Genesis: The manager outdoor writing academic essays carrying "Probably the most exciting day of my life was when I got a raise from the minimum wage of $1.60 an hour to $1.75. It seemed like such a huge increase back then. It was way better than my best bonus at T. Rowe Price. I also remember getting my first paycheck, which was around $40 for the week: I may have saved a little of it, but I probably spent most of it at the pizza place next store.