ARTICLE
All this talk about jobs lately got me thinking about a topic that makes almost every successful person I’ve met smile: summer jobs. You know — working a stand at Dorney Park, lifeguarding at your community pool, waiting tables at a restaurant down the shore or mowing lawns in the neighborhood. Anything to make a summer buck. To younger readers, your summer job will no doubt be something that shapes you. It’s also something you’ll always remember. Take my friend who was a Morning Call paper boy and is now a hugely successful entrepreneur. Or my business partner who was a McDonald’s counter employee and now an IRS agent. Or my high school friend who painted fire hydrants all summer and is now an incredibly successful attorney. Then there’s Dorney Park Vice President and General Manager Michael Fehnel, who started working games of chance while in high school and today runs the entire park. Ask them to think about their summer jobs growing up, and it’s nothing but fond memories. Where many of us start out professionally has little or nothing to do with where we end up. Many of us made a living by what may appear to be dumb luck. We had a hobby we loved, connected to a person who opened doors or luckily landed a job and it just clicked. It clicked so much that it made us a living, and in so many cases, a darn good one. My dad was big on hustling and “making a buck” as he put it. When he lost his business, he picked himself up and worked two, and at times, three jobs. He taught me the value of relentless hard work. When it snowed, he encouraged his children to go out shoveling for extra money. During the holidays, we’d go caroling and appreciative neighbors would throw us some change. In the summer, it was mowing lawns. It added up, and in those days a little extra cash went a long way. Unfortunately a little extra cash went much further than it does today. Back then, you could pay for most of your college or buy a car on a summer job. Try that today … good luck! At the moment, the economy is white hot. What I hear from businesses more than anything else is “We need good workers.” Businesses need people who aren’t afraid to dive in, learn a job and make a difference. They are looking for employees who are ready to pay their dues, climb out of bed even when they don’t want to, or listen to a supervisor they’re not so crazy about. They need employees who are willing to work toward making the company’s future brighter. Here’s the good news. Unemployment is now just over 4 percent in the Lehigh Valley, which means we are virtually at full employment. Our country’s gross domestic product surpassed 4 percent for the first time in four years, and for those who thought manufacturing has lost its relevance, we have gained more than 400,000 jobs since the start of 2017. We are not stopping. Due to workforce initiatives, more than 4 million Americans will receive training for skilled work positions. Our economy is thriving, and it’s only going to get stronger. Not only are good jobs waiting for motivated workers, there are abundant part-time jobs too. I know many people who built a good life for their families by working two jobs. Maybe they spent their weekends as a server and their nights cleaning offices. Whatever it took, they just hustled to make a better life. So here’s to all you hard-working, dues-paying, family-feeding, and never-give-up types who reach out to grab the ring, to those who worked through illness, navigated through conflict and never gave up on a better life. This is the land of opportunity for you dreamers. The fact is, many of you don’t recognize it. Look around: Perhaps you’re not living in a palace or driving a Bentley, but you did it. You are feeding your family, sending children to college and paying for weddings. “You done good,” as they say, maybe better than you realize. So, pat yourself on the back, put a smile on your face and go outside and do something fun. After all, it’s summer and you deserve a walk in the park, a swim in the ocean or a burger on the grill. Smile, and bask in your success! Tony Iannelli is president and CEO of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached at tonyi@lehighvalleychamber.org. Read the original article here.
All this talk about jobs lately got me thinking about a topic that makes almost every successful person I’ve met smile: summer jobs.
You know — working a stand at Dorney Park, lifeguarding at your community pool, waiting tables at a restaurant down the shore or mowing lawns in the neighborhood. Anything to make a summer buck.
To younger readers, your summer job will no doubt be something that shapes you. It’s also something you’ll always remember.
Take my friend who was a Morning Call paper boy and is now a hugely successful entrepreneur. Or my business partner who was a McDonald’s counter employee and now an IRS agent. Or my high school friend who painted fire hydrants all summer and is now an incredibly successful attorney. Then there’s Dorney Park Vice President and General Manager Michael Fehnel, who started working games of chance while in high school and today runs the entire park.
Ask them to think about their summer jobs growing up, and it’s nothing but fond memories.
Where many of us start out professionally has little or nothing to do with where we end up. Many of us made a living by what may appear to be dumb luck. We had a hobby we loved, connected to a person who opened doors or luckily landed a job and it just clicked. It clicked so much that it made us a living, and in so many cases, a darn good one.
My dad was big on hustling and “making a buck” as he put it. When he lost his business, he picked himself up and worked two, and at times, three jobs. He taught me the value of relentless hard work. When it snowed, he encouraged his children to go out shoveling for extra money. During the holidays, we’d go caroling and appreciative neighbors would throw us some change. In the summer, it was mowing lawns. It added up, and in those days a little extra cash went a long way.
Unfortunately a little extra cash went much further than it does today. Back then, you could pay for most of your college or buy a car on a summer job. Try that today … good luck!
At the moment, the economy is white hot. What I hear from businesses more than anything else is “We need good workers.” Businesses need people who aren’t afraid to dive in, learn a job and make a difference. They are looking for employees who are ready to pay their dues, climb out of bed even when they don’t want to, or listen to a supervisor they’re not so crazy about. They need employees who are willing to work toward making the company’s future brighter.
Here’s the good news. Unemployment is now just over 4 percent in the Lehigh Valley, which means we are virtually at full employment. Our country’s gross domestic product surpassed 4 percent for the first time in four years, and for those who thought manufacturing has lost its relevance, we have gained more than 400,000 jobs since the start of 2017.
We are not stopping. Due to workforce initiatives, more than 4 million Americans will receive training for skilled work positions. Our economy is thriving, and it’s only going to get stronger.
Not only are good jobs waiting for motivated workers, there are abundant part-time jobs too. I know many people who built a good life for their families by working two jobs. Maybe they spent their weekends as a server and their nights cleaning offices. Whatever it took, they just hustled to make a better life.
So here’s to all you hard-working, dues-paying, family-feeding, and never-give-up types who reach out to grab the ring, to those who worked through illness, navigated through conflict and never gave up on a better life.
This is the land of opportunity for you dreamers.
The fact is, many of you don’t recognize it. Look around: Perhaps you’re not living in a palace or driving a Bentley, but you did it. You are feeding your family, sending children to college and paying for weddings. “You done good,” as they say, maybe better than you realize.
So, pat yourself on the back, put a smile on your face and go outside and do something fun. After all, it’s summer and you deserve a walk in the park, a swim in the ocean or a burger on the grill. Smile, and bask in your success!
Tony Iannelli is president and CEO of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached at tonyi@lehighvalleychamber.org.
Read the original article here.