Though I agree with Trent on many things \u2014 our financial philosophies are very similar \u2014 I don’t agree with him on this. I believe that all<\/i> jobs deserve your best effort, and I believe the distinction between a job and a career is artificial.<\/p>\n During the summer after my freshman year of college, I worked as a busboy at the Holiday Inn. I was the best busboy I could be. While the other guys stood around during slack times, I looked for ways to help in the kitchen or to prepare for the lunch rush.<\/p>\n As a result, I got better tips from the waitresses. The manager trained me to run the cash register. Sometimes I even got to help the pantry chef<\/a>. I wasn’t looking for a career in food service, and I wasn’t trying to brown-nose. But I enjoyed the work and gave it all I had. This made the job fun, and earned respect from people who mattered: from my boss, and from his<\/i> boss, the hotel manager.<\/p>\n Eventually I was given a chance to wait tables. Though I tried, I wasn’t particularly good with the morning breakfast crowd of businessmen and tourists. On the other hand, I was awesome at Sunday brunch. The bluehairs<\/a> loved me. Before long, I was making more money working just six easy hours on Sunday than I had been while working 35 difficult hours during the rest of the week. And the busboys who used to stand around all the time were still<\/i> standing around \u2014 doing the minimum (and earning<\/i> the minimum).<\/p>\n Two years later, I had a work-study job with the campus Summer Events department. Every afternoon from four to five, after my boss had left for the day, it was my job to answer the phone. And that’s all I ever did. I never asked for more work. I never showed any enthusiasm for the job. I just answered the phone.<\/p>\n Another student covered the phone for an hour every morning. He, however, did more than he was asked. Much more.<\/p>\n Neither of us realized it at the time, but our boss had pull. As a result, the other student landed a plum job with the admissions office, but my own application to join residence life was denied. I found out later that my lack of initiative in that seemingly meaningless work-study job had played a significant role in the decision not to hire me. For better or worse, this changed my destiny.<\/p>\n In my life, I’ve held a bewildering array of jobs. The two listed above are just representative examples. Few of my jobs have been related in the sense of a traditional “career”, but almost all of them have provided resources, skills, or connections that I could use in the future. I’m convinced that:<\/p>\n Some workers spend forty years in the same department at the same company. This is a career in the traditional sense of the word. But my father’s working life was also a career even though his jobs were largely unrelated: landscaper, flight instructor, box salesman. Your career is made up of all<\/i> your jobs, whether they’re directly connected or not. Each one of them is important.<\/p>\n As much as I hated selling insurance door-to-door<\/a>, that job taught me lessons that I can apply directly to work on Get Rich Slowly. I learned that it never hurts to ask. I learned how to deal with rejection and negative feedback. While working at the box factory, I learned how to communicate with a huge variety of people. My brief stint as a computer programmer helped me develop techniques I now use to focus while writing. Even my job as a busboy offered lessons about the value of hard work and a positive attitude.<\/p>\n<\/span>Doing My best<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/iStock_waiter.jpg\" "\\"Working")
<\/div>\n<\/span>Doing the Minimum<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>Lessons Learned<\/span><\/h2>\n
Every job is a part of your career<\/h3>\n
Every job provides skills and resources for the future<\/h3>\n
Every job offers networking opportunities<\/h3>\n