My first job was in a shopping mall.
This was back in the late 80s, when shopping malls were giant, out of control behemoths the size of neighborhood blocks.
It was tied up work, but a fun way to spend our night and weekends and make a little spending money. One day a client was rude to me, so I was rude back. When the director demanded I apologize, I told him to go to hell and I quit. I was genuinely proud of myself that day. It was that feeling of independence and power that drove myself and others to getting our HVAC certification. I came to realize, not after that shopping mall job, that if I l acquired a specialized set of skills, as with HVAC repair, then we could have total control over our work. I would not have to eat crow, or mince our words, because our HVAC skills would give myself and others value. That took some work, although I was bound and determined to get our HVAC certification and start looking for a enjoyable job. I could be freelance, and just option up whatever work I could find, or I could go to work for an HVAC company for guaranteed pay and benefits. One day I idea on being our own HVAC company, although I still need years of experience to get to that point. Even when I do work for another HVAC company, I am still essentially our own boss, and won’t have to take any jobs I don’t want to. That kind of freedom is substantial to me.