I have nothing but admiration for the pluck shown by the young men and women at Occupy Wall Street in Los Angeles and their counterparts throughout the country. Looking back, they accomplished at least one of their goals by calling attention to the income inequality that is running rampant in our society. The ratio 99-1 has taken on a whole new meaning.
Now, it’s time for them to come in from the cold and get on with their lives no matter how daunting the task might seem during these dire economic times.
I understand their trepidations. No, I really do. Seventy-five years ago when I left college to find my first job in New York, we had the mother of all recessions called the Great Depression. Even back then, we understood this particular economic downturn was something extraordinary. Yet, when I was finally offered my first job after two months of searching, I planned to turn it down because it was in sales.
Stupid, right? No, just young and idealistic. I was bound and determined to be a writer, and the only corporate position I was prepared to take was in the company’s advertising department. Sales not only didn’t interest me, but I considered it beneath someone of my talents.
On my way to what would have been my final meeting for the job, I was walking toward Fifth Avenue when I heard a loud noise. I looked across the street to the Empire State Building where I saw the body of a nicely dressed young man – about my age – on the sidewalk. He had just jumped from the world’s tallest building.
I proceeded to my meeting somewhat numb, but no longer conflicted about the offer. I accepted the position. And you know what? I excelled at sales! After a couple of years I was making today’s equivalent of almost $153,000 annually (when most men my age at the time were earning on average the equivalent of $21,000). A few years later, I was the company’s top salesman. The knowledge and contacts from my experience there became the foundation for my own company, and my first fortune.
Path to success
Here’s the moral to my story: The path to success – whether in business, family or any other aspect of life – is rarely, if ever, direct or entirely uphill. The lowest point in my career came 20 years later when I almost lost the business that I had built from the ground up. But it is in the twists and turns of events, when forced to exercise more endurance and hard work than I thought I had, that I’ve achieved my greatest successes, including inventing and manufacturing the machine that automated the credit card industry.
But how to begin a career in such a downtrodden economy? If you can’t find a job, then make your own. I know, that’s easier said than done. But here’s the interesting thing. The Occupy Wall Streeters already have learned one of the great lessons in business that took me years to understand: If you don’t have all the skills or resources to implement an idea, team up with someone who has what you lack.
By virtue of having been part of Occupy Wall Street – what with its various departments, pooled resources, scheduled activities and marketing capabilities (impressive, I might add – by any standard), they acquired much of the background needed to start their own businesses. No pun intended, but the experience they gained at their City Hall encampment has been an excellent school of hard knocks.
Today at age 95, I’ve weathered 15 economic recessions, suffered two broken hips, and I’m living with Parkinson’s disease. Nevertheless, I’m currently embarking on a new career just like these young people. Yes, I’ve become that writer that I’ve always wanted to be. For me, every day is an opportunity to invent and innovate. I soar happily toward the challenges that await me. Times are tough. They have been before. My advice to our young people is to leverage what you’ve learned, turn your ideas into jobs and help build a better future.
The icon of American invention, Thomas Edison once said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Heed Mr. Edison’s advice: Don’t give up before you’ve even really begun!
Stanley A. Dashew is the co-author with Josef S. Klus of “You Can Do It! Inspiration & Lessons From an Inventor, Entrepreneur & Sailor.” He lives in Los Angeles.
