What was your first job?

Mine was babysitting. I lived in an apartment complex and had a whole clientel and was working almost every weekend. Even though I was only making $1 an hour, prices weren't as bad as they are today. And at the age of 15-17, I managed to get quite a bit of spending money.



Cat

I dropped out of high school and became a shipping clerk.

Babysitting. I was about 15 and made maybe $3 an hour.

Babysitting. I was about 15 and made maybe $3 an hour.
I'd have paid you at least $7...after all, I AM tough to watch ;)

Same thing here...babysitting.

I was 14 and delivered catalogues and pamphlets with my brother, around our suburb. I can't remember how much we made, I know it wasn't much, considering the huge area we had to cover. ::)

Same thing baby-sitting.  Didn't every teenager do that for $1.00 - $2.00 an hour?

Second job was working in a Steak House type restaurant, where I usually had to close every night and clean up that damn kitchen.  I always had to put the Salad dressings back in big containers so.... every night I ended up smelling like French, Italian or Blue Cheese dressing. I couldn't take it after 3 months so eventually quit.   :-*   :\'(

My first job was as a 'wet-behind-the-ears' Bank clerk...

For which I blame one of my sisters who pointed me in the direction of the profession (she was in the same line of work) - at the time she informed me that 'a job in the Bank is a job for life...'

About ten years later, we were both collecting our redundancy money...!!

I worked in the office and library at the vocational school I went to. I even remember what I spent my first paycheck on----tickets to a "Heart" concert, and a cool pair of boots that just had to have!  ;)

Working in a Plant nursery/garden centre

About ten years later, we were both collecting our redundancy money...!!


I'm not sure if there is such a thing as a secure job, Paul.  :-\\

I was a part time cleaner. I vaccumed and wiped tables in a school for a pittance.

I did lots of babysitting in my early teens, but didn't get my first 'real job' (i.e. where I had to pay taxes) until I was about 17.  I worked a temporary position in the Yardage (fabrics) department of a large store.  :) 

I trim gravestones at two of the local cemeteries.  One or two more times, then I'm done for the year and left jobless. :-\\

I trim gravestones at two of the local cemeteries.  One or two more times, then I'm done for the year and left jobless. :-\\


If you lived here that would be a continuous job for you, since the growing season is year-round.  ;)

I'm not sure if there is such a thing as a secure job, Paul.  :-\\



Well there allegedly was back in the day, Bobby...

(...and after that, there was the dreaded 'night work' - still makes me shudder...!)

Good to see you back...was that the Blackpool holiday?

Babysitting before I was old enough for a "real" job.  My first tax paying job was on the make-up table at a local drive in.  Basically I put ketchup on the hamburgers.

I also babysat before I could get a real job. However, I was the drive-thru/front line girl at McDonalds.

Tanya

I got a job with the State Government Transport Dept.

I worked in the "Show Cause" section.  My job was to pull the copies of people's traffic tickets out of boxes, and put them on a file.  The file then went to court, where the driver (who had accumulated too many demerit points) would have to 'show cause' why their licence should not be suspended.

erm... my first job was cleaning for my dad's friend, he had a bad back and a limp so it was hard for him to hoover and stuff so I said I'd do it, at first I did it with my step sister but then I ended up doing it on my own, I also did lots of babysitting and pet sitting.

My first proper job was working in a clothes shop as the saturday girl  ::)  I quit after a year because the assistant manager said some things she had no right to say  :-X

Kx

My first job was in construction. I was a painter/clean-up/gopher. I think it paid like $5/hour. My boss (the owner) was pretty cool and laid back. Only problem was, after we finished that house he blew MOST of his money on coke and couldn't afford the help anmore ???

Candy Counter at Jordan Marsh, mmmmmmm goooood. :)

My first real out of school job was as an elevator operator.  It had it's ups and downs.

My first real out of school job was as an elevator operator.  It had it's ups and downs.


LOL *BaaDaa-pshh*

First jobs were babysitting and a newspaper delivery round.

I started as Saturday girl in Woolworths when I was 15 and did that until I started work full-time.  My first 'proper' job was as a trainee laboratory technician in the Physics Department at a University.

My first job was at Arby's at the age of 16 making $3.35 an hour.  This was back when their uniforms were brown polyester with the Arby's hat logo.  :P  Not fun to wear in the summertime.

Well there allegedly was back in the day, Bobby...

Yes my dad told me of a time you could quit a job Friday and be in a job the Monday after.  :)

(...and after that, there was the dreaded 'night work' - still makes me shudder...!)

Good to see you back...was that the Blackpool holiday?

Night work bad heh? Did it pay a little better than daylight hours?

