The Reluctant Blogger - First Jobs

First jobs are not easy. But oh, the lessons we learn. As I have been observing my son’s journey with new jobs, it reminded me of my first job as well. In my Tribute to Dad on Veterans Day blog, I mentioned that my first job was working for my dad, driving a wheat truck at harvest time. And…although I learned many lessons, a couple clearly stand out.

I have to start with learning to drive. I didn’t learn to drive on a wheat truck; I actually learned in a pickup truck. I was 11 or 12. For those of you with older brothers, this may resonate. One weekend afternoon, my brother and I were home. Well…I was home, and my older brother was working in the field for my dad. My folks were gone, and my younger brother’s were with them. I’m enjoying a wonderful afternoon with the house to myself when my older brother blows in the house and yells, "Hey, get some shoes on, I need you to follow me down to the field in the pickup". Huh? I quickly blurted out, “Aren't you forgetting I don’t know how to drive?” His retort, “I will teach you. It’s not hard. Let's go.”

My first lesson was very short. I got up into the vehicle. I perched as close to the front of the seat as possible so I could see over the steering wheel. My brother told me to start the truck, then very sharply stated and pointed, “That’s the gas, that’s the brake, keep it between the ditches and don’t hit me!" Wow! My first lesson. Lucky for me, it was an automatic or it may have required one or two more directions.  I followed orders, drove very slowly, kept it on the road, and didn’t hit him. Driving...piece of cake. Did I mention I was 11 or 12?

That summer, I graduated to driving wheat trucks, but only in the field. In Kansas, farm kids are allowed to start driving earlier, but since I wasn’t 14, I could only drive in the country and couldn’t go to town. We had two wheat trucks, a 4-speed, 1948 Chevy, and a 5-speed, 1954 International. The International was "the new truck". I might also mention that these were both double-clutch trucks. That meant I learned how to drive stick by clutching to take it out of gear and then clutching again to put it into gear.

Along around 15 or so, I had become quite adept at driving the trucks and as I mentioned, once I turned 14 I could now drive them to town to dump the full wheat trucks at the grain elevators. I was 16 when a first job experience imprinted me with a very lasting memory.

We actually had two options of taking the wheat trucks to two different towns to the grain elevators, our hometown or the neighboring town. Our farm set between both. One morning, my dad informed me I should take the truck to the neighboring town to dump the wheat. I was in the “new” truck and so glad. The Chevy was old and bounced you to the ceiling over every bump in the road. After completing my elevator run, I decided I would head home and get some lunch.

On my way bouncing down the country dirt road, I decided I would turn off before the turn to the house. My plan was to head back to the field to see if my brother needed anything. As I approached the Y-turn, I took my foot off the gas, geared down, and put on the brakes. Correction, I attempted to put on the brakes. I pumped and pumped, but nothing happened; they went all the way to the floor, and the truck did not slow down! I then got a little worried and decided, ok, I won’t turn, and I will head to the next turn and go to the house instead. I will take my foot off the gas, and in a ¼ mile, I will be going slow enough to turn. It worked! However, new obstacle, there was a slight incline, and with another ¼ mile to go, I needed to give a bit of gas to make it to the house. So, that’s what I did. I think had about 5 mins to figure out how I would stop the truck once I made it into the yard.

I devised a plan - slow down, coast into the drive, pull up onto the large side yard, turn off the truck, it stops. Done. So, that’s what I did. I slowed down, I pulled in the drive, I steered the truck up onto the side yard and turned off the ignition, but…it didn’t stop! It kept going! Not just going, it was headed straight for the corral! I quickly jerked it to the right and then it was headed directly toward the large cement water tower, and small jerk to the left and I somehow managed to maneuver the truck between the corral and the water tower and toward the barn. During this time, there was very loud screaming, and I finally realized that it was me. Luckily, there was a pile of dirt between me and the barn, and I ran the truck right up that pile, and stopped the truck.

I jump out of the bed crying, as my dad is running out of the house and over to me, yelling, “What in the blazes were you doing?” I cried and screamed back, “It’s that stupid truck, the brakes went out! I don’t ever want to drive that truck again!” As I sniffled into the house, my mom consoled me and got me some lunch. In a few minutes, my dad came back in and said, "Sure thing, the blinker wiring somehow burned through the brake line." No sooner had I calmed down, finished lunch, and was resting when my brother busted into the house and exclaimed, “Jill, there’s a load of wheat to go to town!” Sigh. I guess my job was not done. “Ok" I said.

First jobs or even new jobs bring many lessons. For me, this is what stood out:

1.        Learn – Be a sponge. Ask questions and stay curious. When you get pushed out of your comfort zone, it challenges what sounds exciting, “you are going to learn to drive” into something unknown and difficult, “don’t hit me”.

2.        Adapt – When something doesn’t work the way you think it should, be a problem solver, be creative, and look for solutions. Just because the brakes go out doesn’t mean you can’t stop the truck.

3.        Innovate – Don’t let the old adage, “that’s the way we’ve always done it” stop you from suggesting alternative ideas. Maybe you will be the one who breaks through with new thinking. Who says corals and water towers will get in the way? They might, but you can be the one to find the path and the dirt. Stop the truck.

4.        Overcome – It won’t all go your way. Sometimes, it will be hard. Sometimes, you won’t like it. Sometimes, you have to persevere. Sometimes, you will have to get back in the truck.

Think back to when you started your last job and your first few weeks. If you had to learn new things, hard things, adapt to a new environment, innovate new solutions, and overcome old thinking or your own negative thinking, smile and think about your first job and all you learned to get you to where you are today. And hey, be thankful you didn’t lose your brakes!