In 78-79, you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a kid with a snow shovel walking down the street. I know, I was one of 'em.

All joking aside, I'd pay fair coin for some youngster to shovel my driveway. 

Funny you should say that.  I walk down streets all day for my job and made some observations and posted this on facebook several days ago. We had almost a foot of snow dumped on us. 

 

"3 of the 4 seasons go by with old people looked down upon. We help them carry their groceries, get their medication, drive them places. But I swear in winter they can out-shovel the kids living next to them. I don't care if the kid is 18 and goes to the gym religiously, the 90 year old living next to him will throw snow higher, farther, and more of it than the kid will. Damn old people."

I used to use a roofing torch. Had the propane can ratchet strapped to a 2 wheel dolly. Much more fun to drinking hot chocolate & Goldschlager while using fire to remove the evil white stuff. I did all the elderly people's driveways & walks that used to pay me $10 in the 70s & early 80s. They woke up & their drive & walk were mysteriously free of snow. Took 4 storms to get caught by ol' Frank Mcnulty. I also drove from 3 towns away to take care of those that used to overpay me as a kid.

When everything is melted, you can dry it with the torch to prevent slip & falls.

 

Ed

The sedentary lifestyle that modern times have allowed people to fall into has been the primary reason for the bloated liberal take over of this country. The Why get off my arse if the gov will take care of my needs attitude has killed us, if I can't get a job with benefits I won't work rather than being creative.

 

What is the advantage of trying when you see stories every single week of local law enforcement shutting down kids lemonade and cookie stands and making it impossible for youngsters who might have a drive to want to start a business.

 

We are on a downhill slide as a country because of our business laws and the lack of Entrepreneurs wanting to work through the red tape when you can work your 40 hours a week for someone else and get cushy benefits and then cry and whine about everything as they collect benefits worth nearly 40-50% of their wages to boot.

 

With parents that don't do anything now how else are the kids going to live with this example in front of them.

They're all on their ipads and video games...

 

If we had any white stuff down here, I'd be shoveling as many driveways as I could to make a buck.

Do y'all think they may have "over-developed" thumbs that prevent them from grasping a shovel???

I agree... Let me just shed some light on how I feel.

 

Being a younger man, I did develop a good work ethic growing up. In high school I did my schooling, worked at McDonalds full time and managed to graduate earlier than my peers by 4 months. I decided not to do the college thing as I could not figure out what and still cannot figure out what I want to pursue as a career. There are too many things out there that are too interesting to stick myself to one thing. A good thing and a bad thing. I figured that if I could become well-rounded and have multiple skill sets I could do most things myself one day.

 

I did not take a "vacation" after graduating like some do. Instead, I started seeking better employment. Initially, I did auto body as a vocationial course in school and wanted to pursue that. I saw an ad one day in the paper that I thought was trying to say painting cars. Lo and behold it was the same union rep. that came to our vocationial school seeking high school grads to join the drywallers and painters union.

 

He remembered me and asked me to come in. Okay, I'll give it a shot. He said that there was an offer for someone to join the Glaziers apprenticeship and needs one down in Pullman for a project on the WSU campus. Hmm, glazier? Okay, its construction, hands on, I'll give it a shot. So I spent a year down there learning the trade. Come to find out, the glaziers union in the east side of WA state was virtually non-existant.

 

So I did happen to come back home to Spokane and work for the only union glass shop in town until I seen they would be closing their doors soon. I jumped ship and pursued an entrepenueral opportunity doing Financial consulting and Life insurance sales, etc. It turns out that during my youth when I was a no-gooder, it was a bad enough record to disqualify me from being apart of the company and the work I put in to get my Life insurance license was null and void. It was a big let down as I seen what the potential could have been from it. Many people became millionares from doing it. Well, crap. Now what?

 

Maybe I will eye for college? So instead of the typical 4-year type, I looked at a vocationial course. Went into the local training center to see what I could about becoming a lineman. 6 month course and it was up to $12k for it. Sure, I would have done it, but at the time, ANY form of debt scared me out of it. So instead, I met my wife, and we cultivated our relationship.

