I was born in the middle of the Great Depression. My Dad was driving a tractor for one of the farmers in the Southern San Joaquin Valley of California. His pay was 18 cents per hour for a 10-12 hour day, that’s two bucks a day, or 12 U.S. dollars a week. That’s for six days, of course. After all, even God rested one day a week.

My parents, George and Gladys, were both high school graduates and there were many families where neither parent had a diploma. Regardless, most parents in the era wanted their children to have a better life than theirs. The American Dream. And, many parents were successful in delivering on the “Dream.”

Having worked with young people for over 50 years it is clear to me that the parents of today and probably the past 25 years have failed and are failing to deliver that dream. Not because of lack of effort on their part but for two primary reasons:

They had great lives themselves which would be difficult to top and,
Their children think they are entitled to the great life just because
they are on the planet.

No one is entitled to anything for just “showing up.” Children today are smarter, know more “stuff” and have had more experiences than I or my peers ever had. All, mostly, engineered by their parents. They are not prepared for life’s work thinking that a college degree ensures any particular outcome.

In my day and with generations that followed, if you were a student you had a summer job. You know, all those jobs that you did that told you what jobs you didn’t want to do for the rest of your life. Most college students today think that if they work for two or three weeks of the summer that will be sufficient as long as it doesn’t interfere with anything else they want to do.

The summer before my senior year my wife was expecting our first child in July. The doctor said it would be $100.00 to get them out of the hospital. I worked 100 hours for a dollar per an hour over an 8 day period to get my $100.00. I was loading box cars in 105 degree heat. One day we loaded 4,000 boxes. That was a three man crew. My point? I learned how to work.

Young people need to know that they are hired for their potential and that climbing that hill is a process of learning that requires learning from the ground up. Earning a position starts with a JOB. You can be the sharpest pencil in the box, but you will need training.

Don’t forget to pick up your copy of Microwave Leadership. Coach Todd’s guide to effective performance. You can purchase it on lulu.com.