Work Experience...

Growing up on a farm, in any capacity, will teach you to work. Thankfully, I was taught how to work hard first. Working smart came through time and experience. One of the best lessons is to learn the difference between working smart and taking shortcuts. There is no such thing as the latter in this bloggers opinion.

My mother brought me up in a household that was very strict and nothing was given for free. We had chores to do, not to earn an allowance -that many of my city slicker peers were just handed over for simply existing - but because we belonged to a family unit and we all had to pull our weight. After the basic chores we had opportunities to do bigger tasks to earn money for game/movie tickets, videogames, gas money, etc. My brother and I (same mother and father) both bought our first cell phone, whereas our sisters did not. We have always paid for our gas and maintenance of our vehicles. We have both also been taxpayers since the age of 16 and employed to some degree from an even younger age.

Same make/model/year of my first vehicle.

Now that I've been in the workforce for going on 9 years, I've had the opportunity to do some cool things, as well as a few not so fun and interesting things. 

I think My favorite job was the two years I spent as an apprentice brewer for the Downtown Grill and Brewery here in Knoxville on Gay St. I studied under the master brewer Al Krusen and was paid a wage of unlimited beer and hot food. Oh the joys of the barter system!!

Schematic and Operating Platform of the brewing system at DTGB.

I've also worked as a cook, a server, construction/demolition/reconstruction, auctioneer, general/skilled laborer, inside retail sales, outside sales, trip leader, mechanic of different sorts, paddling/biking instructor and many other things.

My latest job other than being a student here at the university is as a server for Calhoun's on the River and a sales support member for Fastenal in Maryville.