My First Job
⚡Joel McKay Smith
Green Street Growth Advisors, Regenazome, Ag-Clean Tech, Rural Revitalization, Advocate & Speaker, Husband, Father, Utah Native - business, family, community, insights, fun, and impact shared on Substack at joelmeister
Great challenge Garett Robertson my response was too long for a LinkedIn comment so here you go, Thank you.
My first real job was at my grandmother and grandfather's dairy farm between American Fork and Pleasant Grove (which has been in our family since the 1850's
Much like the rest of my cousins, I started weeding my grandmother's flower garden as well as working in the hay and potato fields
Before I was 11 I learned about the beauty of "agricultural exception" and started driving the big trucks on and off of the farm (which many of you may know as "hee haws")
Those that have had the privilege of riding in a vehicle while I am driving may now understand where I obtained my skills behind the wheel (sarcasm)
I honestly believe there is nothing my grandfather could not fix with the proverbial baling wire or duct tape. He also had a photographic memory and didn't use a calculator in the time that I knew him cuz he didn't need to but he only had basic competency reading skills. He was an amazing man.
I learned responsibility and how others' safety and well-being are more important than your own and if you don't have a team ethic in anything you do you're pretty much screwed.
My sleep patterns are forever screwed up for life from various responsibilities of being awake at 3:30 in the morning and 3:30 in the afternoon for milking. Anyone that has spent time in the milking barn knows exactly what I'm talking about.
When I joke that I truly have only had three careers, one being a Dairy Farmer the others being the hospitality and technology industries ( all including providing employment in some way shape, or form) it is not sarcasm, it is true.
Everything I do in life (personal and professional) cascades back to what I learned on the Family Farm.
I was recently interviewed on ABC4Utah by Doug Jessup for the segments called Jessup Journals. Give it a watch.
I guarantee you it's 20 minutes that you'll never get back but you might find something amusing or interesting you may not have known about me and how I tick.
Jessops Journals Joel McKay Smith
Joel McKay Smith (me) talks about “Contacts helping Causes” on Jessop’s Journal, 20 minutes you will never get back, but you may learn a bit about how I tick, grew up, and what motivates me!
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Doug produces amazing stuff about everything Utah and he has a soft spot for rural - good nut, support him!
www.DougJessop.com, www.YouTube.com/dougjessop , Doug Jessop News, www.Instagram.com/dougjessopnews and www.Twitter.com/dougjessopnews
Enjoy!
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1yMy first job was going around the neighborhood and tilling people’s gardens… loved playing in the dirt!
Leading Partner@BDO MX Tech | My Mission is to help Humanity adapt to an Interplanetary Future through the strategic implementation of the most advanced technologies in the organizations that shape our Human Experience
1yJoel, thanks for sharing!
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4yWe have much to discuss re: milking cows.
Building Top-Quality Apps for Startups @ NeoITO | Early Stage Investor
4yMy first job was a poor son working for a rich dad. You can imagine right from cleaning shops to cash register to merchandise sales. Education was not a necessity but a luxury. The first job under the right leader moulded me to a person that I am today (took me a while to understand this.)
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4yThanks for sharing, Joel! Great story. For my first job, at 12, I scoured the Boulder tech scene, offering my (in)famous “PB&J” and keyboard cleaning services - in exchange for coding lessons. Dozens of “no’s” (or no responses were more common), Amadeus Consulting - A Division of Exadel and Lisa Calkins took me in and showed me the ropes (a small group in the back of Alfalfa’s grocery store at the time). Truly grateful! 🙏