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"Mom, dad totally did NOT like you the first time he met you. Do you remember that he hated your big hair and thought you were rude?"
Yes. Yes. Of course I remember because I told you that story in the first place, little fools.
A few days ago we spend a considerable amount of our chit chat time discussing jobs. It seems that we live in a country where teenagers don't get jobs like we did growing up back in the "olden days". They honestly live in such an alternate reality that when I told them I started my first paying job at fourteen and that Troy was fifteen, they looked at me with the "you're such a liar" face.
I asked Isaac, "Well, what will your first job be?!?"
He said, "Hmm, I am going to be a vet. So something in a lower level vet office."
I had no idea what that meant.
Lower level as in downstairs office or lower level as in they don't yet care for real live animals.
Upon clarification Isaac said it means he is low-level and maybe just "holds the Guinea pig on the table for the first year". He said "no dogs, cats, or turtles in the first year". (Turtles are high level??)
As I recounted the jobs I have had I tried to come up with brilliant little anecdotes about what each job taught me. Quickly I realized that 1. I have no brilliant little anecdotes 2. I have had a lot of weird jobs 3. Our kids don't think they'll work for real until they are 30ish and something needs to be scrambled in their brains (right quick!) to fix that.
My first job: Waitress at a private retirement community in a restaurant that was open just a couple hours each evening. It was there that I delivered dinner to elderly people a few nights a week. It was a very fun and easy job as long as you didn't get one particular blind man in your section. His name was Stanley, he so disliked me. When it came time to tell him where his food was on his plate (beans at 9 o'clock) he always got impatient and angrily snapped at me before the words were all out and the explanation was finished, I was always nervous when it came time to put the food down in front of Stanley. I fantasized about spinning his plate and putting his beans in a place he'd never find them. I had that job for a couple of years before I moved "up" to a different restaurant job that required wearing a full Dutch costume. :-( Yeah, hat and everything. Suffice it to say, I missed crabby Stanley pretty quickly.
Isaac would like to pose a question to all readers willing to comment. He'd like to know how old you were when you got your first job and what job it was?
103 comments:
Isaac,
I was in high school and I worked a cash register at a local store in Llano. It happened to be my mom's store! Other jobs included making crafts, working the front desk at a pharmacy (getting people prescriptions!), and a camp counselor!
Love keeping up with you all!
Much Love,
Kelsey Rostron
My first job was when I was 15. They remodeled the elementary school where I grew up, and my friend's dad in charge of the project "hired" all of us boys to move all the furniture and desks out of the building into storage units, then back in the building once it was done.
My first real job was at 16 (legal age in Texas...) working at a movie rental place that also sold fountain drinks out of the drive through window. It didn't pay well, but in the time before Netflix, getting free movie rentals was a big bonus.
Hey Isaac, I worked for my dad on the farm some, driving tractor and picking up rocks, gardening, catching chickens, etc. My first "real" job was when I was 16 and worked at a nursing home in the kitchen. Tell your mom I had some "crabby Stanleys" too.
Amy (TN)
Two part question really. My first job was working for a family friend who owned a newspaper. I only worked one morning/week stuffing the advertisements into the newspaper before they were delivered. I was paid $10 plus breakfast at a restaurant in town before going to school. I started that job around the age of 12.
My first job that lasted more than one day per week began at age 16 and I worked as a staff member at a Girl Scout Camp. This was all summer long and then weekends during the rest of the year.
I was 16 and I worked at a TJ Maxx for about a year but I had odds and ends babysitting jobs prior to that!
I was 15 years old and worked at a pizza and ribs place. I'd walk there and my parents would pick me up around midnight. I took phone orders, made pizzas, stocked items, and cleaned the tables. I'd come home smelling like a bbq pizza but I sure ate well :) I can't remember what I spent my money on but I'm guessing it was something neon or a bottle of aqua net ;)
Being from Iowa, I had the typical first job at age 14 - detasseling corn. I did that for two summers and then worked in a fast food place for a summer. I much preferred the hot, sticky, muddy field to the greasy feel of a fast food place!
My 14 year old daughter starts her first job in July - pollinating corn. When you live in corn country, field jobs are abundant!
Thanks!
Kara Califf
Hi Isaac,
My first "real" job was to run birthday parties at the pet store when I was 14. We'd bring all the different animals to the party room for the kids to pet and hold. My brother (he was 13) handled all the weird animals- cockroaches, pythons, scorpions. I did the cute things- cats, dogs, mice, guinea pigs. We also both cleaned animal cages and helped customers at the store. We usually came home smelling like a dirty pet store. Other than that it was pretty fun.
Natasha
My first job was delivering our local newspaper at 5:30 a.m. for a summer when I was 11 years old. The following summer (12 years) I babysat four kids (what was that mother thinking?!)
