What was your first job?

[Mistah K88]

Everyone starts somewhere, as we work ourselves to oblivion (or not), I want to ask you all. What was your first job?

Mine was an "Admissions Associate" in the parking lot at at a theme park when I was 15 (basically a toll booth for parking). It's funny as back then (like 2003-2004) when I was making 5.75 an hour I thought I was "Big Bank Hank"...

(bonus questions are how old were you when you started working [either legally, or not haha] and how much were you paid at your first gig?)

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I worked as a counter clerk in a car parts store. My dad was a manager so I worked as a teen- between 13 and 18 during the summers.

[babyblob]

My first official job was at a Hardees fast food place. I was 16 and made 4,75 an hour.

[hyped78]

Project Manager at a multinational retail company, straight out of college

[Android 17]

Paid intern at a tv network when I was 20-21.

[From The Shadows]

Paid intern at a tv network when I was 20-21.

I don't remember how old I was or how much I made but I was a teenager. My jobs were various.

ETA: Whoops! I didn't say where I worked. It was Cosco's

[Totoro Man]

I've always had low-tier service or industrial jobs. I worked 12-hour days in vegetable canneries during the summers right out of high-school and during college. in some ways it was a nice counterbalance to the academic environment.

I was also a student shift lead at a college cafeteria. got to meet and work with people from all over the world. I started off part-time each year in school. the work was enjoyable enough for me that when I dropped out of college, I worked there full time for a few years.

in spite of the fact that neither job paid very much money... I didn't mind.

but one thing I found rather galling was some people I knew on the college literary magazine boasted about going to European quarter during the summer. they said it opened their eyes to what the "real world" was all about. they complained that America was backwards and uncultured. I protested: "what's not REAL about working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week in the canneries every summer? is there something unreal about helping to feed 6,000 people every day between classes during the school year? I'm not sure visiting galleries, museums, and tourist traps in Europe really constitutes the real world any more than working menial labor jobs. it's all real."

I hung out with lots of artists, writers, and musicians in college... and sometimes the disconnect between my peers and I could be really jarring.

[ed2962]

My first job was a paper route. I think I was 10 or 11 yrs old.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I joined the U.S. Navy, right after graduating high school in 1976. My position was Storekeeper, I was responsible for ordering, storing, issuing and inventorying parts.

[caj]

I worked part-time as an accounting clerk making minimum wage when I was in high school.

Translation - I was a go-fer

[Scott Taylor]

Paper Boy during the 1970s sometime, I was 10 or 11. Delivered the Tri-Valley Herald in the east Bay Area in a small town called Livermore. I had 30ish customers over about a five block area. A truck would deliver my stack of papers hot off the presses early in the dark hours of the morning. In addition to folding, rubber banding, placing inserts in, and putting them in plastic on rainy days, and delivering, I had to go around to my customers and collect twice a month. Overall in the two-three months I was at it, I made about 50 dollars and thought I was rich.

Horrible work, terrible rules, hard work. My hands would get all black from the ink on the newly printed pages. And I can still remember the smell of them. I could not let someone give me a ride, nor ride my bike, but had to walk the route and go up and deliver them on the porch. No tossing them! Most mornings I had to get up at 4-5 am just to be able to prep the papers for delivery and get em out on time. Sundays were the worst, with the big oversized paper.

It took me about 1 hour to prep and 1-2 hours to do all the deliveries. Felt pretty safe except for the few "dog infested" yards. Overall it was a great experience, I learned a lot. Such as - I want to do a different thing with my life!

[Powerboy]

Working at a road maintenance garage basically doing janitorial work while I was in college.

[CaptainEurope]

Homework tutor while I was a student, then assistant at my Local Comicbook Shop.

[foxley]

I grew up on a farm, so I was doing a lot of work on the farm from a fairly young age.

I think my first paying job was working as a demonstrator for the psychology department at university during open days.

[babyblob]

I joined the U.S. Navy, right after graduating high school in 1976. My position was Storekeeper, I was responsible for ordering, storing, issuing and inventorying parts.

Thank you for your service. I have mad respect for veterans. I could not join the service because of my mental health.