Why I am worth a salary of $1000000 (English essay of year 12)

Why I am worth a salary of $1000000
My name is Kyle Rangers. The year is 2040 and I have learnt many lifelong lessons from the many experiences I had faced. These lessons had taught me many values in which I cherish and have helped me get to where I am today. Many believe that I am worth a salary of $1000000 and why is that? I was challenged with this question.
This story begins in the year 2010 when I was an adolescent 17 year old. During my years of growing up, building my maturity and learning new lessons, my first major step to adulthood had taken place. I had been accepted to my first ever job. Though it was only a simple job selling fast food at a local café, I had learnt about the “real world” that everyone had been telling me about. Though I had only begun, it had felt as if I had entered whole new world. Entering this world, I was filled with excitement and fear. I was in a bitter-sweet moment where I could celebrate and embrace my job but at the same time, it felt like a war where I had to protect losing my job and upholding my role within the unit. I was a team of many but at the same time, a team of one.
Now, allow me to give you a piece of my history. I was brought up in a broken family, with next to no money, a drug addicted mother, and a father locked in jail, a brother in depression and a sister with Down syndrome. I always felt as if I was by myself. We always owed money to banks, friends, family and other financial companies. As years went by, my brother fell out of depression and started working at a fish and chips store about fifteen blocks from my small apartment; my mother stopped drugs and spent the whole day looking after my sister, my father died in jail and I well, was still in school. I wasn’t doing so well though, I mean, many times I had felt like dropping out than face the risk of failure. I often felt depressed about my score but at the same time, I didn’t have to worry about receiving a lecture from my mum since she had more to worry about. Of course I still wanted to stay in school to get a good job in the future but, at the end of the year, things didn’t go as planned.
It was the next year (2010) and well, school wasn’t going so well. Stress levels grew, homework was piling up more and more, my brother was on the brink of losing his job and my mother was struggling with the unpaid bills and debts as well as looking after my sister. And my father, well, he couldn’t stand the torment of life in jail anymore so, he took his own life. The news of my father’s death had hit hard and so, it was a struggle to hold a funeral due to the financial issues we had and such. Also, my mother had second thoughts of whether he was “worthy” enough to have one because of his crime. With this, we were forced to leave my father’s body in a morgue. I knew, during that time, that though he was a criminal, he was still the man whom brought us up. So, a few years after, we had a funeral for him but I’ll get back to that later.
2010 wasn’t a great year for me. I was failing school; I was stressed and was suffering from severe insomnia. Even though this particular year was stressful and depletive, my life was going to be changed forever. It was October the 8th and school had hit hard with all the homework, exams and such and I felt the weight just get heavier and heavier. I was on the verge of failing three of my subjects and I knew that the final outcome wasn’t going to please the eye. After a long year of debate with myself and with the fear of ridicule, I had finally decided to drop out of school in search for a diploma and for work. So, whilst still in my youth (still 17 years old), I went out in search for a job. I knew deep down that no one would hire a drop out like me but I wouldn’t have known until I had tried, so for days, I had gone to different places asking about a position but everywhere I went, I was rejected. I was about to give up hope when I saw a small, hidden shop that had a small rigid sign that read “Fish and Chips” and though it didn’t look too appealing, I went in anyway. I was in desperate need of a job so, I walked in and to my surprise all the seats were taken up, even though there were only four tables. I walked up to the counter and asked for a job and amazingly, they accepted me. What was more was that the pay I received was a significant amount. Also, I was able to go to a TAFE and study many areas such as cooking, woodworks and so forth. I was juggling between work and studies but at the end of it all, I knew somehow it will benefit me later on. It wasn’t an easy journey though, but it was all that I could do in my current state at that time.
Years went by and by the time I knew it; I had gone through two jobs and was already 21 years old. I married young and had two sons. After retiring from my first job, I went on to work in a local supermarket. Life as I knew it was better, however, I was still earning less than average due to the long unpaid debts. In fact, I didn’t have that much money and I could only buy my sons a bike to share, a simple T.V and just had enough to buy food and pay some electrical and water bills. I knew that I was poor. My wife hadn’t received a present from me since, well, a long time ago. My boys were in primary school and my wife had to struggle between working and looking after them. I was supposed to be responsible of financially supporting my family as well as my mother and sister. It was a massive struggle but things just got worse.