I started babysitting neighborhood kids when I was 12 or 13. The summer I was 16, I babysat for a family every day. The summer I was 17, I worked for a county agency answering the phone and other general administrative jobs. Then I went to college and worked and worked....and worked... :-)
Great question Isaac!
Suzy V
I was 14 when I had my first summer job (officially too young, so I was instructed that IF inspection showed up I was helping my 'aunt' and 'uncle) It was at a restaurant/snackbar/bar at the local harbor for 'pleasure boats and yachts'. A year later I started working weekends (Friday afternoon/evening + Saturday) at a local supermarket and during every vacation. Did that until I graduated High School, with the money I saved I was able to pay for driving lessons when I turned 18 and buy a 2 year old car when I got my license.
Els
I was 16 and worked at an afterschool program where kids stayed from the time school got out until their parents got off work to come pick them up.
At 16 I started teaching English privately to school kids (in my spare time) and at 18 I started teaching it full-time to adults too. Also at 16 I had a volunteer job as an interpreter between French and English on Sundays at church.
I started babysitting heavily when I was 9 (I know....illegal much?). But my first non-babysitting job was when I was 14 at TD's Burgers and More. Good times that.
I started pet-sitting when I was 11. Then babysitting when I was 12. I think my first "real" out of the house job was when I was 14 or so and it was either office work or a restaurant down the street from my house. Can't remember which I did first. Then I worked at Subway sandwiches and a boat rental place when I was 16 and also babysat and cleaned house full time for a family over the summer when I was 16 and 17. Graduated at 18 and went to college where I also worked and went to school for four and a half years! Then got my master's degree in education. Luckily I didn't have to work then because I was married. Then I taught for two years before having kids and becoming a stay at home mom.
Great question Isaac. Something I haven't thought about in awhile. Oh and all that happened before I turned 27. :)
My first "real" job was a receptionist at my dad's real estate office--I was 15 years old. It was a fun job, but I had to dress nicely, and I didn't really like that. I made a lot of copies. I answered the phone a lot. My dad did a good job of teaching me how to be successful receptionist.
Isaac, I was 14 and I had a Saturday job working on a market stall selling costume jewellery. The stall was broken into and because I was one of the employees I had to be interviewed by the police AND have my fingerprints taken! I remember my father being quite definite with the police officer and making sure they were going to destroy my prints and not keep them on record! Love Keren x
Isaac, I think my first job would fall into the lower-level vet job category. I worked in a veterinarian office. I swept, mopped, scooped poop, washed down blood and poop in the chutes, filled saline bottles...lots of lower-level stuff. I never got the privilege of holding down a guinea pig:( I was 16.
Hi Issac!
I grew up in Massachusetts near lots of farms and I had my first job when I was 12. I worked at a dog and cat kennel where people put their animals when they went on vacation. I had the job of giving fresh water and cleaning cages (yuck) BUT I love animals so much it was ok. I also worked at a grocery store in high school. By the way, since I hated seeing the animals sad and in cages while their owners were on vacation I have never gone on vacation without my dog! Have a great day!Beth I.
My first real job was when I was 15. I worked in ticket sales at a local amusement park (Excelsior, MN) during the summer for 40/hrs a week for $1/hr. I was stuck in a tiny booth, alone, with no air conditioning and a little fan. I had a little round hole in the window that I could talk through and one at the bottom for the money/tickets. The worst thing that happened was an older teenager threw an snowcone at me through the window and hit me hard in the face.
Hi Issac!
I was 16 and got a paid internship at a bank as a teller. It was about 3 hours after school a few days a week and 4 or 5 hours on Saturday. I only did that for a year. I also took dance lessons for a long time and the dance studio needed someone to greet people and answer the phone a couple nights a week so I did that for a few months after I stopped working at the bank. I started working at an insurance company when I was 18 and almost done with high school. Guess what, I still work at the same place 6 years later (pretty crazy!).
When I turned 16 I got a job at The Varsity Shop (a locally owned sports equipment store). Most of my time was spent working on inventory, keeping the store and merchandise orderly and helping with sales. However, my favorite days were the slow days when all the employees would put on all the padding gear and then throw various balls (soft ones!) at each other. We got to be silly on slow days. :)
My first job, at 12 years old, was, believe it or not, catching chickens. We waited until dark (when the chickens were sleeping) and went into the barns that held tens of thousands of chickens, and caught them. One leg per chicken, three chickens in the right hand, three in the left, and then brought them, hanging upside-down to the truck, where we stuffed them into the cages to go to slaughter. I did it for years!
I was 16 and worked at a Mexican food restaurant called "Someburros" delivering food to tables and filling take out orders. I still have a scar where I burned myself with enchilada sauce.
I was 13 and worked in a hydroponic tomato green house. I rode my bike about 1/2 mile to get there.
At age 16 my mom said it was time to get a job, so I started busing tables at a local German restaurant. The ladies (that would include me) were required to wear a "traditional" German dress called a dirndl. For some reason, the young men were not required to wear lederhosen...
