For the Baby Boomers in the crowd who are between 51 and 70-years old, remember your first job?

Mine was working for a caterer when I was 12 or 13-years old where I would arrive at their cooking facility at around 7AM to load the truck with food, plates, table clothes etc. We would then drive to wherever that days affair was going to take place and unload the truck, make the hors d’Oeuvres and then help set-up the room.

During the party we would wash the dishes and pots and, once the party was over, reload the truck and drive back to the cooking facility where we would unload it and call it a day.

The day would end somewhere around 7PM with wages in the neighborhood of $25. It was a long day of hard work with mediocre work conditions but, it was a way to make money so I did it.

The First Real Job Of A Career

At some point over the age of 17 or 18 came the first ‘real job, whatever that may have been, where hard work and dedication would hopefully lead to promotion, more responsibility and a successful career path.

That career path might have been in that business, another business in the same industry, a completely different industry or maybe it was to strike out on their own as an entrepreneur.

And while of course it’s true that was then and this is now, for those unfamiliar with how work works, in todays topsy turvy world this is what appears to be my increasingly controversial view…

Why It’s Called Work – A Primer

You apply for your first job (dressed appropriately for the interview that’s defined by the job and firm your are applying at) in order to get experience and at some point down the road begin to move-up the ladder either there or at another firm that offers a better opportunity.

You get the offer, listen to the details that will include hours, wages and benefits. Knowing it’s entry-level you are also aware that it is going to be hard work (as is every job up the proverbial ladder) and that appreciation and a warm work environment may or may not exist.