SheepdogL

my co worker, who has already made clear that he doesn't want to make this his career, has only been here a few months more than me and is making over minimum. Also, the sandals were my boss' idea in the first place

I actually don't have the space or ability to invest in the tools and such since I'm currently in college. And yes, I'm 18 so younger than most in the trade, I'd bet, but still I have three years under my belt so far. I have considered getting a new job, but there isn't much around here I'd be interested in. I know I have to do things I don't want to get what I do want, even if that means having to work a drive through, but I'm trying to stick with a trade of some sort. I do know of a few welders around here and some mechanics so I may possibly look into those options. We had a gunsmith, but I believe he's closing.

I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post this, so please tell me if I'm in error, I'm a new member. I've been working for three years at a leather and shoe repair shop in my town. My boss used to be my Sunday school teacher years ago, I currently am under his instruction at a karate studio (and have been for six years), and as I mentioned I've worked for him for three years. You can see our lives are very intertwined in different ways. He's been causing me a lot of stress the past for months or so. Little things such as repetitive music in the shop or keep it high temperatures inside year round, but what's gotten to me as of a few days ago is that he excited me by mentioning that he wants me to start making sandals. There's no one I know of within 300 miles of here that makes custom shoes like that and I was extremely happy at the suggestion...until he told me he wants me to make the pattern, cut the material, and build the first pair all on my own time AND have me pay him for the material cost of that pair. Granted, I keep the pair, but it was his suggestion to make a pair for myself as "practice so that you can learn how to do it and start making them for the shop". I don't know if I'm just being a pansy about this or if my agitation is justified, but I feel that making me learn something on my own time and with my own money to further HIS shop just isn't fair. My coworker agrees that our boss could be considered greedy and that a lot of his expectations are ridiculous or warped. I've thought theoufh my options and I only have a few. I could just suck it up and do it, I could tell him no and leave it at that, or I could tell him yes but only if he gives me a percentage of each sale of the pairs that I myself make or if I get a raise (three years and I still work min wage in a job that not many people can do) Again, I apologise if this was the wrong area of the form to ask advice on this, I just need more than two other perspectives on this and what I should do.