I grew up in a small central Pennsylvania town. It was most built as a railroad town. Railroad manufacturing and research where for the most part the main industry. My grandfathers on both sides of my family worked for the railroad. My father and his father were engineers. Yes like Arlo Guthrie sang about we rode our fathers magic carpets made of steel. There were a few other employers the mills and small factories. The coal mines away from up in the hills. Some small farms were around but mostly the bulk of the economy was as I stated the railroad industry.
I could never see myself following in my dad's footsteps. Railroad engineers spent long hours on the trains. I almost never saw my dad to the long odd hours he worked, he was either at work or sleeping. It was a life I wanted no part of. The real deal breaker for me was although he made decent money the way the unions worked is that seniority ruled. So no matter what you did you could never get anywhere as long as someone who hired on before you was still there. What disincentive!
I was on the high school wrestling team and I loved wrestling because for one thing it was an individual sort and you earned your victories by beating someone one on one. After I graduated I couldn't find that competition and satisfaction in the mills and the mines. So I tried to be a DJ but I just lost focus on that, beside radio didn't pay well and my dad was against the thought of working for the experience. It wasn't his mentality. Since I lived under his roof and had no money my options were limited.
That's when I stumbled into my first career, retail.
(to be continued.)
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