For me, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I graduated in 1960 and I went to work for a show case company installing ballast. I got laid off and went to work for a blueberry harvesting company as a filed foreman but that was only seasonal. In 1960 electronics was the career of the future so I enrolled at a local university to study electronics so I could be a TV repairman. I absolutely hated it so I quite. I was very close to my grandfather and one day he said you know, one thing people have to do is eat. Why don't you look for a job in a grocery store and maybe you can work your way up the ladder. I went to all the big chains in my area but without experience about the only job I could get was a night shift stock boy or a day shift grocery cart runner and floor clean up. So I lowered my sights and found a job in a family run mom and pop.
My job was to stock shelves, unload delivers, pick up certain meats at local meat houses in the city. My pay was $45.00 weekly. On my lunch hour I would always watch the owner and his sons cut up the meat. It really fascinated me because you really had to know what you were doing. I mean these guys were like artist to me. I think that is when I made my decision to become a meat cutter but back then we were called butchers.
After I got out of the Marine Corps ...... I could not find a job that suited me .... until butchering .......I was born to do this! absolutely no doubt or qualms it is in-bedded in my soul. TILL I DIE!!!
Just kind of fell into it. I was a naive young man, had a degree in Advertising. HAd worked for a couple ad agencies back in Detroit, hated it and eventually got fired from them. I was heading for the west coast to maybe find a different kind of writing job and stopped to see my brother in Arizona. At the time there was a lot of work in Az , so he suggested I stick around a while and put some money away. I was working about a half dozen part time jobs in construction and at night as a meat clean up.
I discovered I liked hard labor! These jobs toughened me up and made a man out of me. I liked where I was living (Sedona) and I decided I would take the first position that took me on full time. That was the meat department. The boss was a real old school hard ass --but he taught me a lot about life and myself. Been doing it ever since.
My only regret is seeing the profession become increasingly devalued over the years. As the pay and benefits has decreased so has the quality of people that I'm forced to work with and the corporate asshats I work for (sigh). Of course that might just be the usual thinking of a cranky old fart.
Just kind of fell into it. I was a naive young man, had a degree in Advertising. HAd worked for a couple ad agencies back in Detroit, hated it and eventually got fired from them. I was heading for the west coast to maybe find a different kind of writing job and stopped to see my brother in Arizona. At the time there was a lot of work in Az , so he suggested I stick around a while and put some money away. I was working about a half dozen part time jobs in construction and at night as a meat clean up.
I discovered I liked hard labor! These jobs toughened me up and made a man out of me. I liked where I was living (Sedona) and I decided I would take the first position that took me on full time. That was the meat department. The boss was a real old school hard ass --but he taught me a lot about life and myself. Been doing it ever since.
My only regret is seeing the profession become increasingly devalued over the years. As the pay and benefits has decreased so has the quality of people that I'm forced to work with and the corporate asshats I work for (sigh). Of course that might just be the usual thinking of a cranky old fart.
I agree with the last part, It is absolutely true..
