Quote:
Originally Posted by LarryBible
I tell them to do what I did. In the Summer borrow a lawn mower until you can get enough together to buy your own. Borrow a snow shovel and shovel snow in the Winter.
My brother as a teenager went to the corner convenience store and asked if he could sweep up for a dime. It led to clerking there, then clerking at a super market, then running the super market. Now he runs the biggest Petro Truck Stop I've ever seen. They pump so much diesel fuel that there are almost always tankers filling their underground tanks. They have a McDonalds AND a Taco fast food (I don't remember which one) under the roof. He couldn't afford college but has been more successful than the vast majority of college grads.
There is still a convenience store somewhere that needs the floor swept or the parking lot washed down. There is SOMETHING for those who don't have a yellow streak running down their back when it comes to honest work.
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Yes, of course its so easy to tell someone to do this. You find me a convenience store in Philly or NYC that will let someone work for free and I'll believe you THEN. Any store owner I know would rather work a 12-15 hour day (most of them already do actually) instead of hire a college kid working for free. Why? Because they know the kid is going to expect to be paid at some point, or the fact that he/she is doing it for free raises a few eyebrows (stealing, expecting payment under the table, etc). And, don't forget that these college grads are up against anyone age 14+ who doesn't actually have bills to pay.
While I think about it one major hurtle is the hubris of hiring managers. A supermarket manager who has no formal education for example, might be a bit cautious in hiring someone who has a degree in business management. Instead of getting a foot in the door, the cycle continues. This happens a LOT.
BTW - By no means am I saying you can't be successful without a college degree. There are plenty of ways to be successful so long as you accept the fact that you'll never be a medical doctor, lawyer, scientist, teacher (at least beyond preschool), etc. It totally depends on what one's measure of "success" is.