Your first job

What was your very first job?

I don't mean full-time job but anything where you exchanged your labor for money, even as a kid.

What kind of job was it? How old were you and how much did you make per hour?

pretty much just babysitting. I nannied one summer and worked in a daycare a couple days a week... but until I graduated college, I never held a steady job... my parents didn't like me having a job while in school and I never held much of a summer job except babysitting. Oh, my uncle hired me to ship valves for his hydrolics company one summer, maybe when I was in college?


My senior year of H.S. I DID get hired at a plant nursery... and fired on my first day. That was my only job in H.S.

When I was 12, I delivered newspapers for the local paper, once a week. At 13, I took a job delivering the Washington Post in the wee hours of the morning. The same year, I worked as a ride operator for 2 weeks when the carnival came into town and earned $250 cash and free rides. :D I did that again the following 2 years, and eventually got to run the Merry-go-Round. I loved that job and wanted to run off with the Carnival. :eek:

At 16, I worked for SallieMae Student Loan Processing Center as a skip tracer part-time for $5.50 and hour (which was considerably above minimum wage at the time) and credit hours at school as I was in a marketing class. I did that in my senior year, too. During summer, I worked stuffing envelopes and doing direct marketing for my folks business all through my childhood.

At 17, I got a job for Sears Portrait Studio as a photographer and sales associate. I kept that job and moved store locations when I went to college (at 17). I dropped out, moved home and worked for the folks business full-time for the duration of the 2nd semester, then went back to college and worked at an art store for a year or so.

I've pretty much been working fairly consistently since I was 12. And I'm proud of it, too.

When my son turns 14 and can legally work, he will take an apprenticeship in an auto shop part-time. I've already done legwork to set that up even though it's 3.5 years off from now.

~phos

Washed cars.

My first semi-full time job where $$ were withheld:mad: was as a security guard. :rolleyes:

I think think the first time I was paid to do something I wan't even expecting money.I was about 12 or 13 at the racetrack and a guy asked me if I wanted to walk his horse after the race,of course I said yes,I LOVE horses.when I was done he gave me 2 dollars..WOW,I hadn't done it for the money.after that I walked a lot of them and was so amazed someone would pay me for doing something I loved doing and would have done for free:)

Besides babysitting, my first real job, when I was about 14, was working in a flower shop helping out when it was really busy....for different holidays. I learned to make corsages and simple arrangements....but it was mostly cutting the flowers, inserting the wires, wrapping the stems with floral tape, etc.

My first full-time job (well, part-time but I worked all the time) was when I was 16....at Burger Chef.... I made a dollar an hour....yes, I AM very old, Folks. :D And we didn't have those things the fast food places have now where you punch in the order. We had to remember it in our head, call it in in a specific order, then add it up in our head and punch the amount into the cash register. We weren't allowed to write anything down....it took too much time. And none of the prices were even numbers....burgers and french fries were 18 cents and cheeseburgers were 23 cents. DAMN!!! I am old! :( I thought I'd be alot older when I said "I remember when....." LOL!

It would be a combination of:

Recycling cans and bottles
Washing cars
Walking the neighbors dogs
House-sitting
Shoveling snow
Yard work
Babysitting
Taking tickets at a community theater
Working in my Mom's flower shop.


Then at 15, I got my first "real" job as a cashier at a garden center.
It was great! Always loved having a job.

I did alot of babysitting. I was a nanny for a summer and worked at a couple of daycares.

I also started working at the bank my mom worked when I was in 8th grade. I made $7.50 an hour, upgraded to 8 an hour when I took over the entire proof department.

When I was very young, I did babysitting.

When I turned 16, I worked at a Hallmark store. I really liked that job. :)

Through college, I made $ through modeling and voice over work. Great hours for both jobs.

When I was 15 my dad hooked me up with a job at our local newspaper. I sat in the back...in a dank, dark room...and stuffed all the papers with the insert/advertisements. I also cleaned the newspaper office on fridays. I got paid $2.50 (way less than minimum age)

When I was 16...I worked at the McDonalds in Walmart for 3 months.

Then I worked at Dairy Queen for a year (the stories I could tell yall from that place!!! :D)

I also did telemarketing for AT&T (worst job ever...I sucked at it)....was a nursury asst. at our church...and work at our local movie theater.

I like to work. The best jobs I've ever had were working at Walt Disney World for 6 bucks and hour....and being an Usher for Cirque Du Soleil's Varekai for 8 bucks an hour. *grin*

Nadine.

ooops, forgot the paying part! In high school, babysitting paid about 8 bucks an hour... in college, about 10-12... I still babysit even though I work full time, because the family I babysit for pays me 15/hr and I think of that as my "fun money" while I hoard away the rest of my paychecks...

