Working for Minimum Wage and Loving It

I’m really excited to start my new summer job this year. I’m working at a local music store as a novice repair tech/general lackey. I absolutely love tinkering around with the instruments. Figuring out what’s wrong with the instruments and how to fix it is like working on an intricate jigsaw puzzle. Each instrument is slightly different, each problem presents a new challenge. I’m in awe of the master repair tech there. Have you ever seen someone bring a flute back to life that had been run over by a school bus? Its awesome.

I’ve gone in four days since the beginning of June as unpaid preparation/observation days. This is something that we discussed when I was first hired, since I’m pretty much a complete n00b when it comes to repairing instruments. I’d fixed a couple small problems on my own instrument and done work on some school-owned instruments when I was teaching, but never had any real instruction, never knew the right way to fix most problems. So we agreed that I would come in and watch for a couple days, then get my hands dirty and fix some instruments (under close surveillance of course).

I never realized how much fun fixing instruments was going to be. This seriously could be the best summer job ever. I go in to work at 10am Tuesday through Saturday (the store is closed Sundays and Mondays), I get to wear jeans and a t-shirt to work, I get to shoot the breeze with the employees (who are ALL related by blood or marriage), I don’t have to deal with children (or their parents), and I fix up instruments so that people can make music again. Does it get any better than that?!

So I, SaxPlayer2, will be working for minimum wage this summer. In New York State, that means I’m getting a whopping $7.15 an hour (according to the New York State Department of Labor). All year long I have been working as a substitute teacher, making $85 per day. The normal school day is 7:30am to 2:30pm (or 7 hours), which means that I was making about $12 an hour. Why on earth did I take a decrease in pay for my summer job?

Well, simply put, there’s more to a job than just the money.

1. Happiness/Sanity. This was the first thing I took into consideration. I really wanted a job that would be fun and provide me with some amount of enjoyment while I give up my summer vacation. To help preserve my mental health, I decided that I didn’t want to have to deal with children for the summer months, since I had spent the whole school year essentially babysitting students as a substitute teacher.

2. Pertinence to Career Goals. Every morning when I looked at the want ads, my first read-through was more or less a scan to see if the word “Music” could be found anywhere. Its pretty rare that employers are looking for musicians, its more common that musicians are advertising their services. My goal was to find a job that would have something to do with music, in order to be related to my degree and my area of expertise.

3. Acquiring New Skills. Work is more fun for me if I’m learning something new. And you never know when a specialized skill or ability is going to come in handy later on.

Instead of thinking “I’m only making minimum wage,” I’m thinking “I can’t believe I’m getting paid for this!” $7.15 doesn’t get you a whole lot these days, unless you find a job that brings you a group of amazing co-workers, new skills, a terrific boss, and peace of mind.