I was twelve, and I worked as a dishwasher for a local restaurant. The dish tub were almost as tall as I was!
15, Ice cream shop!
I got my first regular paying job right after turning 16. I worked at an Arby's restaurant. I worked on the cash register, made sandwiches and cleaned tables and took out trash. It was there that I met my future husband, so it was a great job!
Me: age 16: nursing assistant at a nursing home.
Dave: age 13: paper route
Hi Isaac,
I was 10 when my dad bought a corner store and my brother and I worked in the shop every day after school.
Barry
I started babysitting the neighbor's kids at age 12, (I was certified in CPR and took babysitting safety classes beforehand). As soon as I turned 16 I got a job flipping burgers at the local Dairy Queen, and from there went to selling tickets and shovelling popcorn at 17. Every teenager needs a crap job so they can appreciate the good jobs they get later in life!
Hey Isaac I was about 10 when I started mowing lawns for payment. The neighbor had 5 acres so it kept me pretty busy. You could mow lawns for your first job, oh wait that's right we cant grow grass in Haiti :)
Hi Isaac! At age 12 I started my own business of mowing lawns, in order to earn the money to go to camp. My first "paycheck" producing job was at age 15 in a local ice cream/sandwich shop; first as a dishwasher, then an ice cream scooper/server, & eventually as a cook, until I cut the end of my thumb off.....ouch!
my first job was as an aide at our little country town library. i read stories to a herd of small children, two days a week, for two summers. it paid for gas!
prayers for you guys,
rachel
When I was 15, my first job was at chic-fil-a. I stood out between chic-fil-a and Sears and gave out samples of chicken. It was an easy job because who doesn't want a little bite of heaven?!?
Jana
Probably around 13 I started delivering the weekly free newspaper after school and as a teenager I also mowed the neighbours lawn, delivered advertising pamphlets, collected cash payments for a daily newspaper and worked in a service station pumping petrol (I called myself a petroleum transfer engineer :D ). (not all at the same time)
I was 16, jr. in highschool, I was a hostess at a seafood restaurant in Laguna Beach Ca. I was saving to buy a car. I didnt get my liscence until I could get a car
(18) thus I could drive to Jr. college.
You save quite a lot when you work and put the checks in the savings because your parent pays your rent. Remember that!
Isaac, I was in high school at Union School and during the summers would work as a translator/tour guide/team point person for work groups that would come down from the US. (Lots of funny stories from those groups.) One summer I was assigned to work with a brand new missionary to Haiti who was a physician's assistant. That was a fun summer traveling all over Haiti.
I was a busy little entrepreneur, because I wanted cute clothes and grew up in a family with very little money! My jobs started when I turned 12. I started a lawn mowing business, and worked up to having 18 lawns to mow (for $6 each). I did that for several summers. I also babysat (some of which I loved, and some kids whom I never wanted to ever babysit for again!), rolled and delivered our city's free newspaper, tutored kids in Math, took out the trash for our elderly neighbor, and cleaned house. I loved being busy, and I especially loved having some money to buy clothes (or material and patterns for my mom to sew me clothes)! I never wanted the people at school to know that I came from a poor family, for some reason; so I tried to be an over-achiever to compensate. Silly me!! When I was in high school I worked as a waitress at a steak restaurant. My co-workers and I got along great and spent lots of time together outside of work, as well as AT work. I loved that job!!
I was 13 and I started mowing lawns and baling hay for a local farmer.
When I was 14 years old, I was a teacher's assistant for swimming lessons at the local pool. The best part was catching kids off the diving board when they jumped on your head...
I was 15 and my first job was working in a Dental Lab. I got to make those crazy plaster molds of people's teeth that orthodontists use to record your teeth before and after braces. After the dentist would take the mold - with the crazy squishy stuff - I would pour plaster into them and after they would harden, I would have to cut and polish them. It was a great job - and eventually I learned how to make retainers.
I also worked in a candle store in the mall and a christian book store. Fun!!!!
Hi Isaac,
I can't believe nobody has listed this job yet! I had he coolest first job possible. In 1993 I was 16 and for my first job I worked behind the concession stand at the 3 screen Har Mar movie Theatres in St. Paul. (Sadly I think the theater is gone now.) I made popcorn (and ate a ton of it), filled drink orders, and sold candy. We also made hotdogs but often neglected them for too long on the hot dog warmer so they got a little old and gross. The best part of the job was that I could watch movies and eat popcorn on my breaks and I could bring friends and family to see movies for free (and of course get free popcorn.) I worked there for 2 years and even though I stunk like butter flavor at the end of every shift, I loved it! (I wasn't behind the concession stand all two years. I also got to be an usher and walk through the theaters making sure everyone was quiet during movies as well as work behind the ticket counter.)Now whenever I go to see a movie the smell brings back good memories. ;) Amanda
Hi Isaac,
I was 16 when I got my first "real job" working at a local discount store. I was COOKIE MONSTER!! I wore a cookie monster costume and gave out "cookie credit cards" to all the little children in the store. They took their cards to the bakery department and got a free cookie.
