A year ago today, unbeknownst to even my closest friends, I excitedly (and secretly) submitted applications to work at
It was after listening to a podcast episode at Rich Dad Education about the concept of “working to learn” rather than “working to earn”, and hearing a fascinating account of the experience of Pat Dennis, who at one stage had applied to become a McDonalds franchise owner. After being shortlisted, this followed with a gruelling process of Pat being required to work in McDonalds to ‘learn the ropes’ for 18 months without pay, from cleaning the premises to flipping burgers, and without any guarantee that his application would be ‘accepted’ at the end of it all! His persistence paid off in the end, Pat now being an owner of seven McDonalds franchises.
It was an incredibly eye-opening discussion that completely changed my point of view of what working at McDonalds meant – here is a company that has developed such refined and fool-proof systems that it is able to groom teenagers into managers of multi-million dollar establishments!
So while some may turn their nose at the idea of working at a fast food joint like McDonalds, a year ago today, I applied with excitement at the opportunity I now saw to be ‘paid to learn’ in one of the most successful ‘business schools’ in the world, with a proven track record of grooming leaders of local businesses that consistently turn over millions.
Although I perhaps was not young enough nor inexperienced enough to be what the company was looking for – my applications all rejected – the application process itself and questions asked were educational in themselves, in how they truly are tailored to be inclusive and draw the skills and experience of teenagers who may have never worked before.
So before you look down on a job opportunity that may at first seem ‘beneath you’, rather ask yourself the question: could this be an opportunity to be ‘paid to learn’ from an established company and thus develop skills that are grooming you towards your bigger visions?
