What was your first job for pay?/where did you work while in college?

[mebanedeac]

This is really interesting--I mean learning about all the 1st work experiences.

Apart from odd jobs like mowing, I did not have a regular job until the summer after high school. The job was at RJR in the machine shop. It was a 3rd shift job involving 10 or 12 crusty older men and one other hs guy (which is a story all to itself). The pay was good for the mid-60s, probably less than $2 per hr.

I learned not to cut my hand off or to punch a hole in my fingers (almost the hard way). I learned that working all night was difficult, especially when I would often go play 18 holes of golf immediately after work, catch a 2 or 3 hr. nap, go out on a date and then back to work at 11 PM. That may be when my life-long problems with insomnia began. The job lasted for the entire summer. In subsequent summers I continued to work at RJR, but not 3rd shift and not in the machine shop.

(The story about the other hs guy: I attended a segregated high school and was not acquainted with the sports programs at the black high schools; therefore, I did not recognize the name of the kid. He was Herm Gilliam, one of the top 5 or so athletes to come from W-S. He went to Purdue and played for the Trail Blazers. He didn't know anything about machines either, so we became fairly good friends.)

 

[WRS]

I was a lifeguard with the City of Raleigh making $8/hour. Worked the morning shift and watched lap swimmers. Was on the stand maybe 30 minutes of every 90. Read a ton of books during the rest of the time. Great HS job while all my friends were working in grocery stores.

 

[tvcigar]

not counting mowing the lawns, I worked at a sno-ball stand for the summer when I was 15. Made 3.35 an hour...the next year I worked as a bag boy at the grocery store...moved my way up to stock clerk and cashier.

 

[DeacHoops]

Other than babysitting (where I can't remember my rate), my first real job was lifeguarding at my summer pool. It was minimum wage, so probably like $4.50 in the mid-90's? I was 15 when I started and did it until I went to college (summers only).

It was a pretty sweet gig. Hang out with friends at the pool and get a tan. Had to do some real work in terms of cleaning, etc, but mostly pretty laid back.

it wasn't my first job, but i was a lifeguard too during late high school/early college. but i worked for the county (mecklenburg county, at the time, owned 2 indoor pools and 4 outdoor pools. they now have the same 2 indoor pools, but they sold all but 2 outdoor pools, and added an indoor water park). when you work at a public pool, and it only costs $5 to get in, there are a lot of parents who are like "sweet, $5 for a full day babysitter!" so they drop off their kids who have never learned to swim. there was typically not a single day that would go by without one of the lifeguards having to jump in. my first time having to jump in after a kid was on my second day on the job. at that point, it began to make sense why they paid us $10.81/hour, when none of the nice pools paid more than $8/hour.

but i saw recently where they were hiring for the summer staffs again, and now it's $12/hour. more than 10 years have passed and the pay has only increased $1.19. sucks for the lifeguards now.

 

[Deacfreak07]

What was it?
How old were you?
How much did you make?
How long did it last?
What did you learn from it, if anything?

I was an intern with my church the summer after my Senior year of High School. I had done odd jobs here and there before that like everyone else.

I don't remember how much I made. It was weekly or monthly like a stipend.

It lasted about 10 weeks.

I learned a lot. I came back and did it again for half of the summer after my freshman year. I worked with volunteers to plan weekly children's programming which included trips to the zoo, aquarium, movies, a soccer clinic, and a few other activities. I helped with weekly Wednesday night activities, but they kind of powered down for the summer. I wrote and delivered a sermon. I visited folks in the hospital. I learned a lot about the church in terms of Monday-Saturday. Even though I don't really go to church anymore, I will probably never lose my appreciation for the value of churches to communities from those summers.

 

[HeavyPetter]

it wasn't my first job, but i was a lifeguard too during late high school/early college. but i worked for the county (mecklenburg county, at the time, owned 2 indoor pools and 4 outdoor pools. they now have the same 2 indoor pools, but they sold all but 2 outdoor pools, and added an indoor water park). when you work at a public pool, and it only costs $5 to get in, there are a lot of parents who are like "sweet, $5 for a full day babysitter!" so they drop off their kids who have never learned to swim. there was typically not a single day that would go by without one of the lifeguards having to jump in. my first time having to jump in after a kid was on my second day on the job. at that point, it began to make sense why they paid us $10.81/hour, when none of the nice pools paid more than $8/hour.

but i saw recently where they were hiring for the summer staffs again, and now it's $12/hour. more than 10 years have passed and the pay has only increased $1.19. sucks for the lifeguards now.

That pool at Double Oaks is looking pristine. Did you ever have the honor of working that one?

 

[DeacHoops]

That pool at Double Oaks is looking pristine. Did you ever have the honor of working that one?

that's actually the only outdoor pool i didn't work at. i also never worked at marion diehl (indoor). worked everywhere else though.

 

[PhilliesDeacs]

I worked at Genuardi's grocery store in Maple Glen, PA. Started bagging and collecting carts, but in my 1.5 years there (I started in the middle of my junior year of HS), I was a cashier, worked in the "office" (where they sold videos, cigarettes, lottery tickets, handled returns, etc), and finally in the produce department.

I really enjoyed working there, to be honest. My female coworkers were cute, the pay was decent, and it was relaxed. Plus they paid us time and a half on Sundays and holidays.

