Your First Job

by BridgeLL

Posted: 14 years ago 33 replies

OFF TOPIC

I remember my first job that wasn't paid under the table - I did a summer work program called HOSO. I was 14, and I got to teach little kids basic science experiments. It was awesome

My following jobs were a mix of working with children, waitressing and night cleaning. Lovely positions, lol.

Working as a janitor at night was not my dream job, but I was willing to work for gas money any way I could. After a few months of cleaning the local health care center, I was lucky enough to be there one night when an employee needed help. It was a simple computer problem and I solved it right away, but it wasn't long before they thought I was some sort of computer prodigy and they hired me for the first of my web development jobs.

Although I did very little actual development, I did luck into an opportunity that helped to shape a lot more of my life.

So let's hear it, where was your first job? How did you get it? Did it lead to something you never would have imagined?

#job

mossmanpete 14 years ago

My first paying job was at 15, under the table, a friend I'd met at a Linux Users Group had a business buying up old technology in pallettes and reselling the parts or uplcycling to more functional tech. So I wound up pulling a part the computers and sorting the parts, moving CRT monitors around, etc. It paid well actually, $10/hr and I'd usually work 9 hour days. I wouldn't say its led to anything directly, but a good work ethic. I have gotten out of the IT scene since then and have recently gotten back into anything technological, with internet marketing, blogging and various software applications in mind. We'll see where this leads...
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taskemann 14 years ago

Originally Posted by Ken_Caudill

My first job was selling greeting cards from an ad in a comic book. It surprised the hell out of me when people actually bought them.

I got my first job when I was 14 at the local lumber dealer.

It was really fun because the boss were never there and we ate cake all day long

The payment weren't so bad either. $20 per hour is much for a 14 year old and I didn't needed to pay tax of them either because I was under 18.
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- BridgeLL 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by taskemann
  
  The payment weren't so bad either. $20 per hour is much for a 14 year old and I didn't needed to pay tax of them either because I was under 18.
  
  That's lucky! I don't even make that now!! Oh well though, today is my birthday, hopefully fortune will smile upon me.
  
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  ThomM 14 years ago
  
  Killing baby mice in the feed storage area of the dairy farm up the road from me, I was 5.
  I moved up to shoveling cow manure at 7 and became a milker at 10.
  
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hardraysnight 14 years ago

herald boy

tax free thanks to a benevolent government
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kenmichaels 14 years ago

Originally Posted by Ken_Caudill

My first job was selling greeting cards from an ad in a comic book. It surprised the hell out of me when people actually bought them.

Captain Olympus?
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yukon Banned 14 years ago

My first job was selling Grit newspapers at the age of 6 years old. My sister would get me to go into local stores & ask everyone If they wanted to buy a Grit newspaper (most bought).

My paychecks were delivered in the form of candy.

Now that I think about it, my sister probably violated multiple child labor laws. At least I had candy.
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seasoned 14 years ago

My first job, working for others as an employee anyway, was as a box boy in a little liquor shop. My second one, IIRC, was as a pc board inspector. My third job, IIRC, was as a programmer.

Steve
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Mark Andrews Banned 14 years ago

14. Left school with no qualifications. Started my own self employed cleaning company. Pushing all of my equipment around town on an old pram. Holding up the traffic at roundabouts without a care in the world. Determined to succeed no matter what.

Good business. Sold it 8 years later.

"Only one who risks is free to be."

Smoking hot,

Mark Andrews
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Jose Princely 14 years ago

I was working as a Network and system Engineer that was my first job.
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michael26a 14 years ago

My first job was working in a delicatessen. I was in year 9 at the time, and I worked there for less than 6 months lol It was a terrible job, and the pay was really low
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bhmseoservices 14 years ago

My first job was a under the table job at a local fast foot place.
I worked there for 4 years and paid well and was a great experience to see what its like in the real world.

Man how things change now heh.
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ozzie2012 14 years ago

I got my first job when I was 16. It was a weekend job at a local supermarket. I was in charge of looking after the liquor department
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kungz13 14 years ago

Postman
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HeySal 14 years ago

I wasn't allowed to have an actual job. My parents felt that I needed to be a kid first and that high school was a job. I was, however, allowed to babysit a little bit. Once I got out of school I got married and moved to Germany to be with my then husband who was in the military. I got my first "real" job there at the military base - babysitting. I worked in the day care center there........and decided I never ever wanted to have kids. LOL. I would need to be hypnotized to remember what that job paid. It was a long darned time ago.
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Jason Kanigan 14 years ago

Dishwasher at the Sizzler steak & seafood restaurant. 15 years old. A $200 paycheck was a lot of money!