Thank you, Paul. I've been away deliberately because my hands have been playing up so I thought I would rest them for a while. My Blackpool holiday is in October and am looking forward to it very much.  :D

Thanks for noticing my absence.  ;)

My first job was at Arby's


mmmm.... Arby's... One of my early jobs was at Burger King and I remember the first thing I would do after I cashed my check was to go and get a Beef N Chedder at Arby's because after payday was the only time I could afford to eat there!  :D
Come to think of it... Arby's sounds good for lunch today :)

At aged 15 I got a summer job at a local plastics moulding factory.

My job was to collect the scraps of plastic left over on the floor around the moulding machines in a sack,  then grind up these leftovers into new plastic pellets in a big grinding machine.
These recycled plastic pellets then got reused for new mouldings.

The job was low paid, dirty, smelly and BORING!

However it's convinced me that my own kids should experience the same sort of job conditions at some point, as motivation to aspire to something better!

I first worked at Fenton Avenue Elementary School during the summer between my sophomore and junior years of high school. It was July-August of 1996; I basically worked in the main office, doing basic office duties. I also worked there a year later, but did mostly photocopying. The school was very close to where I was then living, so I actually walked home from work a few times.

Pennysavers in the late 80's.


Howard

Last year, I worked as a volunteer at a PDSA charity shop. What I did was sort out clothes. I also cubed and tagged them.

My first paying job was working at Subway, I worked there for a year before I left for school.  Made a $5.15 an hour.

  A paper route when I was 15-16.

I haven't had a job yet...

Babysitting.  During the school holidays my sister, cousin and I would work at a chicken hatchery.  Awful work but the money was terrific.  I used to hate it when the guy that bred snakes would come and get unwanted chickens to feed his "pets" :P :(

  I didn't have to look for a job until after high school, since I was so busy with extracurriculars my Senior year. I guess I had two first jobs, since I got them in the same month.
  One was as a "page" in the local library (yes, I got ribbed a lot for that one). I checked books in and out, shelved them and then when there was nothing else to do, I had to shelf-read. That means standing in a random area and reading the codes of every book to make sure they were in exact "Dewey Decimal" order ( ???).
  The other job was as a lawyer's assistant. I would run documents to and from the court house, sort client files, dictate court/document info into a micro-cassette recorder for the secretaries, etc.

Music informer at the radio station while still studying at university back in 1998.

babysitting was my first unofficial job....my first "official" job was working as a receptionist/billing clerk at a chiropractic office.




Erin :)

Paper-round. 6 of them, to be exact. The sad thing is, I was on more money back then than I am in my current job  :P

My sister and cousins and I had a Kool-aid stand :)

My sister and cousins and I had a Kool-aid stand :)


I hope quality customer service was top on your priorities list...

I hope quality customer service was top on your priorities list...
You remind me of one small problem we had, was there were only a few cups that we kept rinsing off in a bowl of water until it also truned red as the Kool-aid.  None of the kids seemed to mind though! 

Worked at Wendy's as an order taker/cashier for five months.

Worked at Wendy's as an order taker/cashier for five months.



I think it's so funny that when you go to Wendy's for takeout....instead of saying, "Thanks, have a nice day"....they were saying for a while, "Thanks, see you tomorrow".  I think they only did that for a short while...because now they are back to just saying, "have a nice day". LOL!



Erin :)

My first job was a paper boy...it was boring as hell wandering around the same streets day in day out...except sundays

Well, I used to volunteer at an old age home when I was 12. My first paying job was "Foodland"--a grocery store.


Beth

My first job was a paper boy...it was boring as hell wandering around the same streets day in day out...except sundays


I almost tried to get a paper route, but then decided it wasn't worth waking up so early during the summer.

I almost tried to get a paper route, but then decided it wasn't worth waking up so early during the summer.


I loved my paper-rounds. I had 2 on weekday mornings, 2 on Sunday mornings and 2 on weeknights, but often I got roped in to cover other kid's rounds when they didn't show up, so one evening I ended up doing 5 rounds... I didn't get home until well past 7, I was nackered. Still, I think one week I got paid about £50 after covering 2 other rounds and odd days when people hadn't turned up, so it was worth it  8)

I never noticed this thread before.. must have been during one of my MIA's.

Anyway my first job was in a movie theater.  Sometimes I would work the registers at the snack bar... but mostly I was locked in the tiny ticket booth... and man it would get stuffy in there!! :P

My first job was as a paper boy for a free newspaper that nobody read.  How do I know no one read it?  Because for almost 2 years, I never delivered them, still got paid, and never received one complaint  (I was like 12 years old at the time.  I didn't know any better) ;D