The Paperboy
As a kid, I was made to join the workforce at quite a young age - 11, I believe. My first job was a classic. I was a paper delivery boy for my local paper, The North Bay Nugget, circa 2001-2002, just a few short years before the internet became mainstream and media largely moved online.
It was a hard job - particularly for a kid who was small for his age. Every day I got a stack of newspapers to deliver and even if I had school, or I was sick, or there was 2ft of snow on the road, those papers had to be delivered, on foot, one at time.
The Sunday papers were particularly a challenge. They were 4x the size of the standard editorials due to ad spaces, weekly local news summaries and higher volumes of personal ads.
Every 2 weeks, It was accounting day. As I walked the neighbourhoods with my bag of newspapers that was almost as big as I was, I carried a change sac with a receipt book I filled out by hand. I knocked on every door to collect payments from the customers, issued their receipts, counted their change, thanked them for their business, handed them that day's paper and went to the next house.
At the time, I didn't like the job. I dealt with back pain from the weight of the bags (one on each shoulder every Sunday), bitter cold in winter, irate customers who didn't always want to pay their bill, and to my surprise, bullies who would sometimes follow me down the street harassing me for being a loser with a job.
Although I detested that job and what I had to go through everyday to get it done, today, I'm immensely grateful to have had it.
It laid the foundations for grit, determination, humble disposition, person accountability and dedication that have helped me overcome some of the most difficult times life's thrown at me since.
It taught me to talk to people, to be self-motivated, to be a leader, and to value the satisfaction of overcoming resistance in order to provide a service to my community.
My pay was low, but my impact was high and the experience stuck with me. 23 years later, I still remember it like it was yesterday.
Do you have a paperboy-type story that helped in the same way? Share it in the comments!