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You are here: Home / business / Chainsaws, Elm Trees and paying for College

Chainsaws, Elm Trees and paying for College

by jlcollinsnh 15 Comments

Sweep the Drive

My daughter is looking for a summer job.  It is nasty tough out there.  She has two solid leads and we have our fingers crossed.  One of the coolest would here:

 

Mount Washington Hotel

All thru high school I worked and saved my money.  Going into college I had saved $2000.  A fortune, almost twice what I needed and about what my daughter’s books cost her freshman year.

My dad was dying of emphysema and his business was failing.  He had put my two older sisters thru school and would have done it for me.  But the money just wasn’t there anymore.  It would have to be on my dime.

That first year was a grand time.  I blew thru every penny.  Fun and stupid.  Stupid fun. Then Summer came and, like now, times were hard.  I searched every day, knocked on every door, stopped at every construction site.  Nothing.  If I didn’t find a job I wasn’t going back.  I loved college, but I was broke. I needed a damn job.

One day I drove past a crew taking down a huge old Elm tree.  At the time Dutch Elm disease was ravishing these trees.  No cure.  They had to be removed and burned in an effort to halt the spread.

I walked up to the workers.  They were tough old boys out of south Alabama.  I was a Chicago  kid.  No jobs, they said.  But they told me where to find the boss, what he looked like.  He hung out at a local pool hall that had a lunch counter in front.  His name was Sal.  He was sitting on a stool at the counter when I walked in.

It was easy to pick him out.  He was a crusty old southern guy nursing black coffee in a chipped white mug  and reading a racing form.  I sat on the stool next to him and asked for a job.  He looked me up and down.  I was a big guy, 6’2″ and around 210.  Lean and strong.  But I had soft hands.

“You’re a college kid,” said Sal.

“Yes sir,” I said.

“This work is too hard for a college kid,” he said.

“It’s not too hard for me,” I said.  I had a cockiness born of desperation.

“You won’t last an hour,” he said.  I didn’t say anything.  Pause.  “Go out to the job and tell Charlie to put you to work.  We’ll see if you’re still there at the end of the day.”

No talk of pay.  No indication I actually had the job. I went to the site and worked the rest of the afternoon.  When the day ended they loaded up and drove to the gas station where they parked the trucks for the night. I followed.  Sal was waiting for them there.  It was a Wednesday.

“I told you this work is too hard for a college kid,” he said.

“It’s not too hard for me,” I said.

“You won’t be here tomorrow,” he said.

“I will if you’ll put me to work,” I said.

He got in his pick ’em up truck and drove off.  The other guys had all already left.  I went home.  Next morning I was there.  I had nothing else to do.  He sent me out with the crew.  That night at the gas station….

“I told you this work is too hard for a college kid,” he said.

“It’s not too hard for me,” I said.

“You won’t be here tomorrow,” he said.

“I will if you’ll put me to work,” I said.  He got in his pick ’em up truck and drove off.  That was Thursday.

Friday morning I showed up again and again he sent me out.  I worked all day.  Still no talk about whether I had a job or what if anything I was getting paid.  That night we had the same conversation.  Word-for-word.  Next day was Saturday.  I showed up.  He sent me out.

 

We cut the logs and load ’em up on the truck by hand

Saturday evening when we pulled the trucks into the gas station the crew all hung around.  This was new.  Sal wasn’t there.  They put coins in the Coke machine and were drinking cans of pop, crushing the cans when they finished.  Talking about girls, fights, bars and Alabama.  Half an hour later Sal pulled in.  He got out of his pick ’em up truck and everybody gathered around.  I stood off to the side.

He reached into his pants pocket and dragged out the biggest cash roll I’d ever seen.  Hundreds, fifties, twenties, tens.  One by one guys stepped up and he pealed off notes and handed them over.  The roll got smaller.  Once paid the guys drifted away.  Then I was the only one left.  He put the remainder back in his pocket and turned towards his truck.  At the door he paused.