Love restaurants, restaurant people...I don't have any friends from college, but I do have many friends from working 8 years in restaurants before and after! Paid for every other semester's tuition (my parents paid the others) with tips from waiting on tables when I was 19-21.
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TiffanyLambert 14 years ago

Aside from babysitting my first real job was TCBY yogurt. Myself and two best friends walked in and asked for applications and he hired all three of us on the spot because we said we could work in Dallas that weekend at some major tennis tournament. It was a really fun job! Minimum wage but all the free chocolate crepe frozen yogurts you wanted
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Dan Riffle

14 years ago

I started delivering newspapers when I was 10. Let me tell you, I hated having to be up before the buttcrack of dawn EVERY day. I also couldn't stand the people who would dodge me when I was collecting.

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yukon

Banned 14 years ago

Originally Posted by Dan Riffle

I starting delivering newspapers when I was 10. Let me tell you, I hated having to be up before the buttcrack of dawn EVERY day. I also couldn't stand the people who would dodge me when I was collecting.

Was it anything like this?

I want my two dollars! - YouTube

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Lastania56 14 years ago

I got a job in a restaurant as a waitress while I was a Uni student got so much fun doing the job
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Dan Riffle 14 years ago

Originally Posted by yukon

Was it anything like this?

Actually, yes.
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- AprilCT 14 years ago
  
  I had a babysitting gig at 12, can't remember what it paid. Then a neighbor hired me when I was around 14 for more babysitting work. It took until I was 16 to get hired at a restaurant. The kids and the restaurant were fun. The restaurant, especially, because it had good food and you could eat whatever you wanted. Unfortunately, although the restaurant was fun, it was really hard work.
  
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SteveJohnson 14 years ago

First real job was working in a laundry room of a HolidayInn motel, which undoubtedly I wouldn't have been able to do now. I was 14, and part of the job was feeding sheets into a gas-fired mangler - a big belt-fed gas-fired drum ironer (before the days of permanent press sheets). Two people worked it, feeding one sheet in as the previous one came out. Fold the sheet, grab another.

It was hot and miserable, but it had its redeeming qualities - a 14yr old kid working around hot 20-something maids (before PC, too )? Who coulda asked for more?
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jonnyhardbaked 14 years ago

Honestly, my official first job is SEO. But before that, I became a real estate agent.
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Audrey Harvey 14 years ago

My first job was as a checkout chick at a small supermarket.

My second job was much more interesting. I had to collect urine from standardbred horses after they had won a race at the trots. the sample was tested for performance enhancing substances. These horses are trained to pee when you whistle, but I'm not the best whistler. They got 10 or 15 minutes to walk around as I whistled, and if they didn't oblige by then, they had a blood sample taken.

I was always so pleased when a horse was a quick pee'er! It was a nice job though, hanging around the horses, they were stunning.
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- BridgeLL 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Audrey Harvey
  
  These horses are trained to pee when you whistle, but I'm not the best whistler.
  
  Lol!! Are you serious? How do they control that? Because I am going to look like a fruit whistling at thoroughbreds now.
  
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Audrey Harvey 14 years ago

It's not hard. I trained my dogs to pee on command too, so they could empty out before they went into the obedience trial ring. Catch them peeing, add a command to it eg "toilet" and then reward them. Over time, they link the command (or the whistle) to the behaviour.

Wouldn't be worth whistling unless the horse knew what it meant. Do they just bleed thoroughbreds after a race?
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odesk 14 years ago

My first job is teaching, when i was in class 7th. i had been made a teacher
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YemTv 14 years ago

driver....
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Jennwith2ns 14 years ago

Taco Bell! Very fancy uniform and the sweet, sweet smell of freeze dried beans and meat that comes in a bag. Ahhh memories.
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H.Miller 14 years ago

My first job was at McDonald's when I was 16.
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Dennisknows 14 years ago

Man you guys were lucky. You were able to get jobs at a young age.

My mom told me to focus on school. I do remember submitting my first job app to a McDonalds. I was so freakin nervous.

I was like 16 then. My plans were to get hired then spring it on my mom "like I got the job. I can help out so much."

Never got a call though.

But my first official job was at Walmart. 7.00 an hour working grave yard shift. Eventually I said screw that and quit. Wish I coulda started working earlier. Might have pushed me to be an entrepreneur faster.
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