Friday OT #2 - Something 'bout that work, work, work, work, work, work

[cyhiphopp]

First job for money was mowing lawns, mostly my grandma's lawn. I had to walk over a mile to get there and for some reason her lawn grew like a jungle. Probably wasn't worth the 10 bucks, but it was my grandma.

My first official job was at Pizza Hut as a cook. I only lasted one summer before I quit because of football season.

Then I umpired with my dad and worked at Dunhams sporting goods in college.

 

[CLONECONES]

first kid job was being a host/expo at a restaurant

first real job was underwriter at a mortgage company...seems kinda funny now that it didn't require experience

 

[aauummm]

Paperboy for Des Moines Register. Then, as a sophomore in high school, a bread delivery helper for Continental Baking Co. (Wonder Bread). I helped the bread delivery guy stock local grocery stores. Kept track of the amount of stock in each store and reloaded shelves as needed, etc. Then as a senior I worked part-time at Safeway. My final summer before heading off to college, Safeway made me a full-time aisle manager.

 

[CYdTracked]

Ha! I had the same kind of job as you 247cy. The place is closed now, used to be along Highway 6 right outside of Adel and they closed down when they expanded it to a 4 lane highway.

I can't remember which I did first but my first job ever was either baling hay for a neighbor or the summer I worked at a strawberry patch. Started by 6 or 6:30am I think so we could do the bulk of our picking before it got too warm out. Depending on where it was at during the season either got paid minimum wage which back then was just $4.50/hr and when the strawberries were at the peak of growing season we got paid by the pint so the incentive was to try any pick as much as you could because you'd get paid more that way. They had other things there too like tomatoes and raspberries and pumpkins in the fall so there was always something in season to keep you busy. Was some good honest manual labor to say the least.

 

[cyhiphopp]

Oh, my first big boy post college job was at Wells Fargo. I worked in the IT warehouse shipping computers and big ass monitors and printers to branches all over the country.

 

[madguy30]

Bailing hay, picking up rocks, and then detassling when of age. Everyone should detassle at least once in their life.

W-2ish during and just after college: work study maintenance in college, pizza delivery, busser/restaurant, substitute teacher.

Everyone should do those types of gigs at some point in life too.

 

[CtownCyclone]

Paper boy for the local paper back when most people still got the paper at home. I think I had something like 70 houses on my route. One hour a day after school and Saturday mornings. Fond memories of that time.

If you look back on it fondly, then you didn't have us on your route...


My first job was babysitting the siblings (I'm the oldest of 4). Dad paid in cash, but in order to make me understand taxes, he'd give me the $10, then ask for $3 back in taxes and $2 back for education.

I also worked at my dad's office (for real, actual money) doing data entry and filing. Made the decision to go to college really easy (and thanks Dad, for putting that 20% of my babysitting pay into a college fund for me!).

 

[MeanDean]

I seem to remember begging to go along with our neighbors to some farm to hoe tomatoes for 10 cents an hour when I was probably about 10 or 11. We weren't told to bring our lunch so they had to feed us at noon. I thought I did a good job but only went the one day, so I guess I didn't meet expectations (I know, TWSS).

First real job was at Hy-Vee in Muscatine at their first location which was in the actual mall. (They then built a new store in the parking lot of the mall, then later built a at the current location on the 61 bypass - remember, I'm OLD!).

At the time I was 16 and got an allowance of $2 a week.

We went to a neighborhood party and one of the parents was telling the others about her son getting a job at HyVee and his check last week was over $50!!! This was 1972/3 - and when I heard that my eyes got like that cartoon where the pupils turn into dollar signs and the old fashioned cash register ding-and-drawer-opening sound effect. I couldn't IMAGINE what I could do with that kind of money coming in every week.

I thought the kid was kind of stupid and a screw off, so figured if he could do it, I could too. So I dressed up in my white shirt and tie (mandatory dress code for the males there at the time) and went in to interview.

Long story short, (boat sailed) I got the job and worked PT 18 months then 2 years full time before deciding I wanted more out of life and started ISU. Last two years I was an aisleman and received milk deliveries 4 days a week so had to be there by 5 AM.

