garyt1957
My neighbor's kid... he mowed my lawn during the growing seasons his last two years in HS for extra spending money. Did an awesome job. His work ethic impressed me. I always joked with him that I hated to see him leave and go on to college, because I would never be able to replace the quality of work he did.
Except he didn't go onto college. He got his certification through the local community college to become a welder while in high school. He loves welding... has aspirations of becoming an underwater welder (which pays top dollar), and is in the process of saving up enough money to add that certification to his resume. In the meantime, he landed a job making $22/hr at a local metal fabrication company, straight out of HS. With optional overtime pay if he wants the added work.
No college loans to pay back, and a good company he's working for with plenty of opportunity to grow and advance his skills, not to mention good benefits. He's 19 years old. He still lives at home with his folks, as do a lot of kids just starting out. I hear him firing up his truck at 5 am every morning as he heads off to work for his 10-hr shift. The truck - that was from his dad who promised it to him if he got a job after he graduated. It's several years old but looks brand new. He's always washing and cleaning it in his spare time. He appreciates it. I'd appreciate it even more if he'd put a new muffler on it though. LOL...
Part of it is the work ethic. Another part of it is an involved parent who doesn't pamper their kids, teaches them the value of hard work and to always be working toward something.
As much as I want to credit this kid's work ethic and ambition, I can't help but be impressed with how his parents raised him. They planted the seeds, and during that time they helped make the ground fertile so the seeds would grow. We cannot overlook the value of good parenting!