5 Life Lessons I Learned From Working Minimum Wage Jobs Early In My Life

Believe it or not, I had one of hell of a resume by the time I was 17. I had worked between 10-12 jobs. Well, it was so many different jobs in a span of two years that I actually ended up losing count.

The real fact of the matter was that I couldn’t keep jobs longer than a month at most. I was either quitting or getting fired from every single job I did. It’s also not that I was doing the same job over and over again. Instead, I was trying jobs in all different industries and spectrums.

The jobs I worked included being an assistant, tutor, coach, telemarketer, door to door sales, project manager, secretary and so much more. Most of these jobs paid me minimum wage, but they taught me the most valuable lessons of my life. The best part was that I was learning all this stuff from the age of 15-17.

In this post, I share 5 life lessons I learned from working minimum wage jobs early in my life:

1. You get paid what you think you’re worth.

I would go looking for jobs on Craigslist or through job boards and I would particularly seek out jobs that paid minimum wage. If I saw something that was offering $12 or $15 an hour, I wouldn’t even make the call. The saying is true, you are what you think you’re worth.

I thought I was worth the minimum and that’s why I got paid the minimum. Who knows if I could have gotten those $12 or $15 jobs, but I never gave myself the chance. When I gave up on the jobs and started my own business….it became really evident what I was worth.

2. Take nothing for granted.

When I was young, I didn’t understand the value of a dollar. I saw my dad go to work, come home and everything was paid for. When I finally took my first job, I realized how much of a pain in the ass it really was to make money. That stuff isn’t easy.

My big lesson was that I should never take anything for granted. The life you have and the comforts that you enjoy are blessings. Never forget that and you truly only learn what the real world is like when you step inside of it.

3. You can hate your situation for the rest of your life or you can do something about it.

When I went and worked my jobs, it seemed like none of my co-workers loved what they did. One in fact told me this, “I have to do it if I want to pay my bills and take care of my family.”

 
That quote really hit me. He looked at it as something he was forced to do such as prison time. That was a horrible mindset to have and that terrified me. As soon as I saw that, I realized I could be comfortable with my horrifying situation or I could get off my ass and do something to change it. Change and comfort do not go together, you have to pick one.

4. Freedom, not money is the greatest motivator. 

I always thought money would be the only thing I would need in my life to be happy. That is until I got my jobs and realized how the world really works. Turns out, I valued my freedom a lot more than I did money. I’d rather be broke and free than be paid well and held captive.

People often times overhype what money really is. Money can get you a nice house, a nice car and even sometimes a nice life-mate but it cannot make you happy. Happiness is sought by doing fulfilling things and sometimes you need to be free to do those things.

5. If you’re punished for making mistakes, you’re at the wrong place.

When I first worked jobs, every time that I made a mistake….I was ridiculed and punished for it. Making mistakes felt horrible and it really made the working environment even worse. When I became an entrepreneur, I was making mistakes but nobody was punishing me for it.

In fact, people were applauding me for it. I quickly learned that making mistakes were the greatest ways to educate yourself. Quicker than ever, I was picking up new things just from the mistakes I was making. Never be in an environment where mistakes are considered negative.

Conclusion

In this post, I shared 5 life lessons I learned from working minimum wage jobs early in my life. What have you learned from the jobs that you have worked?

photo credit: Lake Point Tower, Chicago via photopin (license)