When I got my first pair of work shoes, I didn't really need them for any industrial purpose. I was still in high school, you see, and was merely buying them for fashion. Work boots were all the rage among the Midwest punk scene. Leather steel toed boots made you look tough, but they also served a more practical function. When you are at a concert, the crowd is basically composed of two groups – those who don't have steel toe shoes, and those who do. If you didn't have work shoes, you would constantly get your feet trampled. The crowd wasn't particularly mean, but there was a lot of pushing in the mosh pit, and it was only inevitable that someone would stumble onto your toes eventually. A good solid work shoe, however, would keep your feet protected for the whole show. It was nice to not have to go home limping after a night out!
My senior year, I was completely broke. I never realized that it could happen, but my work shoes actually got me a job. I went into a temp agency, looking for any kind of work I could get. Usually, they want specialization, but I was actually able to bluff my way through. You see, I was pretty buff. I was tanned, had big arms, and a lean, strong physique. My work shoes only helped to complete the image. The clerk asked if I was qualified to do construction work, and I told her that I was. It turned out that they had a crew that was going on that very afternoon that needed one more member. If I hadn't worn my leather boots, There is no way I would have gotten the gig. I was just lucky, wearing the right clothes, being at the right place at the right time.
A lot of people complain about work shoes. You see, we are so used to soft leather shoes that we can't adjust to stiff boots very easily. It is true that they can blister you sometimes, but that's pretty easy to get around. I have seen coworkers trying to use steel toe shoe replacements, semi-durable PVC guards that slip over the toe. To me this is just foolishness. If your work shoes give you blisters, stuff some cloth in them. After you break them in a little bit, they shouldn't give you trouble anymore. It is not like you have to walk miles in them!
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