Rule #118 – Keep Moving
Submitted Question: “How did you get your first job?”
Submitted by: Andrew
I graduated from Penn State in August of 1981—right into the teeth of a recession. The good news? I finished in three years. The bad news? I walked into a job market with 10% unemployment. Mortgage rates hit 18.75% the month I graduated—the highest ever. Nothing was working in the economy.
To make things worse, I had planned to become a land developer and work for a major builder. My degree was in Man-Environment Relations (MER)—a Bachelor of Science program meant to prepare me for site planning and environmental assessment. Problem was, in 1981, no one was building or developing anything.
So I set out for my first “real job” underprepared, underqualified—but extremely enthusiastic.
My First Job (Ever)
I started working at 15 when a friend of my dad’s got me a prestigious job at the old West Point Amusement Park—picking up cigarette butts from the gravel. Sounds glamorous, I know. It was far worse.
I quit after two weeks. My dad was deeply disappointed, convinced I’d thrown away my future in the “entertainment industry.”
But I had bigger dreams: the exciting world of fast food.
The closest place to my house was GINO’S—a now-defunct chain that specialized in burgers (the “Gino Giant”) and KFC chicken. They weren’t hiring in 1976, but I applied five times. I was just annoying enough to wear them down.
I finally landed the job, earning a whopping $1.83/hour training wage. And I was thrilled. That poly-blend shirt and paper hat gave me something I hadn’t had before:
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My own money
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Redemption in my father’s eyes
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And some of the best friends I’ve ever known
I was one of the worst chicken cooks they ever hired. But I was dependable, resilient, and—most importantly—I showed up. I lived ten minutes away and had no social life, so I worked over 40 hours a week.
When I wasn’t working, I was out with coworkers—Jim, Jeff, Al, Marie, Ken, Rick… the list goes on. That job changed me in ways I’ll never be able to fully thank the company for. It taught me that work isn’t just about a paycheck.
It gives you pride.
It gives you a place in the universe.
Everything I needed to know to be successful, I learned in that chicken room.
My First Post-Graduation Job
When I started looking for my first real job after college, I kept that same energy.
I took 80+ interviews at Penn State.
I sent out 500+ letters.
I received 1 job offer.
It was from Franco Harris—yes, that Franco Harris, of “Immaculate Reception” fame. He had fast food chicken franchises in Pittsburgh and offered me a role as an assistant manager for $13K a year.
I turned it down—but not before meeting Franco in person. He was Penn State royalty. Rest in peace.
Instead, I took an unpaid internship with the Montgomery County Planning Commission. That led to a job offer as Assistant Township Manager in Souderton, PA—a low-pay, dead-end role. So I kept going.
I kept moving.
Eventually, a friend of my dad’s mentioned that Harleysville Insurance was hiring underwriting trainees. I got an interview.
While waiting in the lobby, I picked up a copy of the Philadelphia Journal and read an article about the woman I was about to interview with. She had just received her CPCU. In 10 minutes, I learned what a CPCU was, what an underwriter did, and enough to pretend I knew what I was talking about.
I told her I was passionate about becoming an underwriter and eager to pursue a CPCU (whatever that was).
She bought it.
I got the job. $13,500/year.
What I Learned
Looking back, I wasn’t the most qualified candidate for any job I got.
But I had one thing going for me:
I never stopped.
I pushed even when the job was over my head.
I applied everywhere.
I showed up.
And eventually, it worked.
The Rule: Keep Moving
That’s the lesson. That’s the rule.
Don’t listen to people who tell you it won’t happen.
Don’t wait until you’re fully ready or perfectly qualified.
Just.
Keep.
Moving.
Love,
Dad