“I told you this work is too hard for a college kid.”

“It’s not too hard for me.”

“You won’t be here come Monday.”

“I will if you’ll put me to work.”  He looked at me long and hard.  He pulled out his cash and peeled off the roll three twenties and a ten.

“I pay my ground men $20 a day,” he said.  “If you’re here Monday morning you’ve got a job.”  He got in his pick ’em up truck and drove off.

An Elm: The tree that put me thru college and toughened my hands.

I worked three years for Sal mostly taking down diseased Elm trees.  It put me thru college.   It taught me just as much.  Maybe more.

One day about three weeks in, we had finished taking down a huge old tree.  It was late afternoon and the truck was loaded with logs and brush.  I was tired.  But I was low man and had to sweep the sawdust off the driveway.

Roping down logs was cool.  Cutting them up with the chainsaws was cool.  Dragging the brush was cool.  Loading the truck was cool.  Sweeping the driveway with the push broom, not so much.  I was doing a crappy job at it and didn’t notice Sal was noticing.  He came up behind me, grabbed the broom and pushed me aside.

 

“Professor,” he said, “as you go thru life always remember:  With everything you do there is a right way to do it and a wrong way.  I’m going to show you the right way to sweep this drive.”  And he did.  And I remember.

The nickname stuck.  He never knew my real name.  Never cared.  He cared that I knew how sweep the drive.

Related

Important Resources

  • Talent Stacker is a resource that I learned about through my work with Jonathan and Brad at ChooseFI, and first heard about Salesforce as a career option in an episode where we featured Bradley Rice on the Podcast. In that episode, Bradley shared how he reached FI quickly thanks to his huge paychecks and discipline in keeping his expenses low. Jonathan teamed up with Bradley to build Talent Stacker, and they have helped more than 1,000 students from all walks of life complete the program and land jobs like clockwork, earning double or even triple their old salaries using a Salesforce certification to break into a no-code tech career.
  • Credit Cards are like chain saws. Incredibly useful. Incredibly dangerous. Resolve to pay in full each month and never carry a balance. Do that and they can be great tools. Here are some of the very best for travel hacking, cash back and small business rewards.
  • Personal Capital is a free tool to manage and evaluate your investments. With great visuals you can track your net worth, asset allocation, and portfolio performance, including costs. At a glance you'll see what's working and what you might want to change. Here's my full review.
  • Betterment is my recommendation for hands-off investors who prefer a DIFM (Do It For Me) approach. It is also a great tool for reaching short-term savings goals. Here is my Betterment Review
  • NewRetirement offers cool tools to help guide you in answering the question: Do I have enough money to retire? And getting started is free. Sign up and you will be offered two paths into their retirement planner. I was also on their podcast and you can check that out here:Video version, Podcast version.
  • Tuft & Needle (T&N) helps me sleep at night. They are a very cool company with a great product. Here’s my review of what we are currently sleeping on: Our Walnut Frame and Mint Mattress.
  • Vanguard.com

Filed Under: business, Life

« Stuff I’ve failed at: the early years
Johnny wins the lotto and heads to Paris »

Comments

  1. PatD says

    June 28, 2011 at 9:22 pm

    This post resonates with me…when you state…”I knew how to sweep the drive”….thats a positive reinforcement and goal that some of us who are over 40ish have ascribed to during our lives…
    “being Willing to sweep the drive” is the new mantra…IMHO…
    I have experienced the Joy of educating a daughter…(East and West Coast)…from Boston to San Diego…and she just left a financial analyst position w/a major tech company to “hang” in Hawaii…
    she graduated with no loans and a great resume from a private college education
    Thank Goodness her parents cared more about “how” to sweep…
    than being “willing” to sweep….
    she doesnt see it that way…(oh…the luxury of youth)
    Good Luck to your daughter…summer jobs are hard to come by…
    I worked @ a resort going thru college back east…it was some of the best times of my life…
    but that is for another blog…:)

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      June 28, 2011 at 11:56 pm

      Hi Pat….

      sometimes the challenge for parents who have learned to ‘sweep the drive’ is that our kids come to a drive pre-swept.

      we all want the road before our kids to be smoother than the one we’ve walked, but maybe that short changes them a bit…..

