We constantly hear about how hard it is for young people to find good jobs these days. And since student debts, inflation, rising energy prices, and other economic costs put the squeeze on those just leaving their school years, such concerns are pretty valid. But there is a solution; not an easy one, mind you, but there is one. When it comes to work, almost always, say yes.
Every job I’ve ever had came with a significant amount of trepidation. Honestly, each position I’ve held was not even close to ideal and required an extreme level of fortitude to withstand it. And every one of them was totally worth it.
My first job after college, teaching and coaching at a public school, required me to move 1,200 miles away from anyone I knew. I lived alone, worked 18-hour days, and was miserable for nearly every day of those three years at that job.
I then wanted a change from the classroom, so I landed a job at a web marketing firm. I knew nothing about marketing, and even less about how it applied to the web. I got the job because they liked my writing. I actually made way less than I did as a teacher, so I was only 25 and already moving backward financially. And again, I was miserable for most of the one year I lasted there.
I wanted to get back to coaching, so I sent out countless letters seeking assistant positions at college basketball programs. I got one response. I went in for a meeting, and everything seemed to be going well. They wanted me, and I was excited to start something new. There was one small glitch. I wouldn’t be paid. “You mean, like, minimum wage?” I asked. They smiled. “No, literally no pay. We need you to work for free.” I talked to my wife that evening, and I took the job. I worked for free for three long and tiring years.
I then got back to teaching by taking on adjunct positions at a variety of colleges. I would drive back and forth across town, taking on as many classes as I could. One of the first courses I was offered was an early British Lit. class. Beyond having one class in Shakespeare in grad school, I knew almost nothing about the texts of that era. But, when they asked if I could handle it, I said, you guessed it, yes. Over the years, I taught all sorts of classes for which I was, admittedly, only marginally qualified. I took classes at 7 a.m., and I took ones that went until 10 p.m., often in the same day. But I didn’t care. I would usually scrape together six classes per semester, when most professors only teach four. And as an adjunct, you don’t make a professor’s salary. I would regularly have freshmen students who earned a higher yearly paycheck than I did. I worked in this manner for eight years.
It’s only been a recent development that I have been able to earn a respectable salary by working at a major university. For fourteen years, I took jobs that had major problems, and I made hardly any money. It’s funny looking back that the most money I ever made as an adult, until recently, was actually during my first three years as a public school teacher—and we all know the stories about that level of income. I made way more as a 22-year-old than I did as a 32-year-old.
But with every step along the way, I learned new and valuable skills that I was able to use at each subsequent job. I wouldn’t be where I am today without all those previous struggles. But it took saying yes to those challenges when I desperately wanted to say no. It took years of saying yes—to no money, no friends, no joy—to develop within me the experience, attitude, knowledge, and talents I needed to pursue the next job and the next and the next.
So if you’re a student who is fearing the job market, don’t. Fear just paralyzes people, and you can’t get anywhere until you take the first step. I hope each of you lands your ideal job right after graduation, with a six-figure salary and endless three-day weekends. I honestly hope that for you. But I also hope you have the guts to realize that kind of job will not likely be available for several decades, and in fact, may never be offered to you. That is life. It’s what you do in the meantime that matters. Don’t be afraid of work. It will provide you infinitely more than just a paycheck, if only you allow it. Say yes as often as possible, and you’ll be amazed later on how rare it will be for people to tell you no.
Every job I’ve ever had came with a significant amount of trepidation. Honestly, each position I’ve held was not even close to ideal and required an extreme level of fortitude to withstand it. And every one of them was totally worth it.
My first job after college, teaching and coaching at a public school, required me to move 1,200 miles away from anyone I knew. I lived alone, worked 18-hour days, and was miserable for nearly every day of those three years at that job.
I then wanted a change from the classroom, so I landed a job at a web marketing firm. I knew nothing about marketing, and even less about how it applied to the web. I got the job because they liked my writing. I actually made way less than I did as a teacher, so I was only 25 and already moving backward financially. And again, I was miserable for most of the one year I lasted there.
I wanted to get back to coaching, so I sent out countless letters seeking assistant positions at college basketball programs. I got one response. I went in for a meeting, and everything seemed to be going well. They wanted me, and I was excited to start something new. There was one small glitch. I wouldn’t be paid. “You mean, like, minimum wage?” I asked. They smiled. “No, literally no pay. We need you to work for free.” I talked to my wife that evening, and I took the job. I worked for free for three long and tiring years.
I then got back to teaching by taking on adjunct positions at a variety of colleges. I would drive back and forth across town, taking on as many classes as I could. One of the first courses I was offered was an early British Lit. class. Beyond having one class in Shakespeare in grad school, I knew almost nothing about the texts of that era. But, when they asked if I could handle it, I said, you guessed it, yes. Over the years, I taught all sorts of classes for which I was, admittedly, only marginally qualified. I took classes at 7 a.m., and I took ones that went until 10 p.m., often in the same day. But I didn’t care. I would usually scrape together six classes per semester, when most professors only teach four. And as an adjunct, you don’t make a professor’s salary. I would regularly have freshmen students who earned a higher yearly paycheck than I did. I worked in this manner for eight years.
It’s only been a recent development that I have been able to earn a respectable salary by working at a major university. For fourteen years, I took jobs that had major problems, and I made hardly any money. It’s funny looking back that the most money I ever made as an adult, until recently, was actually during my first three years as a public school teacher—and we all know the stories about that level of income. I made way more as a 22-year-old than I did as a 32-year-old.
But with every step along the way, I learned new and valuable skills that I was able to use at each subsequent job. I wouldn’t be where I am today without all those previous struggles. But it took saying yes to those challenges when I desperately wanted to say no. It took years of saying yes—to no money, no friends, no joy—to develop within me the experience, attitude, knowledge, and talents I needed to pursue the next job and the next and the next.
So if you’re a student who is fearing the job market, don’t. Fear just paralyzes people, and you can’t get anywhere until you take the first step. I hope each of you lands your ideal job right after graduation, with a six-figure salary and endless three-day weekends. I honestly hope that for you. But I also hope you have the guts to realize that kind of job will not likely be available for several decades, and in fact, may never be offered to you. That is life. It’s what you do in the meantime that matters. Don’t be afraid of work. It will provide you infinitely more than just a paycheck, if only you allow it. Say yes as often as possible, and you’ll be amazed later on how rare it will be for people to tell you no.