Dead End Job or Dead End Attitude

"I won't get out of bed for less than $20 an hour" or why would I take a minimum wage job, they are a waste of time?"

Are you guilty of saying this or have you heard someone else say this? That is a clear sign of a Dead End Attitude. The amazing thing about people who defiantly state they won't work for less than $30 an hour or they should be making at least $50 per hour is that they usually have NEVER earned that kind of money. I have had people tell me that they believe a sales clerk in a convenience store or service station should be paid more than the going rate because that is what most decent jobs pay. These people have somehow missed the reality bus.

With a few exceptions I won't mention, most people are paid according to the difficulty of their positions. It is simple supply and demand. You would pay an engineer much more money than a gas attendant. There are far fewer people who can handle the responsibilities of an engineer than there are people who can pump gas. Naturally, when something is rare we are willing to pay more for it. So if you want to be paid $30 per hour, then develop skills that are worth $30 per hour.

As for a job being a dead end, that is often a matter of perception. A pub and nightclub owner told me of a young man who came to work for him about ten years ago. He was 17 and looked desperate. The young man asked for a job busing tables or washing dishes. The business owner told him that he would give him the opportunity but under one condition - that he stayed clean and sober at all times. He warned him that if he caught him using drugs or coming to work drunk, he would be fired immediately. The young man eagerly accepted the terms.

Nine years later, the young man treated the businessman and his family to a meal and drinks at the pub he now owned. He used this opportunity to thank the businessman for giving him the job and teaching him enough about the industry so that he was able to purchase his own pub.

Don't just look at what the job pays or what initial duties are. Focus on where this opportunity could take you and how it could be a steppingstone. It is only a dead end job if you decide it is.