      Reply
  2. Sharron Rohr says

    February 8, 2012 at 4:30 pm

    I have been examinating out a few of your articles and i must say nice stuff. I will definitely bookmark your blog.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 9, 2012 at 2:14 am

      Thank you Sharron….

      …and welcome.

      BTW, my daughter is a French major and will be spending her junior year studying outside of Paris.

      Reply
  3. jlcollinsnh says

    February 9, 2012 at 2:15 am

    A bit of follow-up:

    She got the job and had a nicely profitable summer.

    Reply
  4. Fuji says

    May 18, 2012 at 12:59 pm

    Would like to see a post on your thoughts regarding the value, fiscal and otherwise, of a university education. I have often wondered whether the $150,000/kid I will end up spending for their education wouldn’t be better off invested, or put towards a downpayment on a home.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      May 18, 2012 at 5:35 pm

      Ha! I’ve been thinking about just that for a post and just today I was discussing this with a pal of mine. My daughter just completed her second year at university. she has a 12k annual merit scholarship and it still costs me 25k per year. that doesn’t include her spending $$ which she provides herself.

      I’m a huge believer in education. you can lose everything, as many people did in WW II, but your education is forever.

      Still, on a cost benefit analysis it’s a tough call. 100k @ 8% over a typical work-life of 40 years becomes almost 2.2 million. your 150k grows to over 3.2m.

      Of course, this also depends on them actually having the discipline to leave it invested for decades.

      Reply
      • Fuji says

        May 19, 2012 at 8:33 am

        “Of course, this also depends on them actually having the discipline to leave it invested for decades.”
        I imagine the money would have to be put in a trust so they couldn’t touch the principal. I agree about the value of an education, but feel there are so many resources it is easy enough to gain an “education” without attending university if an individual is motivated. The return on investment regarding the certificate/qualification (BA/BS/etc) you gain from an university education seems questionable depending on what you study and maybe even where. Nonetheless, I am paying for my kids to attend uni., but am just second guessing myself and like to hear the various opinions out there. James Altucher has a pretty interesting take doesn’t he?

        Reply
        • jlcollinsnh says

          May 19, 2012 at 9:31 am

          Might be tough to craft a trust that would lock up the investment until the recipient is 60+. 🙂

          I imagine most courts would dump it on request.

          Altucher has an interesting take on lots of things! He makes great points on education: cost benefit analysis and alternatives.

          a university degree is only the beginning of one’s, hopefully, life-long education.

          At these price points it is hard to justify on a purely ROI basis. apprenticeships and trades likely offer a better return.

          Still, for the kid who is so inclined and does well academically, I say go for it. at least if you can manage it without debt.

          Plus it is simply a lot of fun. I had a grand time in college and so is my kid now. something to be said for that, too.

          Reply
  5. Michelle Navato says

    June 6, 2012 at 9:20 am

    I found this quite inspiring, Jim. The value of just showing up and doing the work, no matter what. And then, doing the work right. I hope I always remember these principles especially when the going gets tough on the road to building up FY/FI money.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      June 6, 2012 at 10:43 am

      Thank you Michelle….

      …I’m pleased to hear that’s what you will take away from it.

      This is actually one of my least popular posts, but it remains one of my personal favorites. Glad I’m not the only one!

      Reply
  6. Matt H says

    February 12, 2014 at 2:26 pm

    I enjoyed the story! It’s interesting to hear about how different it was from then to now. I doubt I’ll ever end up working in a manual labor position again but I was grateful for the experience gained from two summers working at a lumber yard during college.