It was the year 2016 and the world was in chaos. There was another recession and companies were forced to fire many people. Also, because of these budget cuts, society had gone into turmoil. There were many stabbings, many robberies and life as we knew it seemed to end. The recession was much worse than the one sustained in the year 2009. I was one of those many employees whom they cut. What was worse was what came after. My wife had decided to leave me, along with my two boys. And if things didn’t sound bad enough, I had received news that my mother had been robbed of all her belongings as well as stabbed by a group of five bandits. She later died at the scene along with my sister. My brother and I had to meet up at the same morgue that my father was once placed in and we knew that we both could not afford two funerals. It was depressing but we were forced to leave them in that dull morgue.
Before I knew it, it was the next year. I found myself searching for a job again. The recession had finally passed and people were well, human again. People were laughing, others got their job back, some found new ones (like myself), and things were going back on track. I was offered to work in a restaurant known as “Le Crệperie”. I had to work about four days a week but the pay was exceptional.
The pay became so good, in fact, that each week, I’d have left over money. I had paid off the debt and overdue bills and I was able to live off the money I had and still had extra. I decided to start to invest in my own café or (something like a café). So, each week, I would put in a certain amount into a separate bank account. After working in the industry for a year and a half, I was promoted to become the new sous chef. This would mean that if I took the offer, I would receive double pay, would have more authority and have a better life. However, that would also mean that I would have to work longer hours, have more responsibilities and a greater expectation to maintain. These thoughts had bombarded my mind during that time and well, it was no easy choice though it was very tempting. I took the job eventually and soon enough, I was right. I had to work long, stressful hours and there was so much expected of me that I couldn’t even imagine what the head chef was facing. Looking back now, I could see myself becoming meaner, more aggressive and brutal. My ego was getting higher and I could see how much the pride I had was eating me inside. If only back then I could have seen it coming. But, I guess that’s all apart of learning. Well, there were always consequences to having a huge ego and making those around you lose respect. Due to the number of complaints, I had received my last pay cheque that night and was left to wander the streets once again. Looking back now, I can see how foolish I was. One moment, I had everything; the next, nothing.
A few days after being fired, I continued on looking for another job. This time, I thought I had learnt my lesson. I was accepted into a small industry that built chairs, book shelves and so forth. It had been a while since I was able to use my woodworking skills I had learnt in TAFE. Though it took a while to get the hang of things, I was able to pull out some fancy designs. During that time, I thought of designs I had used in the kitchen and replicated them into chairs, models and such. However, instead of getting burns, I received cuts and splinters. It was all a part of the job. I was in no right state to complain because I saw it as a punishment for having a big ego. This woodwork job was a foundation in which I was able to build upon before I stepped into the next road ahead.
Architecture.
Building upon the knowledge I had gained from working in the woodwork industry for about three years, I was able to study advanced architecture and finance. I decided to take these courses in order to build a strong base knowledge and to ensure I know how to approach society if I was to own my own café one day. Once again, thanks to my kitchen and woodwork experience, drawing and designing a building wasn’t much of a problem. The only main problem was financial balancing. In the past, I had always struggled with money. As months went by, my knowledge of finance and architecture expanded and slowly, I was able to begin my project-the café. I grabbed ideas from a variety of areas, I made surveys to see what society wants and needs and I asked some friends I kept in touch with from high school and previous work colleagues if they would like to be employed. This was no overnight job. This had to have been one of the most stressful, but exciting, times of my life. I thought back then that I had nothing to lose but everything to gain.
A few months into the next year, and I had applied to a licence to run a café. I already had the necessary certificates such as food handling and selling alcohol. I began to design my café, which I named “Loose Change Café”, using the information I had collected. I drew out how my café was going to look like and a significant emblem that would stand out to society. I also designed how the uniform was going to look like, the café menu and the environment I was aiming for. Each night, I would spend hours sketching, planning and writing down every last detail of the café I had in mind. I would go so much into depth about a specific detail that it was sometimes worth five pages.
