I remember a friend in high school who was looking for work.  He was reading the classifieds under help wanted and said, “Wow!  Here’s one that pays $8.53 an hour.”  (Note: Minimum wage at that time was about $2.00 per hour.)  He explained that the ad was for a foreman of a concrete crew.  “Qualified candidates only.  Must read blueprints,” the ad said.

“You don’t read blueprints,”  I pointed out with some disdain.

“How hard could it be?” he asked.  “My dad is head of the carpenter’s union here in town.  I’m sure he can show me how to read blueprints.”

Well, that’s what happened.  He got a crash course in reading blueprints from his dad.  He interviewed.  He got the job.  He got rich (at least by high school standards.)  We were all making $2.00 per hour, just happy to have a job, and he was cutting the fat calf at $8.53.  I have never forgotten that incident.  It taught me that we often sell ourselves short.  My friend could have said, “Oh, I don’t read blueprints,” and got a $2.00 an hour job just like the rest of us, but he didn’t.  He upgraded his skills and got a huge raise for doing so.

Did he lie when he asked for the interview?  Not really.  By the time he got into the chair, he could read blueprints.  Did he stretch the truth about how good he was with blueprints?  Undoubtedly.  At the end of the day, was the employer unhappy with my friend’s performance?  He must not have been.  My friend worked there until he left for college.

The moral to this story is don’t sell yourself short.  The key question is, “How hard could it be?”  All you have to do after that is get to work.  If you don’t qualify for a better job, get busy and do what you need to do to qualify.  You are the only thing holding you back.  Get moving!