    Reply
  7. financialblogger23 says

    March 20, 2014 at 3:41 pm

    Cool! I’m from Alabama and I learned French in Cote d’ Ivoire ( West Africa) as a Peace Corps volunteer. Cool family!

    Reply
  8. Fervent Finance says

    February 21, 2015 at 11:23 am

    Great post Jim! I worked manual labor jobs until I was able to get internships for my major during college. I loved the hard work, and also loved that the work was done when you got home (unlike my profession today). It’s amazing to me how inept a lot of people are at basic home maintenance, landscaping, etc. because they never had a manual labor job. I always say that I’ll start a small lawn mowing/leaf business once I reach FI!

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 21, 2015 at 12:31 pm

      Thanks FF!

      Yeah, you got home well tired in a comfortable, physical way and work was left behind till morning.

      I almost started a tree crew after college. All it would have taken was a used dump truck, a few chain saws, climbing harnesses and assorted hand tools.

      I’m still inept at home maintenance and landscaping but, boy howdy, can I take down a tree!

      Reply

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      • Republic Wireless and my $19 per month phone plan
      • Case Study #3: Let's get Tom to Latin America!
      • The Stock Series gets its own page
    • ► September (2)
      • Case Study #2: Joe -- off to a fast start!
      • Chautauqua 2013: A Week of Dreams
    • ► August (1)
      • Closing up shop plus an opening at Chautauqua, my new podcast, phone, book and other random cool stuff
    • ► July (1)
      • They Will Kill You For Your Shoes!
    • ► June (4)
      • Stocks -- Part VIII-b: Should you avoid your company's 401k?
      • Shilpan's Seven Habits to Live More with Less
      • Stocks -- Part XIX: How to think about money
      • My path for my kid -- the first 10 years
    • ► May (5)
      • Why your house is a terrible investment
      • Stocks — Part XVIII: Investing in a raging bull
      • Dining with the Ghosts of Sarah Bernhardt and Alfons Mucha
      • How we finally got the house sold
      • Stocks — Part XVII: What if you can't buy VTSAX? Or even Vanguard?
    • ► April (4)
      • Greetings from Prague & a computer question
      • Swimming with Tigers, a 2nd chance on the Chautauqua, a financial article gets it wrong and I'm off to Prague
      • Storage, Moving and Movers
      • Homeless, and a bit on the strategy of dollar cost averaging
    • ► March (4)
      • Wild Turkeys, Motorcycles, Dining Room Sets & Greed
      • Roots v. Wings: considering home ownership
      • How about that stock market?!
      • The Blog has New Clothes
    • ► February (5)
      • Meet Mr. Money Mustache, JD Roth, Cheryl Reed & me for a Chautauqua in Ecuador
      • High School Poetry, Carnival, cool ads and random pictures that caught my eye
      • Consignment Shops: Best business model ever?
      • Cafes
      • Stocks -- Part XVI: Index Funds are really just for lazy people, right?
    • ► January (5)
      • Social Security: How secure and when to take it
      • Fighting giraffes, surreal landscapes, dancing with unicorns and restoring a Vanagon
      • My plan for 2013
      • VITA, income taxes and the IRS
      • How to be a stock market guru and get on MSNBC
  • ► 2012 (53)
    • ► December (6)
      • See you next year....until then: The Origin of Life, Life on Other Worlds, Mechanical Graveyards, Great Art, Alternative Lifestyles and Finding Freedom
      • Stocks -- Part XV: Target Retirement Funds, the simplest path to wealth of all
      • Stocks -- Part XIV: Deflation, the ugly escort of Depressions.
      • Stocks Part XIV: Deflation, the ugly escort of Depressions.
      • Stocks -- Part XIII: The 4% rule, withdrawal rates and how much can I spend anyway?
      • How I learned to stop worrying about the Fiscal Cliff and you can too.
    • ► November (2)
      • Rent v. owning: A couple of case studies in Ecuador
