What was your first job?

[LonnyMacD]

Man, I've had a lot of jobs

First paying job? (chores didn't pay at my house, they just got done...)

Cleaning horse stalls and dog kennels for a neighbor on Sunday afternoons. After church I would make the 2-3 mile walk to their house, clean the stalls, rake the corral, clean the dog kennels (hunting dogs) and then whatever other odd jobs were around, then walk home. $20 for 4 hours work, which was a FORTUNE in 1983. I grew up very rural, they were a "neighbor" because there weren't any other houses between theirs and ours. Sometimes they would be there with a list of chores, sometimes there would be a $20 pinned to the garage door, sometimes they would forget altogether, and just pay me double the next week.

First W2 job? Washing dishes at a Chinese restaurant. Cooks hated me from day one, I found out later because of the previous dishwasher, but I don't know what he did. They used to hide burning sterno cans from the pupu platters under plates - when the water from the sprayer hits it, it's like napalm. I preferred cleaning horse stalls. Quit to go to a movie, got a different dish washing job the next weekend.

Hardest job? Shovel guy on an asphalt crew. Those guys who look like they are leaning on their shovels are working harder in any one day than most Americans work in a year, make sure you slow down and give them a lot of space. I've had a lot of worse jobs (hard does not equal bad), but this one sticks with me. Harder than bucking hay bales, building decks, bending aluminum, building fence. OK, stringing barb wire around angry longhorns might have been harder, but the adrenaline from trying not to get killed kept you going.

Best job? Teaching skiing. I've done it off and on since '85, even full time when I took a year off college. Pays nothing, but sharing something I deeply love, that will last people a life time, is incredibly rewarding. I went back to it for a few years in my 40's, but grew tired of giving up my weekends for somebody else's kids, when mine were wanting to ski too.

Funnest? Had to be parking lot attendant at a drag strip. Hanging out in the sun with your friends, seeing cool cars, getting shin bruises because a weirdly high percentage of people would use your legs as a stop point, rather than watch your hands. The drag strip I worked at had a "feature" where the way to the upper parking lot actually crossed the turn around at the end of the drag strip, so you would stand at the end of the strip, if it looked like no drag cars were coming you motioned as many customer cars across the strip as possible, and when you saw the tree light up you made them stop and watched the drag cars come directly at you. In hindsight its hard to believe that was the actual process.

That's more than you asked, but I've had a lot of jobs and a lot of coffee this morning...

When you first said “drag strip” something completely different came to mind. I’d do either job. . . .

 

[cyure]

When you first said “drag strip” something completely different came to mind. I’d do either job. . . .

Same!

 

[J Alynn]

Man, I've had a lot of jobs

First paying job? (chores didn't pay at my house, they just got done...)

Cleaning horse stalls and dog kennels for a neighbor on Sunday afternoons. After church I would make the 2-3 mile walk to their house, clean the stalls, rake the corral, clean the dog kennels (hunting dogs) and then whatever other odd jobs were around, then walk home. $20 for 4 hours work, which was a FORTUNE in 1983. I grew up very rural, they were a "neighbor" because there weren't any other houses between theirs and ours. Sometimes they would be there with a list of chores, sometimes there would be a $20 pinned to the garage door, sometimes they would forget altogether, and just pay me double the next week.

First W2 job? Washing dishes at a Chinese restaurant. Cooks hated me from day one, I found out later because of the previous dishwasher, but I don't know what he did. They used to hide burning sterno cans from the pupu platters under plates - when the water from the sprayer hits it, it's like napalm. I preferred cleaning horse stalls. Quit to go to a movie, got a different dish washing job the next weekend.

Hardest job? Shovel guy on an asphalt crew. Those guys who look like they are leaning on their shovels are working harder in any one day than most Americans work in a year, make sure you slow down and give them a lot of space. I've had a lot of worse jobs (hard does not equal bad), but this one sticks with me. Harder than bucking hay bales, building decks, bending aluminum, building fence. OK, stringing barb wire around angry longhorns might have been harder, but the adrenaline from trying not to get killed kept you going.

Best job? Teaching skiing. I've done it off and on since '85, even full time when I took a year off college. Pays nothing, but sharing something I deeply love, that will last people a life time, is incredibly rewarding. I went back to it for a few years in my 40's, but grew tired of giving up my weekends for somebody else's kids, when mine were wanting to ski too.

Funnest? Had to be parking lot attendant at a drag strip. Hanging out in the sun with your friends, seeing cool cars, getting shin bruises because a weirdly high percentage of people would use your legs as a stop point, rather than watch your hands. The drag strip I worked at had a "feature" where the way to the upper parking lot actually crossed the turn around at the end of the drag strip, so you would stand at the end of the strip, if it looked like no drag cars were coming you motioned as many customer cars across the strip as possible, and when you saw the tree light up you made them stop and watched the drag cars come directly at you. In hindsight its hard to believe that was the actual process.

That's more than you asked, but I've had a lot of jobs and a lot of coffee this morning...

