When it comes to first jobs, I’m in pretty good company, as I’m sure some of you are too.  Jeff Bezos, James Franco, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Pink, and Lin-Manuel Miranda all began their careers at McDonalds.  It was the first of many jobs I held over the years as I was trying to figure out what I really wanted to do.  They were great about working around my school and band schedules, the only drawback being that I smelled like the French fries I loved to eat.  There’s something about a polyester uniform that sucks up that aroma and never lets go.  It never bothered me much, except for that one time a friend of mine picked me up and took me home on his motorcycle and said, “you smell like French fries”.  So much for that crush.

I babysat and taught clarinet lessons to beginners. I lucked my way into office jobs, one as administrative assistant to a couple of accountants, one at a bank, at a church and in the nursing department at the university where I ultimately finished my degree.  I not only sold burgers, but I made and sold donuts (pretty sure I ate more than I made), cut out designs for screen printing t-shirts, did mass mailings and attempted to sell insurance – I failed miserably.  Earning extra money was always a thing – delivering newspapers and dealing in Amway, as much as I’m embarrassed to admit it, were other things I did.  But one time, at a very young age, I thought I would just jump in with both feel and start a business.  I mean, how hard could it be?

At the ripe old age of 24, I decided that I was going to start my own temp agency in the little town we had moved to.  After all, we didn’t have one and I had worked in an office so again, how hard could it be?  I put ads in the paper letting people know about my little business and began contacting local companies in the hopes of putting people together.  These were people who really needed a job and I would interview them in our little apartment and do what I thought a temp agency owner should do.  I spoke with an accountant, thought I had my taxes figured out, began donating some proceeds to a charity.  I was on a roll.  Problem was, I wasn’t finding anyone a job.  I was interviewed by a local radio station about this fledging business and couldn’t answer all the questions but thought I “faked” my way through it pretty well.  SO naïve.  Then, the big break – a company called wanting to talk to me about hiring my temps.  Looking back on it now, they obviously thought I was a headhunter, but again, I was clueless.  Armed with the belief that I could sell myself and my business, I walked into that meeting room with some execs and proceeded to innocently tell them my plans. 

They did hire one of my people.  I was thrilled, but when they asked me what my fee was, I had no idea.  I think I remember asking for a couple of hundred dollars, thinking I had finally made it.  I’m sure they had what I hope was a kind chuckle when I left.  Needless to say, the business didn’t last very long, I took care of the taxes which took care of any profit I might have made, and I found more work.  

Time has a funny way of changing things and hopefully wisdom has taken hold of what used to be brazen naivete.  Experience, no matter how varied, builds all kinds of skills and perspective and today, as I watched a young person give a presentation, I was reminded of that wide-eyed, everything is possible, naïve young woman who wanted to make some money and change people’s lives for the better.   A young woman who initially felt like a failure, but as I look at her though more experienced eyes, a young woman willing to take a chance with a dream despite lacking some very basic business knowledge. Sometimes I wonder if knowing too much keeps us from taking those steps to achieve our seemingly crazy dreams?  What would people say?  What if I’m too old?  What if they figure out I really don’t know what I’m doing but I’m trying?  There’s this expectation that as we grow older, we become more sure of ourselves, but I wonder if it’s because we settle for what we know and do well.  Sometimes I wish that young woman was still here so I could tell her to go for it.  Failure is merely a learning experience and sometimes you just don’t know what you don’t know.

So, where am I going with this?  I’m not sure.  I think I just wanted to tell a story, but at the same time, as always, to encourage people to keep going for their dreams.  It may not be the straight line you hope it to be, but more of a jagged journey like mine, every experience shaping the person you’re meant to be.  And to think, it all began at McDonalds.