For more than 30 years, the federal government has been trying to figure out ways to get people to work. It spends billions of taxpayer dollars each year on job-training and placement programs with questionable results.
For the past six years I have written a series of articles for Reader's Digest titled "My First Job," in which successful people discuss the value of their early work experiences. Their jobs were not part of government-sponsored training or placement programs; they were simply low-level jobs earned through diligent effort. And what they learned in these jobs goes a long way toward dispelling several liberal myths about the workplace in general and entry-level jobs in particular.
Myth #1: Low-paying jobs are a dead-end.
Roberto Suarez fled Cuba after Castro came to power and arrived in Miami with just $5 in his pocket and a small duffel bag of clothes. He doggedly pursued every job lead. When he heard about openings at "the Herald," he had no idea what it was, but he went there anyway and stood in line for hours, hoping to be called for temporary work. Eventually he was picked for a 10-hour night shift bundling newspapers. Leaving work at 5 a.m., he was told to come back in five hours if he wanted to work again. He returned every day; after three months he was given a regular five-day shift. Suarez went on to become president of the Miami Herald Publishing Co.
Vital lessons form the lowliest of low paying work.
Nothing makes Herman Cain, the CEO of Godfather's Pizza, quite so angry as youngsters who refuse jobs or complain about them because they do not pay enough or because they consider the work beneath them. Cain held a number of early jobs including mowing lawns, washing dishes, and handling a jackhammer on a construction crew. He expresses a view shared by all those interviewed: "In every job I've held, I have learned something that helped me in my next job. If you look hard enough, you can learn from any job you do."
All their jobs were low-paying, but they were also among the most valuable and enriching experiences of their lives. These jobs were their introduction to the real world. They were exposed, often for the first time, to some of the basic requirements necessary to succeed, such as arriving on time, working with others, being polite, and dressing presentably. Their first jobs also helped them develop a strong work ethic and character.
The lessons that New Jersey developer and trucking magnate Arthur E. Imperatore learned while working in a candy store at age 10 made such an impression on him that he can recall them today-more than 60 years later. One day while sweeping the store, he found 15 cents under a table and gave it to the owner. Imperatore was shocked when the owner admitted placing the coins there to see if he could be trusted. Imperatore went on to work for him for several years and learned a lasting lesson: "I've never forgotten that honesty is what kept me in that job."
Oklahoma congressman J.C. Watts was a dishwasher in a diner when he discovered that his hard work and professionalism were not going unnoticed. A local clothing store extended him a line of credit because the owner had heard he was diligent and trustworthy. Watts was just 12.
When Norman Augustine, the CEO of Lockheed-Martin Corp., worked on a roofing crew as a young man, he was responsible for spreading tar out of barrels. He learned to appreciate his work according to his own private standard of value: "Since it took two hours to spread a barrel and I earned $1.69 an hour, that came out to about $3.38 a barrel. A ball game was a half-barrel event, a date was a two-barrel affair, and the prom was a six-barrel night."
Myth #2: Low-paying jobs destroy confidence.
Author and former presidential speechwriter Peggy Noonan said the first time she felt truly self-assured was when she worked as a 14-year-old summer-camp counselor. Says Noonan, "That first job showed me I could be responsible and more than the class clown."
Jeane Kirkpatrick, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, worked as a small-town newspaper reporter in Mount Vernon, Illinois, when she was 15. She says the job taught her "to be on time and meet deadlines. In return, I was treated with respect. It gave me an overwhelming sense of pride and taught me the fundamentals of professionalism."
Gordon M. Bethune, the chairman and CEO of Continental Airlines, worked for his father's small crop-dusting business in Mississippi when he was 15. Bethune was responsible for loading chemicals onto planes and helping guide them in for landings. He always knew that without his help, the business would not have been able to function effectively. Bethune and the others interviewed agreed that the confidence gained from these first jobs made it possible for them to master jobs of greater responsibility later on.
Other first jobs were equally unglamorous: Actress Patricia Richardson, star of the ABC sit-com Home Improvement, scrubbed bathroom floors and toilets in a hotel. Telecommunications executive John J. Sie worked on the assembly line of a stapler factory. Ivan Seidenberg, the chairman and CEO of NYNEX, was a janitor.
Herman Cain expresses a sentiment shared by most of those interviewed: "My job was not glamorous or high-paying, but that didn't matter. It taught me that any job is a good job and that whatever I was paid was more than I had before."
Myth #3: Entry-level employees need the guidance only job-training programs can give.
A parent's advice, encouragement, and love help a child develop the confidence necessary to tackle a first job much more effectively than any government program.
Jack Faris, the president and CEO of the National Federation of Independent Business, recalls his parents teaching him when he was 13 to budget his earnings from his first job as a gas-station attendant. Ten percent of whatever he earned went into a mason jar that he took to church every Sunday. Twenty percent was set aside for room and board (but his parents actually saved it for his college education). Another 20 percent went toward his own savings, and he was free to spend the remaining 50 percent on whatever he pleased.
Elaine L. Chao, a former president of the United Way of America, remembers her father working three jobs and still making time to help her with homework in the evenings. When she took her first job, as a library assistant, she remembered the wise advice that motivated her to succeed. He once told her, "You have a responsibility to develop your God-given talents. America is a wonderful country where if you work hard, anything is possible."
Today show host Katie Couric worked as a counselor at a camp for blind children because her parents wanted her to learn the importance of helping those less fortunate.
Lt. General William G. Pagonis (Ret.), who directed the movement and supply of the allied troops during the Persian Gulf War, was six years old when he started shining shoes in his father's diner. By age 10, he was clearing tables and working as a janitor. One of his proudest moments came when his father told him he was the best "mop guy" he'd ever had. Says Pagonis, who now handles logistics for Sears, Roebuck and Co., "My father made it clear I had to meet certain standards. I had to be punctual, hard-working, and polite to the customers."
J.C. Watts recalls that his father, who worked three jobs, told his son at an early age, "If you understand sacrifice and commitment, there are not many things in life you can't have."
Myth #4: Employers look for ways to exploit their low-paid workers.
Wendy's founder R. David Thomas worked in a diner and says he will never forget the owners, Greek immigrant brothers named Frank and George Regas. Says Thomas, "They taught me the importance of being polite and of praising people for a job well done. From them I learned that if you work hard and apply yourself, you succeed. It's really not that complicated."
Thomas applied many of the lessons from that first job to the successful restaurant chain he founded years later. After taking a chance on hiring Thomas, who was just a young boy, the owners exposed him to real-world experiences that affected the course of his life. Thomas considered the Regas brothers his role models. They never asked him or any other employee to do a job that they would not do themselves. This made a deep impression on Thomas and motivated him to adopt similar principles.
"If you look hard enough," says Herman Cain of Godfather’s Pizza, "You can learn from any job you do."
Those I interviewed said they still use the skills they learned in their first jobs and are forever grateful to the employers who hired them. Their employers made a point of watching and nurturing them while providing advice and personal guidance.
Country music star Shania Twain was 14 when she landed her first job at a McDonald's. The manager assigned her to work the cash register and provided encouragement when he noticed her strong work habits and polite manner. She was soon stationed at the drive-through window. Motivated by her manager's trust and encouragement, Twain strove to take on new responsibilities. She was eventually promoted to training new hires.
One of the best ways for young people to learn effective work habits is by watching employers practice them. This, combined with the practical experience of working, will enhance a young person's self-respect and teach important values. There is no more effective job-training program than experience and no better teacher than an employer who cares enough to help a young person develop a solid work ethic.
