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Another success story!

This young woman proved that it is not just hard work but relationship skills and a positive attitude that got her a job in a tough market.  Oh, and she worked hard too.

Just heard of another success story!  Well it is a little early to call it success but it is a great start. I have known this young woman all my life.  She was always sparkly and open to conversation with anyone.  She has great relational skills. She also learned to work t an early age.  Grocery stores, restaurants, nanny jobs, and most recently at a top golf course in town.  It was in the latter that her sparkle paid off. Because of that sparkle several people in the club were interested in her plans after college.

One of them connected her with a business owner who recognized her work ethic and relationship skills.  He hired her recently in a marketing role in his prestigious company.  I think marketing jobs are hard to get, especially when one is starting out.  Without her relational skills and her excellence in her work she may not have been noticed.  Some people in the service jobs act as though they don’t really want to work, and don’t engage with the customers.  She did!

I was talking with a friend the other day about making a living. She has a son who is in North Dakota working in the oil fields. I don’t think he had any education beyond high school, but knows how to work and network.
In high school he and his brother started a lawn mowing business. It grew to be large enough that they considered making a bigger business out of it when they got out of high school, but decided to do other things. As a side, they had a cousin who tried it, but apparently he was averse to hard work and it failed.
Her son went on to do other entrepreneurial things including building houses, a dogsled business, and some other work he found to make a living. He recently came back to this area and did some kitchen remodeling.
What fascinates me is that he is a survivor and knows how to find work that puts bread on the table. He started in the oil fields at the bottom, but he talks with everyone he meets and in the process met people who recognized he could do more and he got promoted to a higher paying job. He says that some in the oil fields hate their jobs, and I am sure that a positive, hard working guy like my friend would surpass them quickly. The oil business pays very well in North Dakota, and if one can take the hard work can make a lot of money in a few years. That is my friend’s goal, make the money, save it, retire and find other interests to pursue. He has a plan.
Every time I have seen him he has had a friendly smile on his face, that goes a long way! Attitude and work ethic gets success.

Success story

I am curious how some “kids” seem to figure out how to get jobs while others don’t. I would guess a lot of it comes down to parents who teach their kids if they want money they need to work for it. I may also guess that those same parents teach their kids that work is a good thing, not bad. I know mine taught me to work early on, and it was never viewed as a punishment no matter what the job was.
I have read that unemployment is low among college grads, although I confess I have not done much research on this. On the other hand, I have heard college kids say there are no jobs available for them when they graduate. I suspect some of that may be their majors, but I submit that some is also the old “I don’t want to do that” syndrome
I have two young friends who exemplify what it may take sometimes to get started in a career. One went to a prestigious college in the Midwest, the other the U of M. Both had lots of talent and could have been kids who would hold out for something “worthy” of their education. But they didn’t, they simply got started at something.
One went to a phone bank for a national corporation, the other went with a consumer finance subsidiary of a large bank. Neither of these jobs would be what I would call “goal” jobs, they aren’t prestigious nor are they very high paying, but each offered advance opportunities.
I highly respect what they have accomplished in a few short years. The phone bank person quickly advanced in the phone bank division and soon became a Vice President and manager. The corporation also paid for her MBA and she has a great career going. The second became a star at the finance company plus learned a ton about how people manage (or mismanage) their persona financial affaire. This guy was put on a fast track with a big promotion looming, but chose to take another position with a firm that he had been in contact with for several years. He parlayed his success into a new position with much more upside for him. He continues to examine the market for what he does although he has received several promotions in his new position. He would say that you should always be looking for opportunity.
I don’t think either of them just gave up on pursuing a dream job, they just got started and excelled at what they were doing. Promotions came and with those promotions they are finding that being aggressive and doing well is a dream in itself.

Here is another story:
Here is a blurb from my book that shows how we can overcome poor academic performance and still make a living! And be successful like my college roomate! He wouldn’t accept being a “victim”!

I did manage to graduate with a “stellar” 1.95 grade point, maybe the lowest ever at Luther. My roommate had better grades; he had a 1.97 grade point, therefore making him a lot smarter than me! No one had more laughs than we did, but we both sucked at studies. We became serious during our senior year, studied the college manual, found a loophole and graduated. We were serious about getting jobs, the sole purpose for going to Luther in the first place. I got a position in accounting, but my roommate did ot get any job offers. Instead he went to a seminary, eventually became a pastor, a prominent Minnesota State Senator, and a Brigadier General in the Army Reserve. He had not been encouraged at Luther, but eventually someone encouraged him, and he succeeded. My career paled compared to his, but we both managed to find our purposes and survive