by Larraine Bishop

Created on: June 16, 2008

You may pass up the opportunity of a lifetime by passing up a job because it has tasks you do not like. Consider the following scenario.

A couple of years ago I needed some minor things done around my home. I hired a handyman and found he was looking for an assistant. The handyman was willing to train the assistant on the job. He had a heart to help someone get started in a construction career and was also willing to recommend this apprentice to others in the construction field later. I knew of a young man just graduating from high school who wanted a job. His mother was moving to another state and he chose to stay in the area and continue to rent the apartment he had shared with his mother. He made it known that he would like to do home construction and repair work. He seemed eager for the opportunity. After meeting the young man, the handyman decided to give him the job.

The young man began working on various projects around my home. He would tell me almost daily how he didn't like this or that about the project he was working on. I finally asked him if he truly wanted to work in home construction and repair. His reply was that he did, but his father had told him when he was younger that he should never do a job that he did not enjoy. I was dumbfounded that a father would give a son such advice. Maybe the son misunderstood what the father was trying to get across to him.

As the project continued, the young man cut corners on every part of the job that he did not care for. His attitude definitely reflected in the finished job. He liked to use a hammer. He was excellent at hammering wood floors and framing, etc. Unfortunately, working as a handyman's assistant included much more than what he liked to do. While framing a wall, he did not like to measure or saw the boards. He rushed through that part of the job and the frame was a mess because it was not measured or cut correctly. The boards had to be scrapped and the job started over again. We lost precious time and the cost of materials and labor. I begged the handyman to be patient with him as the job market was very tight and I did not want to see this young man without an income. Finally after months of struggle, he was laid off.

This occurred several years ago. The last time I heard of this young man he was still struggling to provide for himself. I wish he could have seen the big picture that when you do a job, you will have to do a lot of tasks that you do not like to do. If he had been trainable, it is very

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