Fried fish and sneakers

In a previous story I shared about my life lessons in family finances.

I was frustrated that we couldn't afford to buy a new pair of sneakers but learned a good lesson on cash flow from my parents.

I was determined. One summer I got a crazy idea in my head that I would get a job. I even thought maybe I didn't need to go to college. I could get a job, work hard, buy my new sneakers and get on with life. I started on a summer job, arranged by my mom at her friend's business, working in the kitchen at a fish fry restaurant in the suburbs of Pasadena, California. I was a bus boy and washed dishes and pots at the end of each day. She said that without a college degree, this would be the kind of job I could qualify for. The experience taught me quite a few things.

Hard work cannot be avoided

I started this job not fully realising what I was in for.

My tasks including bussing dirty dishes to the back of the restaurant for cleaning. At the end of each day, various greasy pots and kitchen tools also had to be cleaned. The restaurant didn't have a proper dish washing machine so all of these had to be done in an industrial sized stainless steel sink, with blazing hot water, with only pair of rubber gloves to protect my hands. I learned to get efficient over the first few days. But by far the most difficult aspect was the smell of grease that just stayed with you for hours after. Hard work, but I got paid for my time. And I was adamant I would not quite until the gig was completely done. I did this job through one summer season and made enough money to buy my new sneakers.

Hard work is not enough

I could have been hard headed and insisted on pursuing my idea of working for a living and not going back to school.

Although I made enough to buy my coveted new sneakers, my previous lessons on household finances told me that this job was not enough. I would be foolish to forego higher education. Hard work is important, but skills and life experiences were even more crucial. So abandoned all notions of going straight into the workforce and took my college applications more seriously. Clearly putting in the effort and hours was important. But to get to better paying jobs, you needed an education to simply get your foot in the door. I bounced around at University, still not quite sure what I wanted to pursue until eventually I graduated with a Marketing degreed from the College of Business at De La Salle University. This was the conclusion of an extended period of study, not planned, but proved to one of the best things to happen to me. I gained a diverse set of friends and a generalist skillset that equipped me to adapt to whatever job was in front of me.

Work hard and smart

I entered the world of work in the year 2000, shortly after graduating from University, still thinking "work hard and you'll be fine."

My first big company job was in telephone customer service. I was suddenly exposed to the real world of targets and performance-based rewards. It wasn't enough just to do the work "nose to the grinding wheel." I felt the need to be the best, and therefore also earn the best. So I had to get smart about the work. I sharpened my skills and got faster and more effective at handling customer concerns. I shared my discoveries with others, realising that at the end of the day others would still have to execute ideas effectively to perform better. This led to my first promotion and the opportunity to lead a team soon after. A brand new game to play, and become good at. Team leadership was challenging and I learned so many lessons in those early years as I worked hard and smart to be the best I could be at the job.

Working hard isn't old fashioned. It goes hand in hand with working smart. I am in constant search for the right balance, being able to use the skills I have with the most suitable and purposeful work. I don't think I have it fully figured it out yet. I'm a work in progress!

What work smart practices have worked for you?