 

[247cy]

Ha! I had the same kind of job as you 247cy. The place is closed now, used to be along Highway 6 right outside of Adel and they closed down when they expanded it to a 4 lane highway.

I can't remember which I did first but my first job ever was either baling hay for a neighbor or the summer I worked at a strawberry patch. Started by 6 or 6:30am I think so we could do the bulk of our picking before it got too warm out. Depending on where it was at during the season either got paid minimum wage which back then was just $4.50/hr and when the strawberries were at the peak of growing season we got paid by the pint so the incentive was to try any pick as much as you could because you'd get paid more that way. They had other things there too like tomatoes and raspberries and pumpkins in the fall so there was always something in season to keep you busy. Was some good honest manual labor to say the least.

YES, starting early was key! I'd have them leave out a few flats and have them filled before anyone came to open the sales shed. I was waking up at 5 so I could eat a big breakfast and then be in the field picking around 5:30 sunrise. I was often done around 10 AM or so right around the time it started to get hot. Some days I'd come back around 7 PM and pick till dusk.

The farm I worked was closer to Madrid.

 

[zarnold56]

Worked at Fareway for all 4 years of high school. Made good money that I burned through pretty quickly in college. I really enjoyed the job except for the 5 am mornings stocking shelves after I turned 16. I worked enough my last 2 years to qualify for profit sharing. I should try and see if I still have access to that money.

 

[Rabbuk]

Worked for a Car rental place for about a year when I was 16.

 

[SNEDDS3]

At 14 I was a bus boy at the Boone G&CC.

First real job was a store manager for Footlocker. Effing hated it.

 

[cyclonpediaJoe]

KFC cook in Indianola for $5.50 and hour. Your welcome ITown.

 

[Entropy]

In high school: Summer camp counselor. I didn't work (wasn't allowed to) during school year and school was the focus.
College: Sold auto parts at Champion Auto. That was slowly replaced with research starting after sophomore year.
Grad School: Indentured servitude for 2+ years.
Throw in a few years of teaching labs in WI to get experience.
First real career job: Teaching at NIACC in Mason City.

 

[jdoggivjc]

Outside of doing chores for my parents, my first real job was bagging groceries where at the time was said to be the biggest and most profitable Hy-Vee in the chain - Davenport #2 on West Kimberly (when I started Davenport only had 2 - shortly after that several more opened up).

 

[jbindm]

First job was a weekend stint removing rocks from a cornfield. I started roguing and detasseling when I was fourteen. When I turned sixteen, I got a part time job at the local grocery store where I lasted for all of a week before I got fired after a coworker dropped a loaded pallet jack on my foot.

My first grown up job was at a local NBC affiliate where I was a PA for a year or so. I won't name names, but you'd be surprised at how accurate the Ron Burgundy characterization of news anchors can be when it comes to some of those folks. Oh, the egos!

 

[jbindm]

Bailing hay, picking up rocks, and then detassling when of age. Everyone should detassle at least once in their life.

It's brutal work, especially late in the season and for shorter kids once the corn gets tall. Great work ethic lesson, though. Show up and do your job, you can make ok money. Sleep in and miss a day or two or half ass it when you're there, the job's not worth having. Totally up to you.

 

[mitten1975]

What was your first job ever? List both official jobs with, like, W2s and all of that, and then youth jobs (detassling, babysitting, etc.)!

My first job was walking beans for my dad. Then I went with the Mennonite Central Committee to Brazil, not a real job, more voluntary help for poor people. From there I farmed.

 

[cycloner29]

Besides the corn shelling, baling hay and straw, walking beans; my first real W-2 job was working road construction doing slurry and crack sealing in Marshall County. My second day was put in charge of the crew. The foreman loved the fact that I grew up on the farm and had a work ethic. Plus I had to room with guys that smoked pot and water bonged srooms. These idiots would get there paychecks mid week and go to the strip joint and spend it all and then complain about not having any money for food. These same guys crushed up aspirin and sold it to guys as coke. I worked with a great group!!!! What a bunch of clueless idiots. Fun times at the Flamingo in Marshalltown that summer!!

 

[dahliaclone]

Spraying beans as a youngster for my grandparents and then was a paperboy starting in 4th grade.