It was now the year 2023 and I had finally finished all my courses I had set out myself to do. I was able to own a café legally, was able to serve food and beverages and was legally allowed to build my own café. Everything was going to plan until my long gone wife had returned along with two men. Looking closely at them, I had finally realised. They were my sons. I didn’t know how to react. What was I to do? I couldn’t just give up everything I had worked up for just to accept them back into my life and having to support them again. Life from there was going to go downhill.
My wife, the woman who abandoned me, the one who broke my heart and took away everything I had earned was standing right in front of me, begging for me to take her and my two begotten sons back into my life. This would have meant that I would have to give up all my dreams and everything I had worked for up till now just for someone who is now, a lost cause. Flashbacks of memories came back in mind and I had no idea what to do. I should’ve done what seemed logically correct back then.
Months later, as my project was on hold, my sons were in their final years of university and my wife had a simple job at a local supermarket and I had to once again find a new job in order to support everyone again. I was re-accepted in the restaurant I worked at as well as the old woodwork industry. I was able to juggle upon the two jobs and I was able to further invest in my project which was to be left alone with dust building upon it. The many problems during these times were “family” time and alone time. I only had one bed during that time, so my “wife” and sons were left to sleep on the couch and mattresses. I had to triple the amount of food I was buying in order to feed everyone as well as pay triple the amount of the bills I had. The more time passed, the more I knew that I was going to fall into debt once again. What was I to do? Kick them out in order to fulfil my dream? Even till today, I still believed that if I hadn’t accepted them into my life again, I would have fulfilled my dream.
It was the next year and though my wife and boys had jobs, I didn’t have enough money to invest in my café. Instead, in order to pay off my overdue bills, I was forced to use that money to pay it off. Soon enough, I was left with next to nothing in that account. All that I had worked for, all that was earned and saved had disappeared in a flash. Why? Because of that woman. A few months later, I did what I should have done a long time ago. I was forced to kick them out of my apartment. Had anyone knew the torment and pain I was facing, they wouldn’t call me inhumane. I had to start from scratch. I had to re-earn the money again, re-invest in the café and work my way up. I felt like giving up during that time but I remembered about the people I promised the job to so, I tried again.
After a year of working and investing, I was able to re-inverse the money I had used and still have extra to start investing in other things such as tables, chairs and the basics that I needed. At that time, I had quit being a carpenter and continued working as a chef. I was soon to be promoted to become the sous chef again. I accepted the offer and though there were ups and downs, we’d finished with champagne to end off each day. Life was finally beginning to look brighter. I was soon able to begin building my café. I had decided to finish planning before going ahead with building it. I started to plan out my menu and the rest fell into place. I called my café “The Home Café”.
It had be three years since I began the project and well, my café had been running since. The café that I started was no ordinary café though. It was open to everyone but my main target of customers was the less fortunate. I had decided from the moment I began to help the less fortunate because of what I had experienced in life. Had anyone been hungry during that time, I was sure to feed them, money or not. Though many were happy about this idea, many surrounding cafes were greatly against the idea due to the fact that they were losing business. I could understand their feelings but they couldn’t understand mine. I fought, along with others, to keep the place open but at the end of that month, all was lost. I was forced to start charging money or shut down for good. What was I to do? I only had 48 hours to decide. After the sleepless nights, the day of decision had arrived.
It had been a week since the decision, and my café had been a huge hit. Though I had to make major sacrifices, I guess moving to a new town was worth it. It did take a long time to move all my belongings and such but, with a new town, new apartment and new café location, I thought that I could start afresh and that was what I did. Even though I was forced to retire, I concluded that I would be able to find another job and that was what I did. I was praised for my idea to help the less fortunate and through this, I had gained many sponsors. Through the sponsorships and the money earned from the café, I was able to invest to upgrade my café into a restaurant. Though at that time, it wouldn’t be one of those flashy restaurants, it’d hold more people. However, I’d need to plan more and re-design my whole building. It was going to take some time.
Weeks later, the new project of my restaurant had begun. I started off with the sketches and menu plans. I was able to come up with the building design and the menu design within a few weeks. Later on, I came up with the menu and beverages. Some of my friends were willing to work at the new restaurant and I was able to find accommodation for them through my sponsors.