Well, I babysat from age 13-15 and worked in a little gift shop that mom co-owed, then when I turned 15 I continued to babysit but also spent the summers working for my brother building houses. He taught me a lot, and I was paid $5/hr. I also started cutting, splitting and selling firewood with my dad just before I turned 16, and did that for a couple years (made $110/cord of wood). I did the odd photo wedding (photos) and also did some group photos for local kids sports teams.

Just before I turned 18 I started working as a chiropractic assistant and did that for 8 years, and I also worked for my parents in their store. These jobs were alot more profitable!!

My first job was working at my mom's daycare. I made around $5 per hour. I would help out in office and the kitchen. It was ok.

I babysat when I was really young, which I think is actually really strange. I mean, I was young, not even a teen. I don't think I could leave my baby with a 11 or 12 year old.

My first real job was at a coffee shop. I think I was 15 (but might have still been 14) when I started. I worked there almost everyday all through high school. I loved that job. It was a super relaxed, had live music on the weekends, really cool people, and my boss was a close family friend (he was like a brother to me), so he let me get away with all types of bad stuff! :p

I started babysitting at 11 too, for BABIES, and now I think there is NO WAY in hell I would EVER leave my kid with an 11 year old.

It's weird, because I actually babysit for 11 year olds... and when I was 11, I was paid to watch OTHER kids. So weird.

Man...I hated having to baby-sit. I never thought I was very good at it.

Nadine.

Yeah, I think I took my babysitting course when I was 12 and then started sitting when I was 13...now I sometimes look after my brother's 14 year old (and other kids). I tend to think now that kids don't grow up with the same sort of responsibility we learned as kids.

What was your very first job?

I don't mean full-time job but anything where you exchanged your labor for money, even as a kid.

What kind of job was it? How old were you and how much did you make per hour?

Argh...do I really have to tell you about my very first job..but, but, but, it's embarrassing...lol

Ok, I'll tell you. My VERY first job was as a waitress in a little town in Illinois at a restaurant called Dog N' Suds. The best coney dogs I've ever eaten. :D Anyway..the place was there for about 50 years..just closed down about 2 or 3 years ago...I was 14 when I started working part-time there with a work permit, and worked there until I was 16..those were fun times. :)

Argh...do I really have to tell you about my very first job..but, but, but, it's embarrassing...lol

Ok, I'll tell you. My VERY first job was as a waitress in a little town in Illinois at a restaurant called Dog N' Suds. The best coney dogs I've ever eaten. :D Anyway..the place was there for about 50 years..just closed down about 2 or 3 years ago...I was 14 when I started working part-time there with a work permit, and worked there until I was 16..those were fun times. :)

Why embarrassed?

Why embarrassed?

I dunno Flanker...it just seems like so long ago..but you're right..silly to be embarrassed..maybe I was embarrassed about it being a waitressing job...or the name of the restaurant..lol..that's always funny Dog N' Suds...but truthfully..those were fun times...complete innocence..ahhh :) refreshing to think about now.

I can tell you what I never did, and that was babysit. No one could afford me.

First paying job was making nametags for this gas station chain. I was about 12 or so. I also mowed a lawn for money. When a lawn is 5 acres you only need one gig. Then at 16 I got a job baggin groceries.

I can tell you what I never did, and that was babysit. No one could afford me.


LOL...bet they could have afforded to have you doggysit though! ;)

And they'd get to go to the park AND mcdonalds.

I dunno Flanker...it just seems like so long ago..but you're right..silly to be embarrassed..maybe I was embarrassed about it being a waitressing job...or the name of the restaurant..lol..that's always funny Dog N' Suds...but truthfully..those were fun times...complete innocence..ahhh :) refreshing to think about now.

Waitressing is a noble profession. I think there is nothing to be embarrassed about being a waitress but that name "Dog N Suds" does sound ..............

Waitressing is a noble profession. I think there is nothing to be embarrassed about being a waitress but that name "Dog N Suds" does sound ..............

LOL..don't get the wrong idea Flanker...it was a root beer stand...Root Beer and hotdogs. :p Yes, waitressing taught me a great deal about life actually...you're right, it's a noble profession...and also very hard work.

Kathy...

Dog N Suds...sounds like a dog washing place!!! :D

Mmmm...rootbeer.

Nadine.

Kathy...

Dog N Suds...sounds like a dog washing place!!! :D

Mmmm...rootbeer.

Nadine.

Err..yeah, I'm just wondering what Flanker was thinking about Jes..lol :eek: :D

LOL...i'm scared to know what Flanker was talking about!!! :D

Nadine.

LOL..don't get the wrong idea Flanker...it was a root beer stand...Root Beer and hotdogs. :p Yes, waitressing taught me a great deal about life actually...you're right, it's a noble profession...and also very hard work.

What did it teach you? Care to share?

