked as many as 12 hours a day making cotton candy at the famous Palisades Amusement Park. My father even worked there on the side as a security guard to earn some extra $.
Our parents didn't necessarily require us to contribute to the house fund but the more independent we were financially the less the burden they had in trying to provide everything for us. So, if we wanted something specifically for ourselves, our parents would encourage us to earn the money and purchase whatever it was we felt we needed. It certainly fostered in us a sense of personal responsibility, both fiscally and emotionally.
A good example of this occurred when I wanted to purchase a special pair of athletic shoes to use when I played football. They were about $50, considered very expensive at the time. But, I just had to have them. My parents thought that I was crazy but also added that if I earned the money, I could do just about anything I wanted to do with it. And, so I did. Making cotton candy I earned that and more, and bought those damned shoes!
I owe the fierce independence I now possess to that early lesson. In addition, it helped me to develop the strong work ethic that has driven me to this day.
Part of that ethos was to establish in me a working man's mentality. I wanted to know through experience what it was like to work hard - physically - and, the harder the better, especially for the summers when school was not in session.
So, every summer, instead of going to the beach, I went to work.
And, I looked for the hardest, most physical jobs I could find like construction or road work. I even considered being a longshoreman (if I could get it). I felt like since I spent 9 months in school exercising my brain, it was now time to challenge my body.
Certainly, there was an upside in thinking this way. I am not, and never have been afraid of hard work. And, I feel that has served me well during tough time because I know that I can do just about ANYTHING I need to do to survive.
However, there was definitely a downside, too.
Instead of just using my brawn, perhaps I should have used the time to continue exercising my brain. Many young people actually used their summers to expand their career opportunities by working within their chosen educational fields thereby gaining valuable experience and making the type of connections that would prove so useful in the future endeavors. I suppose the problem with me was not only did I want to do something different from what I was actually learning in school, I had no really defined career goal in mind. My father thought I should be a doctor or lawyer. But, that was HIS desire for me and not necessarily my own.
Did I weaken my future professional prospects by doing physical labor during my school summers? I can't help but think that in some ways it did. Kids that took the professional route certainly seemed to have achieved greater success in their chosen fields than I have. But, then again, success is a relative word. I've done alright for myself. I've made good money and traveled the world. And, I did it almost completely by myself. I paid for my own education and owe no man or institution money or servitude. And, I credit that working man's ethic for that accomplishment.
Hard word has indeed set me free . . .
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