Getting Paid to Learn

Apr 6th 2006 12:40AM

We all want our dream job, or to run our own companies. In reality its a lot easier said then done.  In reality we need a job that pays the bills and cant wait out the search for the perfect situation. Which leads to the question, what kind of job should you settle for when you cant or dont have the job you want ?

Not everyones situation is going to be the same, but for the recent graduate, the answer is pretty straightforward, at least I thought it was when I graduated. You continue your education.

Go back to school ? No. Get your MBA ? No. 

For most recent college grads, you just spent the last 4 or so years paying tuition to get an education. Now that you have graduated, its your chance to get paid to learn.

When I graduated from Indiana, I certainly didnt dream of working for a bank. I wanted a job where I could learn more about computers. So I took a job working for Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh. I helped on systems conversions. Taking old manual systems at small banks and helping them convert to automated systems. I wasnt that good at it. The job was fun for the first couple months because I worked with a lot of fun people. But as the months wore on, I liked it less and less, and I had to tell myself more and more, exactly why I was there. I was getting paid to learn about how computers work, how big companies work, how middle managers work and that was a whole lot better than paying tuition to get a business education.

I lasted all of 9 months at that job. I lasted about 8 months at my next job, working for a company called Tronics 2000. At Tronics 2000, our mission was to try franchise the TV repair industry.  The company was supposed to be entrepreneurial. It was supposed to be looking at expanding into franchsing into the computer repair business. (They had me write an analysis of the opportunity in my off time) . As it turns out, it basically was none of the above. But I got paid my 18k per year and I learned a whole lot.

The company sold a total 1 franchises. That I sold . Again, I was far from a great employee. I spent too much time having fun at the expense of doing my job to the best of my ability. Going to work hungover once a week isnt a good career move. So in some respects I cheated them. No excuses on my part.

The job was also frustrating. Calling and calling and calling on TV repair shops trying to explain the value of franchising wasnt an easy cold call. But l learned how to cold call. I learned not to be afraid of picking up a Yellow Pages book and making calls.

I also go to talk to an old industry veteran Larry Menaugh. Larry wrote the very first service contracts in the electronics industry. He was a wise old vet. We didnt talk much about the company or the industry, but after meetings we would sit in, we would talk about how to get the job done. He would give me honest critiques of things I was doing, and coming from Larry, I knew they were right.  I wish I could go back and thank him.

I lasted in that job about 9 months as well, and from there took off to Dallas, Tx in search of fun, sun, money and women.

I was 23. I had no money. The 77 FIAT i was driving drank oil faster than I could drink beer and had a huge hole in the floor. I was going to stay on the floor of some friends who had moved from IU to a huge apartment complex in Dallas.



I had no idea what the future would bring, but I knew I had taken a few classes in real world business and got paid for it instead of paying tuition and I had every intention of continuing to do the same thing until things worked out.

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