Interesting resume

 

[dreamweaver]

Interesting resume

Very pragmatic.

 

[J Alynn]

Very pragmatic.

It wasn’t intended to be that but I’m laughing at your comment. I found it very interesting-I worked at a campground which was great but not terribly exciting

 

[mainebean]

I mowed lawns, shoveled snow, had a paper route and babysat, but my first job getting a weekly paycheck was as a dishwasher at a private summer resort on the lake in my home town.

I was only 12 years old and legally I couldn't get a work permit, even with my parents consent. Since I am a "Junior" and share my father's name, I ended up using my father's social security number. I was so short that I had to stand on a milk crate to reach the pots and pans in the huge three bay sink.

I ended up getting a culinary arts degree and have worked in the field for over 40 years. Currently I work for a non profit, providing food for people that don't have access to food as opposed to cooking for country clubs and overpriced restaurants. I am very fortunate and love my job.

 

[cyure]

I mowed lawns, shoveled snow, had a paper route and babysat, but my first job getting a weekly paycheck was as a dishwasher at a private summer resort on the lake in my home town.

I was only 12 years old and legally I couldn't get a work permit, even with my parents consent. Since I am a "Junior" and share my father's name, I ended up using my father's social security number. I was so short that I had to stand on a milk crate to reach the pots and pans in the huge three bay sink.

I ended up getting a culinary arts degree and have worked in the field for over 40 years. Currently I work for a non profit, providing food for people that don't have access to food as opposed to cooking for country clubs and overpriced restaurants. I am very fortunate and love my job.

That’s a wonderful story. I also work for a nonprofit and love my job. It’s wonderful getting to help people everyday.

 

[J Alynn]

I mowed lawns, shoveled snow, had a paper route and babysat, but my first job getting a weekly paycheck was as a dishwasher at a private summer resort on the lake in my home town.

I was only 12 years old and legally I couldn't get a work permit, even with my parents consent. Since I am a "Junior" and share my father's name, I ended up using my father's social security number. I was so short that I had to stand on a milk crate to reach the pots and pans in the huge three bay sink.

I ended up getting a culinary arts degree and have worked in the field for over 40 years. Currently I work for a non profit, providing food for people that don't have access to food as opposed to cooking for country clubs and overpriced restaurants. I am very fortunate and love my job.

Love hearing a story like that

 

[J Alynn]

That’s a wonderful story. I also work for a nonprofit and love my job. It’s wonderful getting to help people everyday.

It’s great working when it’s for a cause. While I work for a builder over 80% of the company is held by an international nonprofit that provides support and small loans to people all over the world and seeing that a $250 loan can change their world and create prosperity and change an entire village is amazing. Imagine what we could do in this world if the mega rich gave more time and money helping the less fortunate

 

[mainebean]

It’s great working when it’s for a cause. While I work for a builder over 80% of the company is held by an international nonprofit that provides support and small loans to people all over the world and seeing that a $250 loan can change their world and create prosperity and change an entire village is amazing. Imagine what we could do in this world if the mega rich gave more time and money helping the less fortunate

Interesting! What a unique situation. That is an awesome service, greatly needed right now with the shortage of housing and the rising cost of hoke ownership.

My brother is a contractor and I do a lot of side work with him. In addition to the examples I gave in my initial post, our grandfather was a carpenter and we grew up swinging a hammer and helping him out in job sites and in.tje wood shop.

 

[TreeKiller]

My first actual job was Chick-Fil-A, the very first freestanding Chick-Fil-A location in the Carolinas. The day I was legally old enough to work. If you're familiar with Chick-Fil-A, then you know that they serve waffle fries.

Occasionally, customers would order French fries, and we were trained to tell them that we don't serve French fries, we serve waffle potato fries, and would be more than happy to add waffle potato fries to their order. Seems silly, but we were trained to clarify. From time to time, the customer would argue that they specifically wanted French fries. One time a guy got heated with me over Chick-Fil-A not serving French fries, so I told him I'd be happy to serve him his Chick-Fil-A sandwich, and then he could walk over to the McDonalds to get his French fries. That made him irate. He caused a scene and it took not just the manager but the operator also re-re-re-explaining.

Later, a Chick-Fil-A franchise opened on campus at my private high school and hired students to work the breakfast and lunch hours. You order an 8 pack of nuggies? You're getting as many tasty nuggs as can be crammed in that box, maybe 15 or so. You order 12 delicious, piping hot nuggies, probably getting 20. Small waffle potato fry? That sleeve is going to be absolutely erupting fries. A sandwich? Probably gonna have some nuggs in that bag too. And yes you can have all the sauces you want.

After the first semester of this, the manager, who was the only adult working at that location, held a meeting to let us know that we had the single worst loss ratio in the entire Chick-Fil-A system.

I think it was there for just one more semester before they pulled the plug.

