Amongst the people in America that are low paid and low educated are those who own small-town, family operated businesses. I have first hand experience with a small, local, family owned establishment as I worked for one for nearly two years. From summer of my freshman/sophomore year to the june of my junior year, I worked at a small golf course in the city that I lived in. It was a five minute drive to work and I was able to work there nearly every day. The pay was minimum and I soon realized just how hard the people work there just to make the same wages as me.
Nearly every person there was working on minimum wage, from the guys in the pro shop to the pro himself, everyone was scrapping money together to make a living. My boss was the guy who did all the landscaping, mowing, and any handiwork that needed to be done. He lived on the course in his 5th wheel trailer so he never had to leave or pay gas money to commute to work. From the time I arrived till the time that I left, I never took anything for granted. No one there, including the owner, had a college education, and I doubt very many of them had high school diplomas.
The people I worked with were among the hardest working people I’ve had the pleasure to be around. Every day they came into work with a smile on their faces and worked 12+ hours to put food on the table for their families. My low wage life was one where I gained the experience that no one else I knew had. Every kid I grew up with either didn’t have a job, or worked a at nice establishment that paid well. In the long run as I look back, I am glad that I was able to see the world through a “different” set of eyes.
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