Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Feb 14/00) - Hard work and determination bought the snowmobile 11-year-old Nathan Hine drives to work every weekend.

And given the chance, the employee of Arctic Ventures is more than happy to pass on the secret to his success.

"If you try hard, you'll probably end up getting whatever it is," said Hine, recounting the most valuable lesson he said he's learned over the year he's held the position at the Iqaluit department store.

Hired at when he was just 10 years old, Hine explained that his desire to own a snowmobile was the reason he joined the hustle and bustle of the job market in the first place.

"I wanted to buy a Ski-Doo. I love Ski-Doos, if you haven't figured that out yet," he said.

Working as a bagger, the same position he's held since he first started, Hine joked that the one down side of his job was that he hadn't been given the chance to climb the ladder yet.

"I started as a bagger. That's the same thing I'm doing now. I've never gotten a promotion."

Looking towards the heavens, or perhaps towards the upper echelons of future management, Hine said he wouldn't mind to be put into a supervisory role.

"I could look after pop. That would be the easiest section," he said.

In the meantime however, the Grade 5 Joamie school student has to content himself with packing groceries, carrying the occasional bag of goods to a customer's car and getting price checks for his cashier colleagues.

Stressful?

Sometimes, but Hine said he's worked out a system to deal with the anxiety that sometimes comes with the busy points of his job.

"I sit down and take a break to deal with the stress," said Hine.

And even though he enjoys picking up his steady paycheque -- spent on gasoline, buying parts and fixing up his vehicle -- Hine griped that his shifts, Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 1 to 6 p.m., interfere with what he loves most -- snowmobiling.

"I don't like having to work on weekends," said Hine, admitting, however, that the fruits of his labour were ultimately worth the sacrifices he had to make.

"I saved my money and just bought the Ski-Doo. It made me happy and proud."