FIRST AND WORST
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday July 11, 2009
MATT NABLE This former NRL player used to pump iron - and concrete.MY FIRST JOB was on a concrete pump. I filled big holes with concrete, six days a week from 6am to 5pm. The pay was great - I was just out of school and had never seen so much money; I was getting around $600 a week. I always thought I looked pretty cool and tough in King Gees and gumboots. Plus I was always spattered in concrete. I felt more like a man than I do now. I've still got the gumboots and shorts - I like to put them on while I'm mowing the lawn.MY WORST JOB was as a sales rep for a transport company - I had to cold-call customers to talk about the beauty of logistics. I was horribly overpaid but I just couldn't get excited about it. I knew I was a dreamer well before I started there and that, left to my own devices in a space where I wasn't motivated, I'd only be able to cover up my reverie with words for so long. I knew I'd screw it up eventually.Matt Nable's debut novel, We Don't Live Here Anymore, is out now.
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald
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