About two months later, the final approval was made and the building began. In the mean time, I tried all I could to help the less fortunate. I’d invite some over to my apartment to have dinner, a place to sleep and just to have fun. I knew it was risky but what I got out of it seemed more valuable than what they did. I enjoyed giving the less fortunate a better place to live and such. I even sometimes had friends come over to enjoy a meal with all of us. It was a great time back then giving hope to the less fortunate. A lot of people asked me “why?”. The answer was simple. We are all human. We breathe the same air and share the same world. If no one will care about what is really important, and let those around us suffer, how can we call ourselves humane? From my experience, many people gave me dirty looks like I was such a pest, a disease only because I didn’t have the money to dress up like them.
It had been a long wait, but my restaurant had its grand opening. It was a date I’d never forget. 24/5/2029. That day, all the tables were filled and there was an even number of the less fortunate as well as the wealthy. The thing that amazed me the most was when the wealthy sat alongside with the less fortunate, set aside their differences and laughed and talked together. It was what I had intended and I could see my dream playing out right in front of my eyes. Nothing could go wrong. Well, that was what I thought during that time.
It was a busy Tuesday night about 7:30p.m and it was a full house. Everyone was busy running out dishes, there were people waiting for seats and many dishes had yet gone out. There was a particular customer who walked in and after eating their dish, they called for the manager. I remembered this like it happened yesterday. As I walked out, that lady stood up and got everyone’s attention and what she did next ruined me. Of course no one believed her at the beginning until she made me confess to kicking her out of the house. That, right there and then, I knew I was ruined for life.
Years had gone by since that incident. Why couldn’t she just get over it? Of course I knew the answer subconsciously in my mind. Well, from that incident in the restaurant, I lost many loyal customers and I was left with a sense of betrayal to those whom I was close to. I knew deep down that someday, I would’ve regretted kicking out my wife. My sponsors, but one, had left me and I had hit rock bottom. My dream was destroyed by the same woman again. At that time, I didn’t know what I was to do. Continue to follow up on a dream that lost its wings? Who was I kidding, I thought, no one’s going to accept my propositions after that outbreak. And well, I was right. After approaching many industries, I was left with nothing. Just with the knowledge and experience I already had.
Well, I didn’t know where or how but one day, I just picked myself up from where I left off and along with one of my sponsors, I re-designed the restaurant and I re-opened the restaurant. Things began slowly around the joint but slowly, things began to pick up and by the time I knew, my restaurant was back in business. Even some of the loyal customers came back and some even apologised for leaving. Slowly, I received many sponsors and they helped promote my restaurant to the neighbouring towns.
News went around quickly of my re-opening and of course, guess who showed up. The woman who ruined my life twice. As soon as I saw her, I remember getting to her as fast as I could. I then saw my two boys and what did I do? I welcomed them in of course. I didn’t want to cause a scene so I sat on the same table with them to try work some things out. I remember talking about finances, life and the history. During that moment in time, I was expecting them to hate me but to my surprise, they didn’t seem at all angry. Actually, they begged for forgiveness. I didn’t know how to react at that time. My world had turned upside down. I wasn’t ready to look after a family but at the same time, I didn’t want to reject them again. Logically, if I can help the needy, why can’t I help the people whom were once in my heart?
Well, we gradually sorted out our differences and we lived in the same apartment. Now, during this time, living with everyone seemed easier because everyone was working and we didn’t have to worry about finances. I continued with the restaurant and my wife worked at a bank down the corner from the apartment. My boys both worked as IT consultants at a worldwide computer company and well, life was actually good.
Years went on, and now in the year 2040, my restaurant had further expanded in size and thanks to my sponsors, my restaurant is now a big hit all around the country being popular as ever. Not only are they restaurants, but they are safe houses for the needy. My friends continue to work at the original restaurant with me and my further plan for next year is to build a safe house for the needy next to my restaurant. Though I am waiting for approval, I had started some designs ready to be built.
So why am I worth $1000000 according to my friends? I’ll allow whoever reads this to answer the question.