I remember being in my early 20s and working at Belk as a college student. I worked in shipping and receiving/ cleaning crew. We clocked in at 5 am to unload the trucks and if there was no truck then we would vacuum and clean the store. At this point in my life, I was a partying college student, so I was late more days than less. I used to work for this guy named Brad. He used to tell me he was a redneck because his neck was literally red. But Brad was one of the best bosses I had in my lifetime. He kept it real on an astronomical level. Brad also told me I'd never get a job fresh out of college starting at a 40,000 salary. We'll come back to that later.
On the weekends Brad was off and we would come in to open the store for one of the rotating floor managers. One Saturday, I came in to open the store for Lori. She was one of the floor managers and was highly unpleasant to work with. We were sitting in the breakroom and she started asking me about my college career choices. I enthusiastically told her my major and my plans afterwards. She immediately frowned up and said, "well you know old habits carry over. You're late all the time here and you will probably do the same there." I replied with some smart azz comment about the job being $7.50 an hour and something else. Now I do not fault Lori for her comments, I just never forgot that shit. In her defense, she honestly thought that I would never be shit. Before you get the wrong idea, I’m not telling you to be late or not work hard at your jobs that get you by while you're in college. Keep in mind I worked for Brad and not Lori. He knew my work ethic, she didn't. All she seen was a dread head dragging in late and half drunk on Saturday mornings 🤷🏾♂️. Do what you need to do while you're working your part time jobs, but you should always know your worth! There are people who put their all into these low budget jobs every day because they don't know their worth. They will work their ass off for seven or more years trying to move up to the next level which won't even pay them half of what their worth. But the company "loves" them. I worked at Belk for 3 years. I quit a few months after I graduated college. Today, I almost triple the salary Lori was making at Belk. If I seen her now, I would want to say, "Bitch look at me now." But that would be rude and unnecessary. On top of that, I'll probably never see her again, so I'll just type that shit here!
Anyways, I'm not saying or implying that I'm better than her in any shape, form, or fashion because she was doing what worked for her. I knew my worth and potential, so I was pursuing what was going to work for me. At the end of the day, people are going to see what you are doing from their perspective and form their own personal opinions and judgments about you. Do not let that detour you from your mission. As I mentioned earlier Brad told me I'd never find a job making 40,000 fresh out of college. I started my first career job fresh out of college making 45,000 a year. That was 8 years ago. Once you formulate your plan and assess your worth, do not let anyone or anything stand in the way of you achieving your goals. Know your worth and cash that shit out!