Jason McDonnell
Quentin Overton
English 111 x
April 24, 2014
My First Job My first job was that of a cattle rancher on our family ranch. As a kid I loathed having to work with cattle, fix fence and windmills. I learned to appreciate it later in life as I thought about how the experience shaped my work habits.
My Granddad grew up in the sand hills of Nebraska on his father’s ranch. Grandma wanted to move to town, so the big ranch was sold and the one I grew up on was bought. My brother, sister and I had always been expected to do chores around the house and take care of the yard. Most brothers and sisters dislike each other from time to time, but we were family, we didn’t stay mad long, or else it would end up in a hand holding session out on the front porch. I'd spend the next 18 years enslaved to there. I worked every weekend and summer often sun up to sundown. There are no days off when you have a ranch.
This upbringing provided a wonderful relationship with my Granddad. As I grew older and was eventually paid $300 a summer, I started to appreciate the pride that came with having money in my pocket. More importantly, I realized we were not only feeding our family but supporting a way of life. At the end of a long hot summer day came a strong sense of accomplishment as we finished up branding 215 calves.
There were many days when personal plans had to be cancelled due to an issue on the ranch. Usually it was broken down equipment, broken fence, or a windmill that wasn’t pumping water. Those days were very trying but they taught me that work came first and play second. This made a big difference in my life how I treat work, and how I look at having fun.
I often feel sorry for kids that didn’t grow up as I did, missing the opportunity to work on a family ranch and experiencing the ranching way of life. During calving season it’s all about riding up to the pastures to make sure all is going well. I can’t tell you how many times I rode north, alone, into a huge pasture of a thousand acres checking cows. When riding you look for cows in trouble-backwards calves, taking too long to calf, or abandoned calves. If there was a problem we had to gather them up and take them to the barn so we could tend to them better. Sometimes this didn’t work and I had to handle it in the pasture.
Spring calving season often gets the added challenge of blizzards and snow storms. These were my least favorite times of the year. Once the snow started to fly, we pulled a sled behind the horse to bring the new calves in to warm them up and get them latched on to their moms. Sometimes the timing was good-sometimes not. You have to get the calves mothered up; grafting a calf that lost its mother to another cow is a real pain. Most of them turn into bucket calves, which my sister loved!!
I had jobs I loved and jobs I hated on the ranch, I failed to see the bigger picture. My Grandma and Granddad built a very successful business and helped raise three grandkids with that ranch.
My first job prepared me for so much in life. I never even realized it. I think back on this learning opportunity at least daily, I can’t help to miss it a little. Who would’ve ever thought being raised that way would bring me so far. And yes, I had to shovel a ton of manure cleaning out the barn, which was the best life training ever.