Jensen Huang, president and CEO of NVIDIA started working at Denny’s at age 15. He worked there through high school and his progression was dishwasher, busboy, then waiter (a position he was promoted to). He talks about this frequently and how it helped him build humility, work ethic, and to expect excellence in mundane things. Basically, it helped him build character and become a great man.
I personally grew up working at a deli in South Florida at the age of 16, and did all of the same jobs as Jensen as well as worked in the kitchen, and found the experience similarly formative. It’s critical life experience while young in addition to school, socializing, sports, etc. You enter the adult world unafraid to get your hands dirty and realize no job is too small, and that people from all walks of life and in all types of businesses make the world go. It’s a great bulwark against becoming a degenerate, or at least a socialist (same thing).
Related to this topic, I came across this chart about teen summer employment being down, and I think it’s a terrible thing to see.
I’m sure some of you have similar stories of being active in the workforce from a young age. I have friends who also worked while growing up, and then have friends who never did until post college. While not 100% of the time true, it’s striking how often the differences in attitude, work ethic, etc are of people who have worked an hourly role in something like hospitality or food service vs those who haven’t.
Probably the most frequent observation I have here is that the ones who have done a form of blue collar work treat those around them best, including those they manage or hourly workers they encounter throughout the day. They’re never unnecessarily rude, they’re more patient and kind, they empathize more (with people who actually deserve their empathy, not randomly).
We lose something as a society when we have distinct classes not merely separated by net worth, that’s one thing, but simply experience. I don’t think inequality would matter as much if everyone respected everyone else, no matter what they earn or do, even if the job is hourly. Working as a youth greatly helps address this. Someone like Jensen has more respect for his server at dinner than most executives, and it’s palatable in his talks and public appearances. His company is performing better, too. This stands in stark contrast to wealthy people constantly flexing about their watches or cars. There’s really something to this. Send your kids to work.
They will thank you for it. They will feel better about themselves and those around them.
Honestly, the hourly jobs I’ve had — hotels, bars, a theatre, and in roles from dishwasher to waiter to functions — have been some of my favourite jobs. I met people of all ages and cultures, and the bonds you form when you’re in the trenches are so strong. I remember leaving the last one I ever worked, I got a spontaneous guard of honor as all the chefs lined up to say bye to me, and I was a waiter! Shows the impact you can have on people.
I’ve always said if I could have earned a decent salary in that kind of job (without going into management), I wouldn’t have left.