Although Milton was an excellent student and a voracious reader, with a desire to pursue the study of law, the family did not have the resources to send him to the university. He had may odd jobs, eventually obtaining work as a Pullman porter, a job which he held for nearly 18 years. He left the job in April 1924 following a dispute with an official of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, for which he worked. This passion for law would serve him well in his vocation as a labor organizer.