 

My mother is a nail technician and has owner her business ever since I remember who my parents were! She still is doing it to this day. Used to make really good money doing it, but now its becoming a little more difficult. Because of this, my brother decided he would find his own. He now owns a lawncare business that has great potential to be alot bigger, but still mainly doing it himself and an occassional helper. I used to work 16 hour days with hime doing snow removal and shoveling roofs. Made good money that year but it was only part-time. I offered to help my brother with his business and expand it, but I really blame his wife for holding him back. If he never married that woman, I can safely say he would have already owned his furniture building business. Very gifted person in woodworking and pissed it all away knocking her up with 5 kids!

 

The entrepenueral spirit runs in my blood and the willingness to work for it is there. I aspire to atleast become self-employed, if not a business owner one day. Being in the current state I have been these past few years, all I managed to be able to do is stay afloat. The so-called american dream or golden parachute career IMO is gone. I have not been able to hold jobs now and go more than a couple years before getting laid-off. Alot of places now are going through staffing companies and only offering part-time work.

 

It makes for a very vicious cycle for someone and the lack of stability is profound. I myself have entered preservation mode and without my inherint ability to manage money wisely, I would be on the streets. But with this and the drive to succeed and by the grace of God, I still live with a roof over my head.

 

Because of this experience I have had for the past few years now, more than ever I see the importance of being someone who owns a business. Many do it in the thought that they can get rich doing it, but do not necessarily have the compassion they should for others. I want to be a business owner that can make a successful business, but also provide employment for others. I want to be a person that creates jobs instead of seeking one. The greatest resource this planet has is humans. The fringe benefit in creating a product, and providing a job to someone is the money you make for doing it.

 

But like stated above in previous posts, the govt red tape that has been cast before me on my path to being an aspiring business owner caues me to shy away from it. Just as W&F said, when the kids lemonade stand or the inability to go door to door and sell cookies gets shunned, the lack of motivation causes problems. When we continue to keep our youth down and don't encourage them to become someone in this world, what can we do?

 

It takes a special individual who wants to and has the passion and drive to push through the red tape and go against the odds to make something of themselves. This nation continues to strangle out our economic freedoms and liberties.

You do not own a home but do own a pickup with a 5er trailer which is more than capable of traveling to other areas of the country for work, what is holding you back, you have no family yet and everything to gain?

 

 

Most trade schools now offer paid on the job internships with many different companies that guarantee 100% placement after graduation, here in ND a lot of the skilled trades are hiring student inters and then have a full time employee after they graduate.

 

Second If you think your brother pssd his career potential away because he started a family you have just lost all of my respect in one sentence, my wife and I can't have children,  I would have traded my career for a family in a heart beat.

Edited February 9, 201411 yr by Wild and Free

Just in the amount of time from when I started working until just a couple years ago, I've decided that I was living too much of a fast life. I do like working. I do like being able to provide for myself, etc. But I do not enjoy working myself into the dirt and getting the feeling that I'm alive just to work. I had to look at things differently and decided that if I have to live off less, I will. If it helps me live a slower more simpler life, I will. I don't do things in such a traditionial way as many see.

 

Currently, I live in the 5ther on some land with the in-laws and we have goals in mind that we want to achieve. Nothing particularly is holding me back. Which is great, because I have the freedom that most don't when they have a mortgage and cannot go places if need be. Otherwise it may be a strain. Ultimately, we want to get land and put the trailer in a shop and live that way. So if a day came and we needed to go somewhere to make more money, there really is not anything left behind to upkeep while gone.

 

Me and the wife are working jobs at the same place now and we are more than happy with the employment we gained. I have some of that passion and drive that I feel most others should have in becoming more successful but I also have to remind myself to balance things out. If it means I gotta be somewhere and have to leave at the drop of a hat and cannot pre-plan well due to lack of notice, its too much stress for me. Last employer I worked for, did not give me but a days notice to be somewhere half way across another state.

 

I think you misunderstood me about my brother. My brother got a woman knocked up and clung to her for various reasons. They then had more children as a means to manipulate the system to get bigger benefits and paybacks from govt. assistance. He essentially became the epitome of the stereotypical govt. dependant person. His motives were in the wrong place at the time.