 

[dreamweaver]

My first actual job was Chick-Fil-A, the very first freestanding Chick-Fil-A location in the Carolinas. The day I was legally old enough to work. If you're familiar with Chick-Fil-A, then you know that they serve waffle fries.

Occasionally, customers would order French fries, and we were trained to tell them that we don't serve French fries, we serve waffle potato fries, and would be more than happy to add waffle potato fries to their order. Seems silly, but we were trained to clarify. From time to time, the customer would argue that they specifically wanted French fries. One time a guy got heated with me over Chick-Fil-A not serving French fries, so I told him I'd be happy to serve him his Chick-Fil-A sandwich, and then he could walk over to the McDonalds to get his French fries. That made him irate. He caused a scene and it took not just the manager but the operator also re-re-re-explaining.

Later, a Chick-Fil-A franchise opened on campus at my private high school and hired students to work the breakfast and lunch hours. You order an 8 pack of nuggies? You're getting as many tasty nuggs as can be crammed in that box, maybe 15 or so. You order 12 delicious, piping hot nuggies, probably getting 20. Small waffle potato fry? That sleeve is going to be absolutely erupting fries. A sandwich? Probably gonna have some nuggs in that bag too. And yes you can have all the sauces you want.

After the first semester of this, the manager, who was the only adult working at that location, held a meeting to let us know that we had the single worst loss ratio in the entire Chick-Fil-A system.

I think it was there for just one more semester before they pulled the plug.

Funny story. Reminds me of local burger joint where I grew up called Burger Chef. They would hire all the local high schoolers with pretty much the same result. They were always packed but it wasn't sustainable.

 

[Scoutsie]

I had a paper route when I was 9 delivering the Boston Globe, so I guess technically that was my first job. If I delivered the Globe for three years, I’d get a $5,000 college scholarship, so my parents made me deliver that paper no matter what. My first legit job where I had to fill out a W9 and whatnot was in high school. My dad got me a job working at a law office during tax season doing filing and answering the phone because I used to do the same sorts of things for him (but he usually paid me in food). There was a drunk cleaning guy who would come in, you know, drunk. I have no idea why everyone put up with his guy. He was obnoxious. I tried, successfully, to throw him out one night, and was rewarded for my effort by having a stapler thrown at my head. Nobody could understand why I wanted to throw him out for scaring the clients by being loud and abrasive and using the phone, as though he was entitled to use it to call his friends and make plans. They did not represent me in my divorce, nor have I chosen to have them do my taxes.

 

[Scoutons86]

Worked in a neighborhood ice cream store during high school.

Worked at a college ice rink as basically a life guard but on skates during.

My first big boy job (meaning could actually pay the bills) was an intensive care unit nurse

 

[Cranky Canuck]

My first job was infantry soldier in the Canadian Army. I joined when I was 17 with the provision that I be 18 by the time I was finished training since 18 is the minimum age for soldiers per the Geneva checklist.

I'm sure I have a pic of army me somewhere...

 

[THil08]

My first job was infantry soldier in the Canadian Army. I joined when I was 17 with the provision that I be 18 by the time I was finished training since 18 is the minimum age for soldiers per the Geneva checklist.

I'm sure I have a pic of army me somewhere...

View attachment 13251

M16A4?

 

[Cranky Canuck]

M16A4?

C7A1 with a C79 optical sight.

It's based on the M16 platform but is Canadian designed and built with many improvements over the M16 including a chromed barrel sleeve for increased durability, a fully ambidextrous design, and a removable trigger guard for use with arctic gloves. It also differs from the US version in that it has safe, single shot, and full auto mode. The US version as far as I understand does not have full auto and instead is limited to three-round burst. I've never used an M16 though so I could be wrong.

C7 remains our standard service rifle but has been significantly upgraded since I've been in. I also trained on the M2 browning, C6 GPMG, C9 LMG, 84mm Carl Gustav recoilless rifle, and the M72 short range anti-armour weapon. I had a lot of fun back then. lol

 

[dreamweaver]

Worked in a neighborhood ice cream store during high school.

Worked at a college ice rink as basically a life guard but on skates during.

My first big boy job (meaning could actually pay the bills) was an intensive care unit nurse

quite the leap. Nice change up.

 

[MaddMatt]

Funny story. Reminds me of local burger joint where I grew up called Burger Chef. They would hire all the local high schoolers with pretty much the same result. They were always packed but it wasn't sustainable.

I loved Burger Chef when I was in high school! It was the only fast food my town had, so lunch time meant loading as many kids as would fit into the back of a truck, driving insanely fast to get in line at "Burger Death", and then driving back, also insanely fast, just in time to be late for 5th period. good times.

 

[dreamweaver]

I loved Burger Chef when I was in high school! It was the only fast food my town had, so lunch time meant loading as many kids as would fit into the back of a truck, driving insanely fast to get in line at "Burger Death", and then driving back, also insanely fast, just in time to be late for 5th period. good times.

Unfortunately, it wasn't close to the school. If we went there for lunch we did't go back. Yes that happened a few times