I had one dad get upset and yell at me because his little boy was scared of me and he cried. The man did not speak English so maybe they were not familiar with the cookie monster character.
Another time a group of older girls got mad because I would not give them a card(for little kids only!) and they chased me through the men's department--that was scary at the time.
I had a lot of fun working at that job!!!
Hope you are having a great summer!!
Hi Isaac-
I was 14 and I worked as a corn detasseler because I was very tall and could reach the top of the corn. We had to be in the corn fields at 4:30 am all summer long and pull the tassels (that "hairy" part) off so that it could cross-pollinate. If you were really good/fast you got to ride on the tractor combine instead of walk. It was a pretty good summer job if you didn't mind your hands being cut up and calloused. I didn't. It made me feel tough. I can't wait to see what your first job is going to be! Miss you!
Sarah
The Cookie Monster job (and getting chased) is one of our faves so far. :)
Additionally, we're very HUNGRY after reading about all these food service jobs. Please send buttered movie theater popcorn ASAP!
My first real job was selling hotdogs at the university football games. I was only 13 and not strong enough to carry the box up the stairs so I would carry it only about 20 feet from the kitchen, put it down and then stand on it and scream "Hottttttt Dooooooggggggss, come and get your Hotttttt Doooogggggs".
Isaac wants me to clarify that Arby's and Chic-fil-a and icecream shop are by far the best jobs ... he said "WHAT???? I LOVE Chic fil A!!!! I want that job!" :)
At 15, I got my first job working in the cafeteria line at a local private college. What I remember most is getting up early (for me); making friends with the "cranky" old (50ish?) guy who ran the dishwasher--he was a great mentor and actually quite nice; the "nice" supervisor (who really was not so nice out of the public eye); and being asked to rinse the maggots off yesterday's grapefruit halves in order to try and serve them again---EWWWWWW!
Isaac, I started my first job at 15 at a restaurant called Chuck E Cheese. I liked the job since a had several friends that also worked there. We would dressed up as the characters and dance or pass out pizzas or host birthday parties for kids. It was a lot of fun!
Hi Isaac. I started out babysitting for different families in my community. In middle school sometime, I don't remember what year, I started working at a daycare. I helped after school with the five year old class. I worked there after school all the way through high school. it was a good job for me!
First job . . . I was 12 when I worked in the strawberry fields for a month or so in the summer time. The farm bus picked us up at 6:00am and brought us home about 3:30pm. I made about $10/day if I worked real hard and didn't get into too many strawberry fights.
First full-time job . . . I was 13 and I babysat 4 children full-time in the summer while their parents worked. (I did this for 2 summers.)
First really bad job . . . I was 16 when I got my first restaurant job. The manager was a not nice guy (whom I should have turned in for harassment.)
Most fun job . . . I was 19 the summer I DUSTED LIBRARY BOOKS for a living. Yep. Sure did. A group of girls worked the graveyard shift at the college library, going to work at 11pm and getting off at 7am. We spent all night, every night, taking books off of the shelves . . . dusting the shelves . . . dusting each book . . . and putting the books back. We girls would take turns being the "reader", and we would read aloud to the other girls while they worked. We took our "lunch break" at 3am and walked a mile to a donut shop who opened just for us to give us hot donuts straight from the oven. It was a GREAT summer job!
Now ... Isaac . . . you may be thinking "She's just old and that was a long time ago."
But . . . I've got to tell you . . . each of my kids have started working by age 13 or 14, as well.
My older 3 worked at a dairy farm, starting at age 14 or 15. They "Scooped Poop" for a living, and learned to drive BIG tractors by age 15.
My next 5 kids have all worked summers at the local berry farms (starting at age 13 or 14). My 19 year old has worked at the same farm for 6 years, and was promoted to supervisor at just age 18.
Isaac . . . you need to tell your brothers and sisters that . . . Hard work is GOOD for kids. It teaches them responsibility. It helps them learn to manage money. And, it prepares them for REAL LIFE.
And . . . before you all are ready to get a REAL JOB . . . Isaac . . . you need to learn to scrub toilets, wash dishes, fold laundry, make dinner. So, you'd better get started real soon.
:) :) :)
isaac- brilliant question: i was 12 and taught piano lessons to beginners. i did that all through high school. at 14 i worked as a cleaner-upper in a supermarket. (washed the meatcutter machines- gross- etc).
It was the summer I turned 16 and I worked at a summer camp as a counselor. Definitely interesting if by interesting you think of hot, sweaty, and low paying but VERY eye opening!
At 15, I bussed tables at the restaurant for about a year at the local Country Club.