      • So, what does a month in Ecuador cost anyway?
    • ► October (4)
      • See you in December....
      • Meet me in Ecuador?
      • The Podcast: You can hear me now.
      • Stocks -- Part XII: Bonds
    • ► September (6)
      • Stocks -- Part XI: International Funds
      • The Smoother Path to Wealth
      • Case Study #I: Putting the Simple Path to Wealth into Action
      • Tales of Bolivia: Calle de las Brujas
      • Stocks -- Part X: What if Vanguard gets Nuked?
      • Travels in South America: It was the best of times....
    • ► August (1)
      • Home again
    • ► June (4)
      • Yellow Fever, closing up shop for the summer and heading to Peru y Bolivia
      • I could not have said it better myself...
      • Stocks -- Part IX: Why I don't like investment advisors
      • Happy Birthday, jlcollinsnh; and thanks for the gift Mr. MM!
    • ► May (6)
      • Stocks -- Part VIII: The 401K, 403b, TSP, IRA & Roth Buckets
      • Mr. Money Mustache
      • The College Conundrum
      • Stocks -- Part VII: Can everyone really retire a millionaire?
      • Stocks -- Part VI: Portfolio ideas to build and keep your wealth
      • Stocks -- Part V: Keeping it simple, considerations and tools
    • ► April (6)
      • Stocks -- Part IV: The Big Ugly Event, Deflation and a bit on Inflation
      • Stocks -- Part III: Most people lose money in the market.
      • Stocks -- Part II: The Market Always Goes Up
      • Stocks -- Part 1: There's a major market crash coming!!!! and Dr. Lo can't save you.
      • You can eat my Vindaloo, mega lottery, Blondie, Noa, Israel Kamakawiwo 'Ole, art, film and a ride on the Space Shuttle
      • Where in the world are you?
    • ► March (7)
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part V: Sold! and the taxman cometh.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part IV: I become a Landlord.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part III: The Battle is Joined.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part II: The Limits of the Law.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part I: Impossibly Naive.
      • You, too, can be conned
      • Armageddon and the value of practical skills
    • ► February (6)
      • Rent v. Owning Your Home, opportunity cost and running some numbers
      • The Casanova Kid, a Shit Knife, a Good Book, Having No Regrets, Dark Matter and a bit of Magic
      • What Poker, Basketball and Mike Whitaker taught me about Luck
      • How to Give like a Billionaire
      • Go ahead, make my day
      • Muk Finds Success in Tahiti
    • ► January (5)
      • Travels with "Esperando un Camino"
      • Beanie Babies, Naked Barbie, American Pickers and Old Coots
      • Selling the House and Adventures in Staging
      • The bashing of Index Funds, Jack Bogle and a Jedi dog trick
      • Magic Beans
  • ► 2011 (22)
    • ► December (1)
      • Dividend Growth Investing
    • ► November (2)
      • The Mummy's head, Particle Physics and "Knocking on Heaven's Door"
      • "It's Better in the Wind" or why I ride a motorcycle
    • ► October (1)
      • Lazy Days and School Days
    • ► July (2)
      • The road to Zanzibar sometimes goes thru Ecuador...
      • Johnny wins the lotto and heads to Paris
    • ► June (16)
      • Chainsaws, Elm Trees and paying for College
      • Stuff I’ve failed at: the early years
      • Snatching Victory from the Jaws of Defeat
      • The. Worst. Used. Car. Ever.
      • Top Ten reasons your future is so bright it hurts my eyes to look at it
      • The Most Dangerous Words Your Customer Can Say
      • How not to drown in The Sea of Assholes
      • What we own and why we own it
      • The Ten Sales Commandments
      • My ever so formal and oh so dry CV
      • How I failed my daughter and a simple path to wealth
      • The Myth of Motivation
      • Why you need F-you money
      • My short attention span
      • Why I can’t pick winning stocks, and you can’t either
      • The Monk and the Minister

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