 

[LadyDeac03]

it wasn't my first job, but i was a lifeguard too during late high school/early college. but i worked for the county (mecklenburg county, at the time, owned 2 indoor pools and 4 outdoor pools. they now have the same 2 indoor pools, but they sold all but 2 outdoor pools, and added an indoor water park). when you work at a public pool, and it only costs $5 to get in, there are a lot of parents who are like "sweet, $5 for a full day babysitter!" so they drop off their kids who have never learned to swim. there was typically not a single day that would go by without one of the lifeguards having to jump in. my first time having to jump in after a kid was on my second day on the job. at that point, it began to make sense why they paid us $10.81/hour, when none of the nice pools paid more than $8/hour.

but i saw recently where they were hiring for the summer staffs again, and now it's $12/hour. more than 10 years have passed and the pay has only increased $1.19. sucks for the lifeguards now.

Yikes. Yeah, ours was a community association/membership pool (not country club or anything like that, but not public). I guess parents and babysitters were pretty responsible (although I'm sure plenty of kids were left alone more than they should've been), but I would bet lifeguards had to jump in no more than 2-4 times a summer. At least to the best of my memory.

 

[Deacfreak07]

Yikes. Yeah, ours was a community association/membership pool (not country club or anything like that, but not public). I guess parents and babysitters were pretty responsible (although I'm sure plenty of kids were left alone more than they should've been), but I would bet lifeguards had to jump in no more than 2-4 times a summer. At least to the best of my memory.

Probably had a bunch of white kids at your pool

 

[ChicdeaC]

Yikes. Yeah, ours was a community association/membership pool (not country club or anything like that, but not public). I guess parents and babysitters were pretty responsible (although I'm sure plenty of kids were left alone more than they should've been), but I would bet lifeguards had to jump in no more than 2-4 times a summer. At least to the best of my memory.

I have never seen one of our lifeguards (at a CC) get their hair wet. They get in and play with the kids sometimes when it's not busy any or they vacuum/scoop. But I have never seen them jump in

 

[LadyDeac03]

Probably had a bunch of white kids at your pool

Indeed. Cept for the African refugee families my parents brought with them from church

 

[DeaconCav06]

Publix bag boy at 16 for $5.75 an hour. I learned that I liked getting paychecks and the general public sucks. I also learned that Tiramisu was a dessert and how to open a beer bottle with my forearm.

Before that I did the standard babysitting, house sitting, lawn boy stuff.

 

[Deacfreak07]

I have never seen one of our lifeguards (at a CC) get their hair wet. They get in and play with the kids sometimes when it's not busy any or they vacuum/scoop. But I have never seen them jump in

Buncha white kids.

 

[AnonymousDeac]

What was it? Started own eBay company
How old were you? 15, freshman in HS.
How much did you make? More money than I knew what to do with at that age.
How long did it last? Sold the company to one of my employees when I graduated HS.
What did you learn from it, if anything? All the basics of running a business, with the greatest lessons being about acquiring and managing customers.

 

[TWDeac]

Dishwasher at The Antrim House Family Restaurant in Greencastle, PA when I was 15. Paid $5.15/hour. I slowly progressed through every role in the restaurant over the four years I worked there. Busboy, Waiter, Host, and Catering.

 

[TheTwinAndreBen]

Babysitting/Housesitting/Lawn mowing arent real jobs. I did all of these as a kid.

First real job was a grocery bagger at Albertson's (large chain grocery) summer after my sophmore year, age 16. I cant remember the pay other than it sucked. Maybe $5.50 an hour. I got a check for like $180-$220.00 every two weeks. I realized the pay and job was a waste of my 16yo time after about 5-6 weeks.

By the 5th week, I would come in hungover as balls on Saturday morning at 8am, grab a honeybun and sunny d off the shelves on the way back to the stock rooms, snarf those down and take a nap on a big pile of broken down cardboard boxes until about 10AM, when people actually started coming in the store.

After week 6, I quit (or probably just stopped showing up), but I would still put on my uniform, tell my parents I was going to work, head out of the house, go straight to a friends house and change back into regular clothes, and then call my parents when I 'got off' and tell them I was going straight out that night. Rinse and repeat for whole summer. Good job.

 

[Go]

I worked at Chantilly Farms when I was 14, summer and fall mostly. The Fall was more interesting, we built the hay fort and corn maze for pumpkin season. Lugged pumpkins, held ponies for pony rides (HORSES SUCK. THEY BITE) and helped moms carry their apples and shit to their volvo station wagons.

Then once I was old enough I started working at the local video store, the rest is history.

 

[jhmd2000]

Babysitting/Housesitting/Lawn mowing arent real jobs. I did all of these as a kid.

First real job was a grocery bagger at Albertson's (large chain grocery) summer after my sophmore year, age 16. I cant remember the pay other than it sucked. Maybe $5.50 an hour. I got a check for like $180-$220.00 every two weeks. I realized the pay and job was a waste of my 16yo time after about 5-6 weeks.

By the 5th week, I would come in hungover as balls on Saturday morning at 8am, grab a honeybun and sunny d off the shelves on the way back to the stock rooms, snarf those down and take a nap on a big pile of broken down cardboard boxes until about 10AM, when people actually started coming in the store.

After week 6, I quit (or probably just stopped showing up), but I would still put on my uniform, tell my parents I was going to work, head out of the house, go straight to a friends house and change back into regular clothes, and then call my parents when I 'got off' and tell them I was going straight out that night. Rinse and repeat for whole summer. Good job.

-__-

 

[CDeacMan]

Domino's Pizza when I was 16. Answered the phones for a summer at I believe $5.15 an hour. I don't think I learned much other than the basics of customer service, although I do remember a rotund regional manager coming into our storefront one night and grilling all the lowly hourly staff (me included) on the "Domino's service motto" and other crap like that. It was my first experience with stupid middle manager company bullshit.