I got to do something this week I haven’t gotten to do in a while—offer someone a job. I think the only person who was happier than the applicant was me. I’d almost forgotten how great it felt.
This may only be a drop of rain in the long job drought, but it got me thinking about the positive power of a job.
A job is an incredible thing. It does more for the economy than a tax cut, more than government spending, more than a stampeding bull market on Wall Street. Nothing has more of a stimulant effect than a job.
And not just on the economy. Jobs help give people a sense of purpose and self-worth. It tells them their labors are deserving of reward. Employment motivates people to better themselves and their prospects. And, as in my case, it gives the employer a chance to make a contribution to the greater good. Besides, it’s a blast to see someone break out into that “you’re hired” smile.
While not everyone loves their job, no one loves being without one. Even if your job isn’t great, having one is. Especially now. A few weeks back my friend Rick Hamlin wrote a blog about praying for the unemployed. The response was huge. If you’re looking for something to pray about, pray for the jobless. There is no more urgent need in our country.
It’s particularly discouraging to see teens and college grads struggling. I got my first real job the summer I was 15. I’d been largely self-employed up till then, doing neighborhood work—lawn mowing, fence painting, pool cleaning, pet watching (I regularly fed the Noonans’ rabbits when they were up north at their cottage). But this was my first job where I punched a time clock and got an actual paycheck. I can still remember when the manager of the HoJo’s at the corner of Telegraph and 15 Mile Roads in Birmingham, Michigan, called and wanted to know if I could start work the next day bussing tables. It meant getting up at 5:30 a.m. to be ready for the breakfast crowd but I was totally game. I could start immediately if she wanted. No, she said, just come in the morning with a comfortable pair of shoes and your social security card.
The hours were part-time at first until a couple of waitresses ran off to a music festival called Woodstock, after which I got bumped up to full-time. Soon I was working behind the soda fountain. The rest is history.
I am truly blessed these many years later to get a paycheck for doing something I love. So what is your dream job? And what was your first job? And remember…if you’re looking for a job, someone will eventually have the considerable pleasure of offering you one. Tough times don’t last forever.
