You And Your Work (1948)

[Music] hello bolo speaking yes someone to work part-time oh yes i'll send someone down to sale someone will do the caliber of work you expect goodbye work there's a word that's used much more than it's understood as counselor here at our school i get to hear and see a great deal about work and what it means good work fair work poor work i'd like to tell you about a certain student who was here about five years ago his experience has important meaning for you when frank taylor started in his first real job he had only a vague idea about work his responsibility to his employers and to himself but suppose we let frank tell his own story it all started with a sign in the window of canfield shoe store sounded good a chance to earn money for some of the things i wanted so i talked to mr canfield we got along all right and well i got the job it wasn't bad for a week or so but then i began to get bored it was just put shoes away day after day put shoes away put more shoes away nothing ever broke the routine all i did was put shoes away and then the pay i got huh that wouldn't buy many of those things i wanted the shoe business was no good and just because i got to work a half hour late now and then i didn't understand why mr canfield should get mad when i had a customer it was tiny shoes on big feet these didn't look right these didn't fit right these were too expensive these hurt her feet boy some of those people really made me sick i didn't last very long but then it was only a job i figured i could get another job to the school guidance counselor well frank i've looked over your school grades i've checked the results of your personality and aptitude tests i've spoken to some of your teachers i think i have a job you should be able to fill that's great mr barlow the job i have in mind is at mr canfield shoe store what is it frank well i i don't think mr canfield would hire me why not because he just fired me haven't you got a different job maybe somewhere just a minute frank if mr canfield fired you you might have the same sort of trouble somewhere else would you like to tell me about the job and what happened well nothing happened the job was just dull and routine the same things every day uh i was just bored with it you know frank i don't think there is such a thing as a dull job but suppose you tell me what you think is interesting work oh i think it would be exciting to be an architect or an airplane pilot yes those can be interesting jobs or they can be dull and routine too depending on your mental attitude why do you suppose an architect finds interest in his work because he does something important designs houses and buildings and bridges and and lots of things yes an architect does help to make things that people need and he can look with pride on the completed structure and the pilot provides transportation that people need he can be proud of his skill and his record of safe flying but what about all a teacher can't she be proud of her service to the community are druggists important where would you be without them or without fishermen or chemists or bank clerks or shoe salesmen don't they do something useful something important for people look mr barlow i didn't take that job to do anything important i just wanted a little spending money any job piloting a plane or selling shoes is as important as you make it if you think it's not important whatever it is you'll soon become bored with it and do it poorly to enjoy your work you'll need to finding it more than money you'll need personal satisfaction pride of accomplishment a sense of importance to others whether it's a part-time job after school or a lifetime career and as for money well we all want money but if you don't perform any service or if you don't do your work well you can't expect much in return can you why guess not if your work is to profit you it must also profit your employer and profit society but how can you do a job well if it isn't interesting it wouldn't be much of a job if you couldn't find something interesting about it here these are records of former students i helped get started in jobs most of them used to think very much as you do about jobs but i'd like you to know what they think of their work now russell's my name i'm a carpenter that's work i really enjoy have you ever felt the smoothness of a board after you've planed it have you ever smelled fresh cut wood have you ever made something with your own hands you can't help enjoying work in which you can take a real pride i'm ed kane farmer i suppose i started farming in the first place because i like the open air and and the soil but there's more to it than that the hard work of plowing planting cultivating all leads to the harvest that means success to me and food for people throughout the world so to me there's real satisfaction in farming dottie grant is my name i'm a secretary to some people that means just numbers and letters taking dictations and typing well it's more than that to me the work that passes through my hands means work for men in factories keeps railroaders busy shipping our goods and give salesman something to sell my job is important to many people and to me i'm glad to say that i enjoy doing it as well as i can enjoy doing it as well as you can you see frank there are many ways of looking at a job any job with pride and pleasure all right now let's see what other job we can find for you or mr barlow do you think mr canfield would take me back if you asked him to well after mr barlow talked mr canfield into giving me another trial i found new interest in that job it was easy to get to work on time and and when i really applied myself to my work there was nothing dull or routine about it it wasn't long before i began to see how much other people depended on fellows like me to give them properly fit shoes shoes that would wear well and look well i became proud of the fact that i was building a circle of personal customers people who came to me regularly for all their shoes so in mr canfield was willing to give me more responsibility and more pay it was no longer just a job because i had found interest in my work naturally i did better work i became more valuable to mr canfield and to his customers and of course to myself well that's the story almost that was five years ago the reason i told you about frank taylor is that he called me just now he needs a part-time helper you'll see he's manager of canfield shoe store now does this begin to sound like fiction it does happen it happened to frank because he found interest in his work and satisfaction in doing it to the best of his ability every day someone somewhere learns that more money and more satisfaction are the result when you stop thinking about just the job and begin thinking about work so