Putting his HGTV viewing to good use?

So, I may have previously mentioned that--while I love him dearly--my older son is...hmm, how shall we put this delicately..."not known as Mr. Go-Getter", shall we say. In the proverbial River of Life, he tends to float cheerfully along, paddling only when absolutely necessary, and not particularly vigorously, assuming that everything will just work out the way it's supposed to,...eventually. It's a hallmark of his uber-laid-back personality, to be sure...but it tends to make his Type-A mother just a wee bit...well, bonkers.

And on occasion, as you might imagine, we butt heads about it--such as when I feel he's not directing an appropriate amount of effort towards something, while he believes that the situation doesn't really warrant his maximum attention. For example, when he was home for part of his Spring Break in March, I mentioned that it might be wise to start thinking about a job for the Summer, especially since he'd be available a whole month before the High School kids finished their classes. I figured he could get a jump on the competition, in terms of filling out applications early. Sound logic, yeah?

To his credit, he did complete online forms to the local grocery stores (although if we're being totally honest, here, he probably did it to avoid being hounded by yours truly). However, he hadn't heard anything by the time he returned to SC...and without the aforementioned...um..."parental nudging"...he forgot all about it and failed to follow-up.

Thus he found himself back after his Spring final exams, without having secured gainful employment to rebuild his bank account and provide him productive activity to take up some of his endless leisure time. He half-heartedly revisited some of the applications he'd already submitted, updating them in case they expired after a certain length of time. Then, after nothing happened for a few weeks, I (firmly) suggested he start checking a couple of the job board websites for new possibilities, which led to a couple of additional leads...aaaannnd a lot more waiting around.

Then, on a day when I happened to be scrolling through those very same sites for myself, one particular post jumped out at me. It stated that a home improvement store would be holding open interviews for part-time positions, in 2 days' time. Well...I barged right into Derek's room (waking him up at the cruel and inhumane hour of...about 11 a.m.) and announced that he should give this a shot. He was (sleepy and) decidedly skeptical about the whole thing. "I have ZERO experience with...tools and hardware and...stuff" I think is how he put it.

But I suspected that--since the ad specifically stated "seasonal help"--their standards would be more forgiving than usual...as in, "we understand that we're getting college kids for 2 months or so, and we're cool with that". And anyway, at this point, what did he have to lose? (Oh, right: possibly the freedom to lounge in bed all morning long. But..."paycheck"....eyes on the prize, buddy...) He dutifully typed in the required information so they'd be able to access it when he showed up--and went in without high expectations.

He returned home afterwards, though, with a bemused expression and the following report: "One of my buddies from (prior fast food job) was there also. The lady we talked to said she'd call both of us tomorrow with salary offers, and we can accept it if we want." Once I picked my jaw up off the floor, I responded with a tentative, "Oh...kay....sooo this means you're going to work there?" He shrugged, "I guess so!"

Well, alrighty, then! Of course, this apparently being a much more serious organization than the sandwich chain, he had to wait for the results of his drug test and background check to come through.  (Welcome to Grown-Up Land, young man! Now go pee in this cup while we see if you have a police record...) In the meantime, I helped him wade through the official papers employers are required to file with the federal government...all of which were completely unfamiliar to him, since he'd never been asked to do them at his last job. (Ay yi yi! You've gotta think that's probably-not-even-a-little-bit-legal...also No. Longer. Our. Concern...thank goodness...)

Next, he had to attend a TWO DAY orientation/training, which according to him consisted of an overwhelming amount of important facts and minute details (none of which he expects to actually recall) being thrown at him from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. When he was hired, it was implied that he'd work in the garden department in some capacity, since this obviously is a super-busy area in the Summer months, and they are happy to have a squad of youthful, strong folks to carry out manual labor, honestly.

However, when he went back for his first real day of duty, they stationed him at: one of the cash registers. (What, no hauling bags of mulch to people's cars, as he was led to assume? Eh, it's a safe bet that he knows more about money than plants, anyway...) Incidentally, they also told him he could be anywhere in the store, depending on the needs of the day, and he wouldn't know until he arrived what he'd be doing for his shift. Now, I thought this sounded interesting, not having the monotony of doing exactly the same tasks each workday. Derek had a different take on it, though, "It means I constantly have to...learn stuff, and I'll never totally know what I'm doing." (Ah, there's my "path of least resistance" kid!)

Nevertheless, although it took a team approach, more time than anticipated, and an unforeseen twist in terms of location, the elder child has secured his temporary spot in the Rat Race. Now, does anyone need any lightbulbs...nails...painter's tape...etc? 'Cuz I know a guy!