 

What I wish he would have done is better established himself in the direction he wanted to take. He had dreams of a wood business but because he was thinking with the wrong head, it got backwards. Initially, I was really mad at him for having his kids when he did. Especially with his wife. She did not give a rats arse about the kids and was gone for days. She would come back with vehicles that they did not own, cash and be passed out on the couch for days when she came back. We suspect she was doing meth when pregnant and also suspect some of the kids are not my brothers.

 

These kids have been neglected in more ways than one. It saddens me to see them to go through so many things that they already have. Could my brother have done better? Maybe. Do I regret that he has lived the life he did? Somewhat.. But hey, its not my life so it does not matter much. He himself has gone through alot. I must say, putting all that aside, I have seen him have to do some desperate things to get by. Has he been honest in doing it? I dunno. I hope so! I have respect for him though, as things have been slowly getting better and he is seeing more financially to provide better. But unfortunately, the kids still lack a real father figure. I fear that the oldest may end up doing drugs, in a gang, get killed at a young age or end up in prison soon.

 

Alright now, back to topic!

We used to do some crazy stuff. Can you imagine anyone letting a kid on a roof these days to clean gutters? We did. Washed cars, mowed lawns.

Sister In Law has a son, just graduated HS.  Never had a job, so far no money need but gees, his Mom has a disability & this kid isn't smart enough to shovel what the paid plow man can't behind the cars (in front of the garage doors!)  Earlier this winter, Nit-Wit left his car out as usual before a big snow storm, plow guy came in the early morning, had to plow around it...  What did he think was going to happen?   Kid learned to put his car in the garage when it's going to snow. 

 

I want one of those snow-burners!  How about a pipe burner on the front of my ATV??  (Get rid of the weeds too!  LOL!!)   

I've been in biz a long time. In the 90's things were great. Loads of money everywhere. Now many different explainable, some unexplainable circumstances surrounding the U.S. my biz is just a skeleton of what it used to be.

 

Yes, some say it's a matter of advertisement and promoting the biz more but, I have discovered it better to keep the few good clients and their friends/ family in the scheme. This because so many need to scrape bottom for the least expensive price anymore, seemingly breeding greater acceptance of lesser quality. I refuse to get caught up in this scenario that seems to carry a higher degree of customers that are unhappy. It's a shame to work for so little too with no real wage/ profit anymore.

 

What has happened??? I cannot say.... I'm 62 and can still out work the young guys, some telling me they cannot believe I've worked that hard all my life.

 

I don't think it's any one aspect of what is wrong... it's many factors, along with seemingly diminishing good ethics in most areas and a lot of people.

 

Anymore I can only trust the Lord, but, can't help feeling tremendous disappointment about wasting so many good quality skills I've acquired in 36 years of hard, hands on work. It's been a very satisfying, otherwise, to say the least.

Edited February 9, 201411 yr by JAG1

One more thought...... all these housing developments, rules and regulations, community parks and their rules, stripped of their natural vegetation, housing so close together there is no where for kids to get creative, play rough, learn what hard work does in creating a fort,  or building cars into the wee morning hours. Not to mention ordinances about starting a biz.

 

It's very unfortunate to see so many overweight and non overweight kids stuck in this urban, over ruled, over ordinancized, structured surrounding.

 

It is no wonder they are becoming lazy tv watchers, video game addicts, internet addicts, some just plain addicts, participating in mostly the same of what most parents do themselves.

 

I can't help thinking...... are they are left with not much choice?

 

When I grew up I had the woods to be wild, build igloo type forts out of big fir branches, climb trees and have my bud chop it down for the ride going down. We were mountain biking back then thru the woods on street bikes. We were wild back then but not bad kids. Man I tell you.... kids now a days don't know what true freedom and fun really is.

 

We are loosing the real backbone building in our youth today.

Edited February 10, 201411 yr by JAG1

Very much the same way me and my siblings were raised. We used to watch cartoons on Saturday mornings and then if you weren't out the door mom would be more than happy to show you where it was. Once out the door we were pretty much on our own. Just be sure you were home for supper. Then we were out until the street lights came on.

Very much the same way me and my siblings were raised. We used to watch cartoons on Saturday mornings and then if you weren't out the door mom would be more than happy to show you where it was. Once out the door we were pretty much on our own. Just be sure you were home for supper. Then we were out until the street lights came on.

 

Same here………..

