Radim Blazej

The Seattle Times Company

October 17, 2008

Radim Blazej

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Radim Blazej, Company founder and CEO

Now: Company founder and CEO

Then: Hop Picker

Current position: Founder and CEO of Caron Architecture, a firm in Seattle and San Louis Obispo, Calif.

First job: While attending high school, I worked as a hop picker on a Czech farm. My school had a long tradition of working with the local farms picking hops for export. Unlike other students who saw the job as a chore, I saw it as a fun opportunity to get away for a month or so during the summer, make good money for a high-school kid and have fun with my fellow classmates (with plenty of opportunity to sneak some of the final product!).

Pay: I earned $400 over 3 ½ weeks, which was actually a lot — probably equivalent to about $3,000 today.

What I learned: Hop picking is a complicated process that requires teamwork. Everyone was compensated based on performance and yield. This was extremely rewarding, as we got to see all of our hard work reflected in our compensation. At the same time, you had to coordinate and motivate other people on your team, because if one person was slacking, the whole team suffered.

The skills I learned, like how to motivate a team, how to maximize the team's activities and efforts, and how to help a diverse group of people work together, have definitely contributed to my ability to be an effective leader in my company today.

Got a first-job story you'd like to share? E-mail us: jobmarket@seattletimes.com.

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