I know babysitting doesn't really count, but can you believe at 10 years old, I shared a job with my sister (taking turns every other day) babysitting 4 kids, ages 2, 4, 6 and 8 all day long! Who lets a 10 year old babysit their kids all day?? Oh well, it was the 70s! I remember being very overwhelmed by those little rascals most of the time, ha ha!
Hi Isaac,
Like many others, I started working at 12 as a babysitter. I had many families and worked almost every night! I also worked in the watermelon patch one summer hoeing weeds and turning the melons. At 16 I started my first "Real" job. I presorted mail for the post office so buisiness could pay less in mailing costs! This was by far one of the best jobs ever! To this day I can still tell you the zip codes to half of Oklahoma and the Northern parts of Texas! I also worked at a daycare and bank before graduating from high school.
Isaac,
My first job was a temp one when I was 15 at a call center for S-ars telling people their order was in. I quickly learned to scan the order before I told them their batteries arrived, but their toy was back ordered until after Christmas. My first permanent job was at 16 at a craft store where I worked for 25 cents under minimum wage ($2.00 which was legal in my state for small businesses). I waited on customers, manned the cash register, framed pictures, made samples, and did some book keeping and ordering of stock. Most of the time I was the only person working in the store on evenings. In two years I saved up $2000 while staying on the honor roll at school and graduating a half a year early. I also had to pay for all my own clothes and entertainment.
For my first job, I was 11 years old and wasn't paid---I worked for 6 weeks as a teacher's assistant in a summer school program for disabled children. I did the same job every summer until I graduated from college (although I later supplemented it with a part-time paying job). I LOVED it and helped confirm my desire to teach special needs kids---a job I've had now for 25 years!
I started babysitting occasionally at 13, and at 16 started working at a summer camp. The first year I was in the kitchen and horsemanship program - not at the same time! - and later as a counsellor, in the office, helping with construction projects/getting set up for the sumer, as store manager/housekeeper, you name it! Random factoid - cleaning up human poop (fun fact - up to 4 boys will keep using an obviously-clogged toilet) is way grosser than horse poop.
My first real job was labeling our small town paper for delivery (before computers put the address right on the paper), bundled them by town, and delivered them to the post office. The bundling machine would not have passed any type of safety regulations today.
Oddest job was working as a meat cutter two summers. It was a family owned locker so we butchered beef 1-2 per day 3-4 days a week. We also processed pork 1 day per week and once in awhile a goat or sheep. They also processed deer but it wasn't hunting season during the months I worked. My parents couldn't believe I was willing to do the job but I had to pay for college some how. It was not a bad job actually, and it helped me appreciate college and my future opportunities all the more.
Its been fun to read through all the other jobs people have had. Thanks for posing the question.
Jessica
Isaac,
My first paid job was when I was 13. I worked 3 summers as a nanny for a family with a 2 year old and a 1 year old. I watched them for 10 hours a day and was paid $25 daily.
My first unpaid job was when I was younger, maybe 10 or 11. My mother was a housekeeper for a family with an enormous house. When they were going to have a party or some other special event, my sisters and I would have to go to work with my mom so she could get everything done in time. We would clean and fold laundry and even cook. It was hard work!
I grew up on a dairy farm, so I started working when I was old enough to be safe and follow simple directions to help with chores.
My first real non-family paying job was babysitting starting at age 12 - a family my older sister regularly babysat for, and I took over when she went off to college.
My first job was at 12 babysitting the three boys across the street. At 15 I started working at the local pharmacy and stayed until I graduated high school.
My first job was at 16 - as a waitress at also at a local retirement community working in the restaurant. Residents were the same each day and you learned who needed to know when you were placing something down near them, and could guess what many might order from the three choices given each day.
Prep time meant filling about 30 glass goblets with ice, placing them all on a large tray, and then carrying it through a swinging doorway area and out to the water station without dropping and breaking any glasses. I often failed and left a trail of broken glasses and ice.
It was a blast!
I started babysitting at 10 years old and crazy people in our neighborhood let me keep their 6 week old baby at 12 years old. I would never let my children keep a 6 week old at 12; maybe not ever. I even I kept him and his 3 year old sister. I did not realize how young I was. I always babysat for someone in our neighborhood every weekend. I stayed busy. BUT at 15 I started working at a little music store everyday after school. . I watched the front of the store while the owner taught piano lessons, I also helped students from schools rent their instruments and sold lots of reeds( for wind instruments). It was a small store but I worked there for several years. I even had 2 jobs at more than one point during my high school years. I stayed very busy!
Tell Isaac my oldest son is 17 and he has spent the last 2 summers and some Saturdays during the school year working in our family's granite plant. He has learned that he does not want to ever work for someone elses horn blowing. The horn blows at 9:15 for their break, for lunch and quitting time. It has been a very good experience in my opinion b/c he sees how hard many people work. It's not Haiti but its GA and there is no a/c in the plant. The granite dust makes you feel icky, he is covered every night. He stsrts work before 7 am everyday. I am always asleep when he leaves. So are his brother and sister.