 

 

We had lots of kids of varying ages in my 'hood growing up.  Always had something going on………………baseball, football, hide-and-seek, kick-the-can, sandboxes, picking on the kid with glasses (me) etc.

 

Then when we got a bit older;  working on cars, hunting, fishing, spin-the-bottle, etc.  Then summer jobs……………working on the dairy farm;  milking, spreading ****, making hay, stacking hay, filling silos, etc.  

 

Working where my Dad worked as a day laborer during college on the semester breaks.

 

Not to forget the title of my OP………………shoveling snow in the winter for the elderly neighbors and anyone that'd pay me to do so!!!

 

Poor "work ethic" amongst the yutes in our country nowadays.  They believe they're "ENTITLED" to a job for the simple fact of "just being".  How many go thru catastrophic failure syndrome when Not Hired For a Job, and/or Being Fired From a Job???????   Usually for being, at best mediocre, and getting replaced by a "go-getter"!!!

Edited February 10, 201411 yr by dorkweed

two words.. "agenda 21"

I'm a young buck. Turning 21 next month but I feel like I am not part of the common young people group in the country. Since I turned 16 I have been legally employed somewhere. I lived in the country north of Yakima, WA and I know what it's like to be outside all the time. I never watched tv, I didn't even play sports at school because I was either working or going to tech school.

I will admit I don't have the life experience that most everyone else here does but I really feel like I have bested the current predicament that most of the youth are in.

I do have to say, the world of employment for anyone under 18 years old is almost nonexistent for anywhere but ND. I think insurance plays a huge role there but in WA I couldn't even get a job washing cars at a dealership because I wasn't 18.

That might be part of the problem is people don't want to hire kids, so the kids don't do anything, so they won't go look for jobs. It's a vicious cycle.

Perspective from trades people...billable hourly rate for general construction and landscape have remained stagnant for almost 25 years. We were billing $35 a man hour back in the 90's. Hard to get more than that now except in specialized areas. We've seen an influx of Hispanic labor that did not exist in the northwest before. When doing sales with new potential customers that moved up from California they were floored by our rates. Said in California they had a crew of 5-6 come by for a half hour for like $25. It's getting close to that now.

A friend of mine who is an engineer in his 50's is having trouble finding decent employment. They get guys from India that are willing to work 80-100 hours a week while Americans want a 40 hour work week. Then they say we need more visas because we have a shortage of engineers.

These two trends although in different fields are both examples of where our economy has gone.

I'm a young buck. Turning 21 next month but I feel like I am not part of the common young people group in the country. Since I turned 16 I have been legally employed somewhere. I lived in the country north of Yakima, WA and I know what it's like to be outside all the time. I never watched tv, I didn't even play sports at school because I was either working or going to tech school.

I will admit I don't have the life experience that most everyone else here does but I really feel like I have bested the current predicament that most of the youth are in.

I do have to say, the world of employment for anyone under 18 years old is almost nonexistent for anywhere but ND. I think insurance plays a huge role there but in WA I couldn't even get a job washing cars at a dealership because I wasn't 18.

That might be part of the problem is people don't want to hire kids, so the kids don't do anything, so they won't go look for jobs. It's a vicious cycle.

 

Keep up the good work.... I appreciate your post and what you are doing.

Perspective from trades people...billable hourly rate for general construction and landscape have remained stagnant for almost 25 years. We were billing $35 a man hour back in the 90's. Hard to get more than that now except in specialized areas. We've seen an influx of Hispanic labor that did not exist in the northwest before. When doing sales with new potential customers that moved up from California they were floored by our rates. Said in California they had a crew of 5-6 come by for a half hour for like $25. It's getting close to that now.

A friend of mine who is an engineer in his 50's is having trouble finding decent employment. They get guys from India that are willing to work 80-100 hours a week while Americans want a 40 hour work week. Then they say we need more visas because we have a shortage of engineers.

These two trends although in different fields are both examples of where our economy has gone.

 

...man, I dunno how to even digest that.

 

 

A while back, I seen signs at McDonald's that said, "hiring, must be 18 or older".

 

:banghead:

 

I would'nt be where I'am today if they did not hire me as a minor! I got hired by them at 17.

They can hire younger, but what they are allowed to do is limited. Chick hire alot of juniors as have others I have worked for over the years.