I am curious now.

Yes. On the pratical side it taught me a great deal about customer service and smiling regardless of how awful you might happen to be "feeling" at any given moment (something I've carried with me through out the years). I have always excelled in customer service due to this early experience.

On another note..I also learned that people can be gracious and kind and can also be total assholes...you can tell a alot about a person by the way they treat someone who is waiting on them...and even now...I still find that to be true...let's face it..if someone is a condesending ass to a waiter or waitress...are they someone you're really going to want to get to know on a deeper level...err..NO, I don't think so.

Yes. On the pratical side it taught me a great deal about customer service and smiling regardless of how awful you might happen to be "feeling" at any given moment (something I've carried with me through out the years). I have always excelled in customer service due to this early experience.

On another note..I also learned that people can be gracious and kind and can also be total assholes...you can tell a alot about a person by the way they treat someone who is waiting on them...and even now...I still find that to be true...let's face it..if someone is a condesending ass to a waiter or waitress...are they someone you're really going to want to get to know on a deeper level...err..NO, I don't think so.

Neat observations!

On another note..I also learned that people can be gracious and kind and can also be total assholes...you can tell a alot about a person by the way they treat someone who is waiting on them...and even now...I still find that to be true...let's face it..if someone is a condesending ass to a waiter or waitress...are they someone you're really going to want to get to know on a deeper level...err..NO, I don't think so.
Like Dave Barry said: "Someone who's nice to you but rude to the waiter is not a nice person."

Ok, I have a question in the form of dilemma. I am always nice to waitresses but I am not so nice to waiters.

Am I a nice person?

Like Dave Barry said: "Someone who's nice to you but rude to the waiter is not a nice person."

I love Dave Barry! He's hysterical....

Ok, I have a question in the form of dilemma. I am always nice to waitresses but I am not so nice to waiters.

Am I a nice person?

It depends...why are you "not" nice to the waiters and nice to the waitresses ?? :p

I am usually nice to them both. That reminds me of a story. Once I complained about the spoon being dirty to the waitress on duty. She used vapor from her mouth to moisten it and then she wiped it with a cloth. Back the spoon was in circulation all cleaned up.

I am usually nice to them both. That reminds me of a story. Once I complained about the spoon being dirty to the waitress on duty. She used vapor from her mouth to moisten it and then she wiped it with a cloth. Back the spoon was in circulation all cleaned up.

YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
EWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!
BLECH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:mad:

:D

I am usually nice to them both. That reminds me of a story. Once I complained about the spoon being dirty to the waitress on duty. She used vapor from her mouth to moisten it and then she wiped it with a cloth. Back the spoon was in circulation all cleaned up.

EWWWWW!!! That is so gross! Were you nice to her?

Neat observations!

Thanks Flanker..I learned alot from my waitressing jobs earlier in life actually..takes some skill..trust me on that one..waitressing is not as easy as it looks...lol..you must be a very organized person in order to be good at it. :cool:

Like Dave Barry said: "Someone who's nice to you but rude to the waiter is not a nice person."

'Tis the truth. :)

I am usually nice to them both. That reminds me of a story. Once I complained about the spoon being dirty to the waitress on duty. She used vapor from her mouth to moisten it and then she wiped it with a cloth. Back the spoon was in circulation all cleaned up.

Sheesh Flanker...what did you DO to that waitress??? :eek: :D ..lol

YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
EWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!
BLECH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:mad:

:D

I hear you. :D

EWWWWW!!! That is so gross! Were you nice to her?

I was speechless.

Thanks Flanker..I learned alot from my waitressing jobs earlier in life actually..takes some skill..trust me on that one..waitressing is not as easy as it looks...lol..you must be a very organized person in order to be good at it. :cool:

What kind of uniform did you wear? Did you wear high heal shoes? Just curious!

Sheesh Flanker...what did you DO to that waitress??? :eek: :D ..lol

Nothing in this life. I am not sure about the past life though. :D

oh it was HORRIBLE!!
Housekeeping in my Mom's hotel!
I had to strip beds and clean up towels (use your imagination as to what goes on in hotel rooms!!)

i was 16 and worked at Dunham's Sports for $7/hour. worked there until i was 18

My first job was a hostess at a college bar/restaurant when I was 16. Gosh, was that ever a mistake. I got hit on by college guys every single night...

I made $7.50/hour but I only worked a few nights a week.
Since then I worked as a hostess at one other restaurant and then I got my current job.

My first job was when I was fifteen I got a job as a McDonalds cashier for $5.35 an hour. Kept that job for nearly six years. don't have to worry about it anymore

i love horses. My first job was working in a stable making 6.00 an hour taking care of the horses exercising them washing them, braiding them riding them. i had a blast especially because i didn't have to muck the stalls