That's it

The story opens with a schoolboy taking his first paid work, a paper round that earns him spending money. Dawn starts and demanding customers quickly show him that the job is harder than it looks, though he does not yet realise that these early years are shaping his move into adult life. He drops the paper round and tries a run of quite different occupations, each bringing its own highs and lows and a new cast of people. He does reasonably well in these roles but feels no real sense of purpose until he takes up teaching. Later, as his authority grows, he starts to ask whether this is all there is to working life.