It might have been an unexpected path to success, but the lessons he learned were priceless as he moved forward in his career.
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My first job in sales was as a bilingual sales rep for a satellite TV retailer. Being fluent in Spanish, they needed me desperately. They were getting calls from Spanish-speaking customers in the area that wanted to sign up for the Spanish speaking TV packages they were offering, but they didn’t have anybody at the time that could speak Spanish. In fact, they hired me on the spot. I wasn’t even done with what I considered to still be the interview and they already had me taking calls.
It would appear that when you don’t have as many material things in life your love for the things that actually matter is far greater.
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Part of the job required me to make house calls to interested parties to sign them up in person. Sometimes this required me to go to trailer parks. I would go to the scheduled appointment and then make sales calls to their neighbors. Prior to that point in my life, I hadn’t spent much time in trailer parks. The lessons I learned from that job have stuck with me throughout life, have made me a better person, and have moved my career forward.
Sometimes in life the people that have the least to give are the most generous.
The people I visited in the trailer parks were not wealthy, far from it. Yet, many of them offered to feed me dinner. A hot homemade meal to a guy who was spending his evenings making house calls in trailer parks was a welcomed sight. I’ll never forget the generosity that was extended to me, by people that had so little to give.
Money can’t buy you love or happiness.
I met lots of happy families in the trailer parks I visited. Many of them were quite poor (not all of them.) However, the love they had for each other was evident the minute I walked into their homes. It would appear that when you don’t have as many material things in life your love for the things that actually matter is far greater. You don’t need to buy a lot of crap to be happy.
Anyone can be poor, it just takes one life event to happen and then your world gets rocked.
Several of the people whose homes I visited told me about their life journeys. These stories included tragic accidents, hardship, or addictions that lead them from the middle class into a life of poverty. One tragic event can cause a domino effect that is tough to recover from. Many of them lived alone. I often wondered what happened to their friends and family. The stories I was told made me appreciate what I have and helped me realize that life can be altered forever in a matter of moments.
I’m not perfect, so why should I judge others?
The experience of going door-to-door in trailer parks and the genuine interaction I had with the people who lived there helped me to stop being judgmental. The sooner we can realize that we are more alike than we are different and stop judging others for being different, the better off the world will be.
To move forward in your career, you have to grind.
Sometimes you have to be willing do to do the work you could never imagine yourself doing to get to the places you would like to go. Door-to-door sales in trailer parks is hardly a glamorous job. When I pointed out a few of the trailer parks to friends where I had been the night before making sales, they thought I was nuts. However, there are certain times in our careers where need to check our egos and just go out, roll up our sleeves, and earn a paycheck.
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However, there are certain times in our careers where need to check our egos and just go out, roll up our sleeves, and earn a paycheck.
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I’m glad I did it. The time I spent at this job gave me the experience, skills, and success stories I needed to pursue better opportunities in my career. Jobs that didn’t require me to go to trailer parks at night. There’s something to be said for working the day shift at an office.
Now, I’d like to hear from you. Have you ever worked a job that was less than glamorous? What did you learn? Did it help you reach new heights in your career? Share your story in the comments.
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Photo: Getty Images
Great insight and experience! thanks for the reminders too.
Another fine post, John. Sometimes we learn the best lessons fulfilling the work we didn’t want to do in the first place. Sounds like you learned more about humanity than selling video service in this case. Well done, my friend.