What’s it like to have your father as your boss?

His dad is his boss

In addition to being his dad, the elder Harward is the young loan originator’s boss: “I came in as his assistant and loan officer, and I’m still doing that,” Harward told MPA during a telephone interview. “So we work as a team. He’s been in the business for 30 years, so pretty much my entire life,” the 27-year-old loan originator said.

Armed with a finance degree from San Diego State in 2020, he saw himself as a financial advisor or in trading. “Initially, I wasn’t sure what to do,” he recalled. “I was interested in stocks but was struggling to find an entry-level position. It was harder than I anticipated to find a job in finance.”

Then he witnessed how hard his dad was working. “He’d start work at six or seven in the morning and work until eight or nine at night,” he said. “Rates were really, really low and at the time he needed lots of help.”

Working for his father is a win-win situation

In the end, it was his need to find steady work and a desire to help his father that propelled him into the industry. “I thought of my dad and he was so busy,” he recalled. “I saw he could use some help, so I convinced him to let me join him. I think it was really good for both of us. I was able to take a lot off his plate.”

It’s not a shabby living either, and with a work flexibility not found in other careers, he agreed. But he soon discerned other rewards beyond financial when a young couple approached him and his dad for help securing a home.