Your First Job?

[Mainland05]

I am going to be 17 in 13 days, and just 1 months ago, I got hired at McDonalds.  *laugh*

And was wondering, what was the first jobs, any of you have had.  

Thought it would be interesting to share.  

If you all dont mind.

[SilverZ]

Those first jobs are tough to get through, props to you for sticking with McD's for over a month.

Mine was Sam Goody when I was 16. I lasted 1 Sunday.   I'm not, as they say, a "people" person.  

[Scott]

I worked at a Grocery Store.  I bagged groceries and retrieved carts for a few months and then got moved to Frozen/Dairy.  Free ice cream and pizzas ("damaged" goods ) were a pretty good gig.  Usually worked from 3-8 PM three nights a week and then 7AM-3 PM on the weekends.  In the summers we would work 6-2 or 5-1 unloading the trucks and stocking shelves.  I'm trying to remember but I think I started at $4.25 an hour might have been $3.25 though.  A big check was $400 of which most would be blown on Baseball cards and movies

[Jeff]

I got my first job thanks to the age old technique called "Nepotism"

At age 17 (summer before Senior year), my uncle got me a "real" job.  Before the "real" first job, I had done odd jobs for people in the neighborhood for cash (lawnmowing, leaf raking, car washing, etc - all the thing kids do to get $$), but nothing that required a time clock or boss.

Anyway, for my first "real" job, my Uncle helped me get a job in Quality Control at the Best Buy Distribution Center warehouse in MN.  My job was to go from truck to truck and do spot checks to ensure that the merchandise was being loaded onto the correct truck and that the stock-pickers hadn't delivered the goods to the wrong truck.

Yep, they paid me like $7 an hour to make sure that none of Roseville's TVs ended up on Edina's truck.  If I found something that didn't belong, I noted it, alerted the truck loader/packer and he pulled it off so it went to the right truck.

I had to check each truck 3 times (usually 10-15 trucks loaded per day), with a minimum of 20 packages checked per truck.  Then, I'd have to tally up the total number of packages checked, calculate the error rate, and submit the day's report to my boss.

So, it was pretty easy.  It involved a LOT of BSing with Union guys and a LOT of walking from truck zone to loading zone, so I was on my feet all day.  BUT, compared to the guys who had to actually LOAD the truck, my job was much cushier.  

Occasionally, for big sales, they'd have me helping to pick stock and fill orders, but even then those were small orders, like CDs, Casettes, or Videos.  No TVs or big stuff.

I worked two summers, and then holidays (Christmas/Spring break) and weekends during the school year.  Pretty cushy, eh?  Especially compared to my brother who put in 2.5 years at the Arby's Drive-Thru during his high school days.  15years later and he STILL can't eat there.

Jeff

[Scott]

I wanted to add, I worked there from SPring of my Sophomore year in High School through my Freshman year of College when I went to work at my Dad's company doing Land Surveying.  Now that was a good gig...we worked from 7-3, it was hard work but it was also a lot of fun.  Being outside, shooting the breeze with contractors, driving all over town and I learned a lot about what my dad does as a Civil Engineer, enough to know that I didn't want to be a Civil Engineer.

I was the "3rd Man" on the Survey Crew, I was the guy who held the stake for shooting levels and had to walk all over the job site getting points and elevations.  We also did a lot of curb and gutter work where we staked the elevations and centerlines of roads around new devlopments (mostly in Woodbury for the MNites)  And the third portion was Wetland location so the engineers knew on site plans what they could and could not touch as far as filling and grading.  The pay was pretty good too as was the OT, I sorta got jerked around though and didn't go back the next summer.  

That year I worked at Wagner (they make the Spray Paint Guns and Power Rollers) on a factory line.  It was boring as hell but fun because the guys on my line were pretty fun to work with

[Nicklab]

A paper route.  I got it when I was 13, and did that for a couple of years.  It was fine in the warm weather, but trudging around in the snow was NOT fun.

[Jesse James]

Jesse James...  Male Prostitute.    

Actually, I had a paper route for about 10 years, much like Nick.

Most thankless job I've EVER had in my entire life too, and I've worked retail which everyone despises.  

People tried ripping me off (a little kid), didn't want to pay, b!tched me out for an increase in price (not my fault), would flat out not pay (which came out of MY pay, not the paper's who always took their $ first), complained if I was the slightest bit late, complained about papers blowing away or getting wet, etc., etc., etc...

The worst was them saying "come back next week" for the $ they owed.  Tell the gas company that and see how warm  your house is tomorrow, ya know?  Or tell the sewage authority and see where your turds go when you flush.

People taking advantage of kids like that is sick now that I look back at it...

What was worse was my father up my ass every day about doing it on time, doing it the way he wanted, etc...  I remember delivering in the 1993 blizzard when even the mail was stopped.  Highways closed,...  It was a mess, and yet I was out there trudging through like Luke on Hoth after a Wampa slap.

I feel like I was just at a therapy session...

[BigDumbWookiee]

First job was at a grocery store in the dairy department. That was when I was 16ish. I still can not force myself to go into that place after seeing the goings on there.

[Ben]

My favorite job was washing cars and mowing the grass at a car dealership my dad was the mechanic at. I tell you, it's a blast getting to drive cars that aren't yours when you're sixteen. I remember once they had me pick up parts in a Dodge Stealth, better known as Baby Viper.

But, my first real job was working at Long John Silvers. Ugh. Still can't eat anything that comes out of their fat vats.

I quit there and started working at the neighboorhood grocery store. Three hours every other day. The pay sucked, but it was perfect for school at the time. I also worked at the dealership at this time. Good memories. Too bad my working life has sucked since then, but that's life.

[Famine]

Working on a local Farm. I got 60-70 bucks a day under the table, 4-5 days out of the week. Pretty damn good deal.

Kevin

[Becky]

My first job was working at a horse sale barn on weekends.  It was pretty neat.  But I can honestly say after that, I never wanted to own a horse. I learned a lot.

[DSJ™]

First jobs...  Holy crap, that was along time ago for me!  

Lets see, first one was a paper route then working at a car wash, then for a few yrs, working the summer months as a cook in Air Cadets. I really enjoyed that as I got to travel for free!  

[Morgbug]

Well, there was this guy and he was building a boat.  Damndest thing too, cuz there was no water around at all.  Think he was a zoo keeper or something like that.  After we finished, he started gathering up all these animals.  Sometimes it was just one, but then he'd find another just like it.  Always two, never more, never less.  Never could figure out what he was up to.  Then it started to rain....


Uh...
13-15 paper route
15-17 tennis pro shop - retail, stringing rackets, teaching tennis
17-19 worked at  a coffee shop called the Second Cup - pure nepotism
19-28 bartender/waiter at The Keg (restaurant)

During summers I usually had a second job as well.  Often working for a research scientist or the government.  Lots of other jobs mixed in there as well.  Tennis court maintenance, baggage handler, tons of retail experience.  

Now I play with bugs and get paid for it

[Famine]

You could not pay me enough to play with bugs.


Kevin

[sp00ky]

My first real summer job was at a private golf course.  I was really excited to get hired, as I thought I would be outside all summer, working on my tan, and hiding from work.

Not to be... I got to work in the locker room.  I spent my days shining shoes, and cleaning up after the filthy old men.  My first shift I almost quit after the third hour of having to look at 80 + year old men walking around naked all night!  

They were all rich old bastards, treated up like crap, and their tips were total garbage...

I remember one night I look over and there is this old guy standing there drying off after a shower...  except he has a growth on his side the size of a freaking football!!  And he is toweling it down and powerdering it up!!

YUCK!!!!

Oh the horror!!!!