My daughter started helping teach dance camps for little kiddos at 14. She is now almost 16. She probably will start helping with more classes this year.
My youngest son is 13 and he has no plans to work anytime soon. He is taking advantage of being the baby.
Hi Isaac,
My name's Elisabeth, I'm a tent-making missionary in Kenya. My first job was at the age of 14 (the age in the US when a person under the age of 18 can legally work) and I worked for my orthodontist (the guy who does braces to straighten teeth). From that time I paid for my own clothing and personal stuff and have continuously been working since then. I did not get to do anything on people's braces, I did office work like filing and photocopying and answering the phone.
not counting babysitting or getting paid by the pailful to pick up acorns off people's lawns... age 16, donut shop, with a horrid polyester uniform (brown bell bottoms anyone? and no it wasn't the 70s.) My shift was 7pm-11pm weeknights and 3-11pm on weekends. I got one free donut per shift. :)
Besides paper routes at 4 in the morning (12 years old or so), I worked as a teaching assistant for evening adult classes at the state mental hospital. We taught very intellectually challenged men and women important skills like... how to fall (without getting hurt). Saw some VERY interesting things on THAT job!
Isaac,
I started babysitting kids in the neighborhood when I was about 10 or 11. My other jobs included working at Burger King and the local library (putting books away after they were returned). Then I went to college and only worked during the summers - somewhere different each summer - grocery store, nanny for some rotten kids, receptionist for my cousin's construction business, and at a daycare.
Sara
Hi Isaac,
My first job wasn't so exciting. I started babysitting when I was 12 and that's pretty normal. BUT, I think you might like my son's job. He started working when he was 9 or 10, and he would work with my husband and his friend and help them as they built houses. His job was the go-for which means he went and got whatever they needed. They were very kind to him too, and when a fun job came up that he could do, they let him do that too. They really liked having him there, so they let him choose how he wanted to be paid- money or chocolate bars. Which would you choose? And, I want to say that I really like your blog. My kids would like to ask you some questions, but they are kind of shy. I hope they get over it soon. Bonnie Kaack
I got my first job in my home state of Ohio at the age of 15. I had to get a permit to work. It was at the downtown Murphy Mart, a distant relative of Walmart, no doubt. But this store had wooden floors and a soda fontaine with a mirror and stools that ran all along one wall. Sorta of a "Happy Days" type place...
Hello there Isaac! I love your blog, what an extremely cool idea!
My first 'real' job: I was 15 and I ran the concession stand every Friday night and Saturday at the local roller skating rink. I cooked the BEST burgers and fries! And the best part, when we weren't busy, I got to skate for free!!
My first job was at 16 and I also worked at the same Dutch restaurant where I wore a flower print jumper, blue ruffled shirt and a lace hat shaped like a cone!!
Hi Sweet Isaac,
My very first paying job was babysitting for your mom's cousins who are about 15 years older than your mom. I played with them, fed them dinner which their mom had made ahead of time, bathed them, put them to bed and then picked up the house and did all the dishes and sometimes the ironing. My pay was 50 cents an hour. That was a pretty good rate then, which my big brother would hand to me as most of my friends only received 35 cents an hour. BTW...there were 5 kids in that family.
Your auntie Char
My first paying job was babysitting for a couple across the street once a week. I was 12 years old. Before that I was responsible for cleaning the bathrooms and vacuuming at age 8. My sister and I also weeded my mothers extensive flower/vegetable gardens and hung laundry on the line EVERY DAY of the year! I am now 34 and I clean houses, do yardwork and take care of kids when I am not doing massage! All that to say the skills I learned as a child are putting food on my table today!
Sandy C
My first job at age 15 was working in a bakery after school and weekends cleaning and some sales. The worst part was scraping the grease/flour slime off the floors near the doughnut fryer - Ewwww! Made me never want to eat another fried doughnut again - but I got over it :)
I was 15 when I got my first job working at a summer camp. It was a lot of hard work and long days. I washed dishes during meals, cleaned up the dorms when the campers left, helped with games and activities when they were there, and worked in the snack bar. The worst part of the job is that they had a giant dumpster (semi-truck giant) that was only emptied at the end of the season and by the middle of the summer it started to get pretty full. So about every 2 weeks 3 of us were sent out to be trash compactors for an hour, meaning we had to walk on the stinking, rotten, bug-infested trash to crush it. Gross.
I was a mother's helper for 18month old twins and a newborn when I was 11. At 12 I became their only babysitter and worked for them until college, including getting to go with them on vacations as the nanny.
When I was 13, I started working at a strawberry farm. We picked berries from 6-9 AM in the rain, the hot sun, or whatever! That first year, my brother and I saved all our earnings, got a loan from my grandma that we worked off the next summer, and used it to buy a pool for our family!
I worked at the farm doing other strawberry related jobs (customer service, selling, etc) from 6AM - 8 PM for the summers from when I was 15-21... Used the money to pay for college!
