No Job Is Beneath You

I have a feeling I'm going to sound old-fogey-ish with this, but I guess that happens as time goes by (although I don't ever remember feeling differently about this issue). See, when I was growing up, I wanted -- and really needed -- to work. I was responsible for my own car, my own car repairs, my own car insurance, my own bills, and any "fancy" clothes that I might want. So I worked. And I grew up with the understanding that, if you got a job, you worked it, no matter what kind of job it was. And if you couldn't find a job doing something you really wanted to do, you found a job doing something so that they would pay you every week.

So I've done everything: I picked apples. I pumped gas and learned how to change oil, tune-up cars, do brakes, and replace clutches, among other things. I worked retail in several different places -- and one lovely task involved unloading a tractor-trailer full of charcoal briquets at one particular drug store I worked at. I drove limos, worked in radio, worked as a statistician, and have (finally!) settled into a career in law. But even as a lawyer, when I moved from Ohio to New Jersey, and had to await bar results, I still had to eat and pay bills. So, I worked for a temp agency, and wound up on loading docks, on an assembly line, as a secretary, and as a records researcher -- all the while with a law degree in my back pocket. The point is I worked at whatever I had to work at because that's how you feed yourself and your family. Lounging around, waiting for the "right" opportunity, was never an option. That's not how I was raised, and that's not what you do.

But in the time we live now, too many Americans -- some young, and some old -- think that it is beneath them to work at a particular job, or in a particular field, or even to put in what they consider "long" hours. People rail against illegal immigrants taking American jobs, yet many of the jobs in question -- floor sweeper, demolition laborer on a construction site, house painter, maid, toilet cleaner at fast food joints -- are jobs that many Americans simply refuse to take. I have heard people say, "I won't take that position -- I'm better than that." Or, "I don't want to get up at 6:00 a.m. to get to work." Or, "It's too hot to work outside in the summer." Please.

People think that work is supposed to be a "fun" place. It's not. It's work. That's why they call it "work." If it was fun, they'd call it "play." Sure, some folks are fortunate enough to land in a field that they truly enjoy, but there's still crap to put up with even in a dream job. My dream job was when I was a dj -- I loved it, but not every minute of it. I worked holidays, including Christmas day. I had to get up at 4:00 a.m. to make the air by 6. But I did it because that's what you do.

People think work is supposed to be TV-type glamorous, Mary Tyler Moore-esq, "The Office"-type places to work. Again, there are moments like that in any job, but it's still a job, and you just do it.

If the only job you can get is hauling rocks from a construction site to a dumpster, who do you think you are to believe that that job is beneath you? It's a job. It pays you money. In some cases, it gives you benefits, and if it doesn't include benefits, that's all the more reason to work, so you can afford things like doctors and dentists. A job -- any job -- is guaranteed money in your pocket every week. And if it doesn't pay enough, you know what you do? You find another, better-paying job. But you keep working at the job you're at while you look, because you still have to eat.

People -- both young and old -- are so spoiled in this country, it is almost sickening. No one is guaranteed anything in life, and life doesn't owe you anything, either. You can take the bull by the horns and make a name for yourself, but you've got to take the initiative. Starring in "The Real World" is not a career path. The guys who give out jobs aren't coming to your door to offer one to you; you've got to go get it, go find it, or find something that you can do that can pay you money on a regular basis. And showing that you're a hard worker -- whether you're stocking shelves or parking cars at a restaurant -- is an important step in showing that you're a responsible human being, and not just a spoiled brat.