The some of the younger people going into the work force just don't have the work ethic the older work force does. Plus, they want to make the same pay as someone that has 20years experience. I work for a top 100 company and about 70% of the people I hire just don't work out here! They are attached to their phones. They finish one task and sit until asked to do another task... who has time to baby sit. Most may have the education but no common sense or very poor mechanical skill. They just don't apply themselves to learn their area ...they are so short sighted most don't look beyond the present job for opportunities to build into more advance positions. The education is what get you in the door, the real education happens over a lifetime.
A man only owns his name, anything else he owns can be taken away or lost (relationship property etc.) Take care of your name because that is all you'll will ever be! Give your best every day, who can ask or expect more than that! Tomorrow if you apply yourself, you'll be that much better and you'll have more to offer your employer. There are no stupid questions, never be afraid to ask questions... the only loser is you... if you don't ask! Don't be afraid to ask a second time because perspective differ sometime on complex issues it important you understand... that part of taking care of your name. Be the 1st on the job, the last to leave... do a little more than others. You'll be the last to leave when business is tight. Always be up front and honest. Not speak up on things you don't know anything about! If you don't know its ok to say so... but if ask, do your best. Every day is a learning experience I don't care how old you are! You are going to make mistake it ok... never hurts to ask for help but think thru what you're doing before you ask so you know what to ask... that the part where you try your best!
I was raised by a man that had an 8th grade education and he was on his own since he was 12 years old. If he didn't work, he had no place to sleep or anything to eat. He lived in log camps and barely could drag the saw from tree to tree. My dad is a hard man of few words, but he was always fair. He raised us and treated us like adults because he did it ... and so could we! He expected a lot from us kids and he didn't take a lot of time to explain things. he'd showed us once or twice and expected us to think and work thru the problems. He had no childhood perspective. We rode on logging equipment at age of 4 & 5 years old, I cut my teeth on D6 cat. I was falling timber at age 10. In the early 70's timber was big and we were paid by scale, and I worked a lot of weekend side jobs with him. We were making $220 a day between the two of us falling timber. I think min wage was $1.35. School for us kids was a priority, and we better respect our elders. If he heard different well let me tell you he did believe in time out, it was immediately. When I was older in the summer, I live in some of his log camps and some of those guys were a bit rough. We ate a deer a week in those camps. The only difference between breakfast, lunch and dinner where egg and maybe some fruit. I won't trade a day for those experiences!
The words above I learned from him, I was always reminded there are too many good people out of work... what make me think I'm so special. You want to feed and take care of your family... you're going to have work to do it, that's why they call it work! I think very few parents teach these things at home anymore. Fact here in Oregon the state board past the requirement for next 5 years kids don't have know how to read to graduate. If you have no expectations, you get no expectations from what I see. If someone wants to work, they will find a way! When was the last time you saw a kid asking to mow lawns, weeding flower beds, selling pinecone, peeling chittum bark, picked bear grass or ferns, picking berries? How many school age kids these days can cook a meal for the family, do laundry or do housework or even do the dishes.
My wife and I raise four daughters we had expectation. One of my daughter ran/ helped clear land on ground with a D8 cat, she got a full ride Doctorate scholarship from University of Maryland. Later she became the director of women study at University of Weber in Ogden UT. help UT legislator pass their 1st title 9 bill. She set up OHSU 1st title 9 program. As a grat student she applied for and got grants for the OSU... that unheard of.. it usually professor and staff. One daughter handled all the trade at Intel during their fab construction. She decide to go back to school for a criminal Justus degree. Another daughter was supervisor for distribution center for US postal service in Portland Oregon. The youngest daughter does day surgery now, worked ER and the surgery floor prior. She graduated with honors in 2 year accelerated Bachor degree in a nursing program. All my kids have wilderness training, drive equipment and can build things... some even have broken their own horses. All of them have auto repair skills. The youngest fixed all the other nursing schools students' cars... half shafts, starters, alternators, electrical problem, O2 and crank sensors, radiator... even replaced a windshield for one gal. The youngest is my best mechanic. It's important kids learn to count on themself because they aren't always going have someone else around to do it for them. They need the confidence not to be afraid to try give it their best. There is no investment in child with no expectations of some kind is my opinion, you have to let them fail... just be there for them so you can talk about it and encourage them to try again. Life skills build confidence. This is a one long post and I probably said too much. Child labor laws have their place, but work ethic still needs to be taught in the home in my opinion. I'm not saying my childhood was right only that there are other ways to teach ethics. You can't do that if your kids are always in the house playing video games or on their phones... addictive habits are hard to break.