Worked full time while at college doing a variety of jobs based on what was available each semester.... Custodial work (yep, cleaned boys restrooms!), the bookstore, and the library were the main jobs I held.
Great question!
LeeAnn
Started babysitting at 12 and would also periodically help my dad, who was an insurance agent, file paperwork. In high school I got my first real job at 16. I was part of the Future Business Leaders club/class and they helped students get interviews to work in offices. I got a job at an employment office. Worked there through high school after school and sometimes full time during the summer. :)
My first real job was when I was 16. I taught swim lessons all day at the local YMCA. It was a really fun job since I enjoyed being in a pool. I didn't mind the long hours. I also got a really great sun tan.
Started babysitting at 12. Got a "real" job at 17 working as a telesurveyor. I called people with surveys and they yelled at me, hung up on me, and frequently asked if i believed in Jesus :)
Isaac, I started working for my mom's medical office when I was 13. I filed papers, sent faxes, and sorted and organized things. Then I got my first "real" job when I was 16, working in the kitchen in a retirement community, kind of like your mom's first job!
Isaac had read abou 3/4 of these so far and will finish up reading the rest tomorrow. THANK YOU to everyone that shared with us! First jobs are funny to think back on, lots of weird ones here for him to consider. :)
tara
My first job was delivering papers twice a week. I was 12. My second job, however, was definitely in the "low-level veterinary" area. When I was 16, I volunteered for a year at a veterinary hospital, and got loads of experience doing tons of cool veterinary things. Then they hired me on during the summer to actually work there, and then suddenly (because they were paying me now?) they would only let me clean animal cages and mop the floor. I eventually quit after about a month. Not my finest moment, but there it is. :)
Wow, this certainly brings back some awesome memories! My first paying job was when I was 13. I was a babysitter in the evenings for a family with two little girls. Mom was an ER nurse and worked some odd hours like 6 p.m. - 4 a.m. Dad worked odd hours, too - noon to 9. Mom would pick me up around 5, I'd feed the girls dinner, bathe them and get them ready for bed, then Dad would take me home with the girls in tow and I'd be home by 9:30. Monday - Friday for almost an entire school year.
After that, I did LOTS of babysitting, and then when I was 15, I went to work as a cashier at a local drug store. Apparently things went downhill after that, because my next three gigs were all fast food. Boy, if that doesn't humble you...
I was 13 when I first started babysitting for money. If that's not considered a real job job yet, then I started working on the childcare staff at my church when I was 15. Then at 16 I started working at Mcdonalds. I was that cool high school student who worked two jobs, haha. But, I actually did enjoy it. I made a lot of friends and it was nice to not have to ask my mom for money all the time.
I started babysitting when I was 11 (not counting all the babysitting for my younger brothers before that -- and, like some other folks said, I look back and I'm kind of amazed that people left an 11-year-old to take care of their small babies. My friends and I even had a Babysitters Club -- we made flyers and tried to get the parents to call us to book babysitters during our meeting times -- but mostly we jumped on the trampoline and just hung out together.
My first official job was at 16 years old, working as a birthday party host at Mr. Gatti's Pizza - serving pizza & cake, passing out tokens to play the games, etc.
I've had many, many jobs since then! I've had indoor jobs and outdoor jobs - hard jobs and easy jobs. One fall I worked in an orchard, picking apples and shaping Christmas trees (to make them grow just right), and we both grew and scattered store-bought pumpkins out in the fields, so other people could come and discover them in the pumpkin patch.
Each job is a chance to take a peek inside another world - I always enjoy learning what people are passionate about and what they think about every day. Also, you will take a little bit of knowledge from each experience and you never know when you will need it later!
Hi Isaac, Like your mom, I was 14 when I started my first job... cleaning a nursing home! There were 5 floors in the building, and every Saturday I mopped floors, cleaned bathrooms and the nurses' lounge. And I know this gives away how old I am, but I made right around $2 per hour back then. Can you believe it?
Fourteen. Tour guide at a Civil War historic site. It was lots of fun except that it was a little TOO authentic...no bathrooms. Just woods. (Is that TMI?) I thought I was rich making the huge minimum wage of $2.85, back in the time of dinosaurs.
Hi Isaac! My first "real" job (I spent my summers babysitting starting at age 9) was Harbour Master at a wharf in a small fishing community. I was in charge of keeping the harbour area in tip top shape (painting, mowing, cleaning the beach etc) and collecting the docking fees from boaters. It was a great outdoor job!
I detasseled corn when I was in Jr. High. That was hot, itchy work. I also worked in the "lower level" vet work. I cleaned the cages, held animals, etc. for our veterinarian when I was in high school. I also worked in our city library in high school. Two loves: animals and books!
I was 16 and had volunteered in a hospital snack shop for two years. When they extended the hours into the evening, they needed to hire paid workers to run it. Since I had done such a good job (!) as a volunteer, they asked if I would take the hired job. That just goes to show that volunteering and learning skills can help you move into a paid job!
