Take pride in this industry that saw us through some of our darkest hours
My dad worked as a metallurgist with Ford Motor Company for 42 years. His dad worked at ALCOA Steel in Pennsylvania for 35 years. When I graduated from college, Ford was waiting for me to interview for a factory line supervisor job. I took some tests, had a series of interviews, and was pretty much assured I was “in” as soon as all the paperwork was complete.
Dad always smiled when he waved to me through his office door as I was leaving the interview sessions. It was the way things were 40-plus years ago. The kid got the education, the old man got him the interview, and one, two, three, “sonny” joined the ranks of the industrial revolution.
A Calling Difficult To Ignore
But as I made my way to my car, one of the interviewers exited the building and flagged me down. As he approached, he said, “Ronnie, you’re a bright young man, and I know you’ll do a heck of a job for Ford. I also know you think you’ll work a couple years, put some money in the bank, and go do what you would really like to do … but you won’t. Once you start making that money, you will never leave, and I heard you mention the outdoors in many of your answers today. I think you really want a career in that up-and-coming industry.” I was breathless. First, I was so relieved someone had heard more than just my rehearsed answers, and second, I had never heard parks and rec referred to as an “industry” before. He walked me back inside the factory and told me to look up. It was so dark and vast that I truly could not see the ceiling. “Remember those crystal-blue skies you were telling me about? Imagine seeing this ’sky’ for the next 40 years. I just want to urge you to take the weekend and really think about how you want the next 40 years to look.” I began to realize the “calling” to work in the parks and rec industry was, indeed, just that. It was something very personal and something filled with integrity. Life choices were getting clearer.
