Back in late 70's I was attending Connely Skill Center to learn how to repair Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Equipment .
It was during this time a friend told me abut this Industries place on the south side that liked to hire eagle scouts. they where primarily machinists but I would be doing machine repair not machinist work .
Sounded good so I looked into it and arranged an interview. They wanted to hire me the next day but I first wanted to finish school . You don't worry about that you do not need to finish school you will never need those skills in your life working here the boss giving the interview told me . What give up schooling are you kidding me ? You go to be kidding me I told him he said no he was not I told him I was not interested in the job . He said well when you finish school your welcome to come back and apply I never did , any one telling me not to finish school they where out of there mind and definitely not some place I want to work.
The one thing I learned well from my grandfather and many friends his age who have all passed now with time and who lived thru the great depression was you never ever stop learning and you finish what you start.
because it will give you the skills and knowledge you need to make it in the toughest of times like they did .
If this was the attitude of this company sorry I am not interested and in the long run it was a good idea as they where a major supplier to the steel mills which where getting ready to crash which I knew was coming which means with little seniority I would be out the door and you can imagine how many machinists lost there jobs as CNC automatic machines where coming on the market . The company would see dire times and actually move out of the city and now they have recovered but it took a long time for them. In mean time using all those skills I acquired allowed me to stay in Pittsburgh and make a living and start my own business as my health declined another issue I would be dealing with while my friends and neighbors would all go running from here and now all wish they had not and want to come back to Pittsburgh . I never went to my parents during the hard times for money like my friends I took out the high interest loans etc and paid everyone of them off because my parents did not have the money and I was going to stand on my own two feet .
Yes I went thru very hard times but it would have been even harder had I not finished refrigeration school because like electric that's one skill always needed by some one .
I know many in the Eagle Scout community where upset I walked away from the opportunity but what did I walk away from a job where I would not have had even a tenth of the adventures good or bad I have had in my life.
That's the one thing that has always made people so jealous of me I live life by my rules and I am self made by the sweat of my brow . Something they could never hope to attain because they had to always play by and follow the big corporation game.
But then again that's why I am the Lone Eagle Scout
What about you ?
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