Isaac,
My first, what I count as REAL, job, was actually when I was 22 years old and YOUR second grade teacher! However, I began babysitting for $3 an hour when I was 11... and threw in a job as a camp counselor/activities director for 3 months when I was 20. I must say, your presence for that one semester made my first REAL job a blast! And I must confess, that on hard days, I pray for you and your family, and try to find the "Isaac" in my students. Troy and Tara, THANK YOU for gracing Waco for those few months-- I know your months here were of high impact-- especially for me!!
I was at boarding school so it wasn't easy to get jobs during the holidays; people tend to prefer someone who's around all the time, and we didn't live near any holiday attractions that might have needed seasonal staff. So my first job was the summer I was 18, between school and university. I worked at my mother's surgery (she was a GP), checking the accuracy of medical records, and helping out on reception when they needed me. It was very dull. :-) I am in the UK if this makes a difference.
Hi Isaac,
I was 14 when I first started selling hot dogs from a concession stand at county fairs. And now that I"m 36 - I still go back and help out whenever I can. Jobs are great for meeting new friends and feeling good about the hard work you are able to do.
This blog is fantastic and your family sounds like so much FUN that I just want to join you guys!
Thank you for sharing -
Heidi Adams in Mendota Heights MN
I started a paper route when I was in 6th grade (11 years old). The paper was published in the afternoon every day (except Sunday), so I delivered it as soon as I got home from school each day. I had to get up early in the morning on Sundays to deliver newspapers before church. I had that route for 3 years until I was old enough to work at a grocery store, where I bagged groceries. Then, as soon as I turned 15, I began lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons, which I continued to do for many years until I finished college (3 times) and became a teacher.
At 8 years old,I made pot-holders on a loom and would take them door to door in my neighborhood and sell them to my neighbors. They were $0.50 a piece and rather nice color combinations and patterns that I had learned to make. (if I may say so myself)Who can resist 50cent potholders from a cute 8 year old that had grown up down the street?! I thought I was rich!! First paying job was in the snack bar at the swimming pool we belonged to during the summers, when I was 14. It had a grill and we made hamburgers, hotdogs,grilled cheese sandwiches, nachos,popcorn, drinks, snowcones and sold candy. I think we made $2.50 an hour, but it was lots of fun!
Isaac,
I grew up on a farm and had a lot of jobs (okay, chores) as a kid. But of course, it was part of being in a large family and I didn't get paid. (well, of course I did....my parents provided everything I needed, clothes, food and a place to live). That may sound silly - but you know that, living in Haiti, all parents can't always provide those things for their children.
ANYWAY... the first paying job I had was babysitting. There was a single mom that lived down the way from our family and she worked at night from 11pm to 7am in the morning. I would spend the night at her house and make sure her two daughters got up and ready for school on time.
After that, I worked in a grocery store and saved as much money as I could to go to nursing school. It took a few years and a lot of bags of groceries before I could go.
I love being a nurse and helping people!
God has given you special gifts that will help you decide a job that you will be good at.
best wishes from Guam!
Hello Isaac,
When I was 8 years old I started working in the berry fields, as soon a school let out for the summer. A bus picked up the workers (all too young to drive) in the morning, and - lucky me! - I was first on the route and got picked up at 6:30am and delivered home around 4 or 4:30pm. We picked strawberries, on our hands and knees in the dirt, for about two weeks. Then the raspberries were ripe. They are mostly picked by machine now, but back then we picked by hand. Raspberry bushes are taller, so we were standing and bending all day long, and the bushes are scratchier. Then came blueberries...
By the time I was 11 or 12 I was old enough to help with haying. I couldn't lift the bales (70 or 80 pounds) and throw them, but I could drive the tractor and free up someone bigger to buck bales.
Like many girls, I did a lot of babysitting, from about age 12 to college.
In high school I had another job selling firewood, by the cord (a large truck-load). I worked with two bigger guys who felled the trees and did most of the splitting. I split some, but mostly loaded the truck, delivered the wood, unloaded it, and stacked it.
During college I worked in a factory that made toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, and tissues.
None of those were jobs I necessarily loved or wanted to do for a lifetime, but they were all good, honest work and I was thanked God for a chance to earn the money!
Wishing you well from Washington state,
Julie G
Oh my goodness, you worked at Pannekoeken! We loved that restaurant :) I started teaching piano lessons when I was 14, and then was a camp counselor. I did a few jobs in college, like tutoring, taking tickets at concerts, and helping professors, and then got a job at the mall in the summer when I was 17.
My first job was working at Disney World. I worked in the cast cafeteria then indoor stands selling ice cream in tomorrow land and finally guest services at the all star resort. It was definitely a good first job and I can still use that I learned customer service skills from Disney as a reference now (almost 20 years later)
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