First new employee

Meet Jason:



I didn’t know much about him when I hired him other than he needed

work. Over the last few months I have learned a little about his life,

some of which has touched my heart. Jason knew nothing about detailing

when I hired him, he was going to school from 7 am – noon, and worked

at Fed Ex to pay for his living expenses. He was completely on his own;

he had no financial support from any of his family. In short

conversations with Jason I could tell he was having a hard time making

ends meet. His commitment to doing a good job was always a priority

when he worked for me, and his interest in detailing, grew daily. He

found great satisfaction in this work, and of the few times I seen him

smile was when I complimented him on a job well done. I trained him on

interior work, and I was amazed how quickly he learned. Within a few

months he was performing work comparable to anything I could do. In

fact, a few times he taught me a few things. He never let his personal

life effect his work, but from time to time he would open up.

This is so typical of the tragedy that occurs with young people

today. Jason represents a majority of what happens to young people that

learn too quickly the pain and heartache of being on their own. Living

at home gives kids a false sense of security that will forever, and

money is just a phone call away (from Mom and Dad). Sadly, most parents

can hardly afford to pay a portion of their child’s education, much

less all of it. So when the child realizes he must start working in

order to live, that starts the cycle of events that dig a hole hard to

crawl out of.

A few times I noticed Jason was tired and wasn’t get enough

sleep. I talked to him about and a few times suggested he get more

rest. It was out of the question though because of his rigorous

schedule. I even bought lunch for him several times because he didn’t

have enough money to eat. When I see him, I see my own kids, wondering

if they will experience tough times like this. As a parent I try to

stress the importance of a quality education, along with some

sense of knowing how to budget and manage their time. I feel for Jason,

just as I do my own. I will take care of Jason as long as he works for

me. I hope as he moves along in life others people will offer him

support. Unfortunately the school of hard knocks makes all people pay

eventually. The solution is preparation, which is the lesson to be

learned. Gary Owner Perfect Auto Finish
 
That's very insightful Gary. After 11 years of dealing with younger people (and being one myself) I have been intimitely aquainted with the challenges faced by many of them today. It's nice to hear that you have one of the hardworking, responsible ones working with you and that you are helping him make his way in life. That can be very rewarding for both of you. Unfortunately, as you said parents are too quick to bail out their children whenever they need anything and too few of the kids that are entering the workforce have any understanding of what hard work, dedication and most importantly responsibility are all about.
 
~ One man’s opinion / observations ~



My parents were well off (Dad has a ‘fleet’ of Jags, owns a BMW dealership, and is a CFO of a merchant bank) But I consider myself very lucky in that my parents always made us pay our way (which has helped both me and my siblings get though life)



My (back then) college friends always told me how lucky I was to come from that sort of back round, I always agreed with them but for different reasons than they thought. I have tried to instill the same outlook on life to my children and grand children (and just like my Dad, I will help them if they are trying to ‘help themselves’, although it very hard sometimes not to ‘just give them whatever they need’)



I commend you for your attitude in helping this young man, and him as well as he seems to want to ‘help himself by hard work’…more power to both of you.





~ Hope this helps ~



Knowledge unshared is experience wasted

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ Jon
 
Gary, kudos to both you and your assistant. I am sure through your mentorship and support you will be able to teach this young man a valuable lesson in life. I have come across a few young employees as Jason in the past and tried to help them as much as possible.
 
We should have more stories like this, as opposed to so-and-so dealership/detailer screwed up my car. Yes, it's good to vent, but it's equally nice to hear good things about others.



:wavey
 
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