First Jobs--Theodore

 I'm beginning a new series, First Jobs, in which I ask people about their first work experiences.
Today, Theo is going to tell you about his first job. 

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Tell me about your first job.

My first job was at the local grocery store. I worked there about a year until I went away to college.

Theo ready to go to work at the grocery store.

What did you do?

My main job was being a cashier. When things were slow, I would also clean and put things back on shelves that people didn't want. I wish I had been older so that I had had a chance to do some of the more interesting jobs like using a butchering saw or driving a forklift. And there was this really neat looking trash compacter I wanted to try. However since I was underage, I wasn't allowed to touch any of those '"dangerous" things.

Why did you get that job?

The store was across the street from the high school and a lot of other kids I knew worked there. I think it was the store's business model to hire a lot of young, cheap labor. Also, the job was convenient because I could walk to work after school.

Did you like working with other teenagers?

It was okay, however sometimes there were problems with some of my classmates as managers. They didn't have much experience and didn't always manage very well. I particularly didn't like it when they wouldn't give me a break even though the rules said that I should have one. That made it really hard when I had to go to the bathroom.

Back to putting away things customers didn't want. I've always wondered, what did you do with items that were refrigerated or frozen?

The official rule was you could only put it back if you saw the customer put the item down. Otherwise, you had to throw it away. The practical rule was if it still felt cold you could put it back.

Okay. I'm not sure if I feel better or not about that.

What did you like about the job?

I liked the act of scanning things and the puzzle of how to best pack things into the bag. It was a little bit like Tetris.

What did you dislike about the job?

I disliked it when customers yelled at me.

What did they yell at you about?

Usually it was when they didn't have enough money to pay for what they had picked out. They would be embarrassed and tell me things like, "Don't look at me," and "The prices should have been better marked."

How did you handle that?

I let them vent a little then said, “I'm sorry, but what are you actually going to be buying today?” I had to keep the line moving.

What did you use your money for?

I bought a laptop that I later took to college with me.

What did you learn from the job?

I learned that your attitude determines how your day's going to be. I also learned that everyone has their own circumstances and you can't judge people by a two minute interaction. Actually, I already knew that, but I got a lot of chances to practice that on this job.

Thanks for your story, Theo. Soon, I hope to interview you about your first “real” job out of school. :)

First Jobs--June

 I'm beginning a new series, First Jobs, in which I ask people about their first work experiences.
Today, I am going to tell you about the first work I did when I was a teen.

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Like many teen girls, my first work for pay was babysitting. My older sisters paved the way for me by being responsible, good babysitters. Thus I didn't have to look for work. Jobs came looking for me.

When I first started, I sat with older kids—meaning no infants. As I became more experienced, I also cared for younger kids who needed their diapers changed and bottles warmed. I remember during one of these early jobs of watching a baby when there was an unfortunate incident with an overflowing toilet. I won't go into the details, but let's just say there were several things that needed dried out after I left. The parents blamed themselves for not telling me everything I needed to know, but not surprisingly, they never called me back.

The most regular customer I had was a little girl named Sue. She was an only child and loved to preform. She often grabbed a hairbrush to use as a mike and belted out a song. One of her costumes was a set of pigtails her mother fashioned for her out a towel and two rubber bands. She thought she looked glamorous in this long, straight “hair” which was nothing like her short, curly hair. She also loved books, however her mother, a kindergarten teacher, didn't believe in teaching kids to read until they were school age. So Sue didn't learn to read until she started school even though she really wanted to. One day when Sue was four, she asked me to read her a particular book, but she couldn't find it. She said, “Oh, well. I'll read it to you.” Then she accurately recited the entire book. This was not a picture book. This was a chapter book and she knew every word. When she finally learned to read, she was soon reading at a fifth grade level and not long after that jumped to an eighth grade level. Sue had the biggest vocabulary of any child I knew (and bigger than many adults.)

ROFL Cat

There was one bad babysitting night that I remember vividly. I was watching a little boy named Oliver. His family had several pets and actually ran a tropical fish store in their basement. On that dark night Oliver burst into the room crying, “Max killed my hamster!” Max was the cat and he had indeed somehow unlocked the hamster cage and “played” with the hamsters in there. One was dead and I nursed the other one along until the parents came home. That was not a night I wanted to relive.

Even though babysitting was a more informal job than some, my mother said that I should treat it like a real business. She had me send out letters stating my rates and policies. One I remember was that my rates went up after midnight. At first, I didn't want to do this, but I did, and it taught me that being professional and having things in writing are very important. Knowing this has served me well since then.

I had many other adventures in babysitting, but that's enough for now. Another time, I will tell you about the important job that I didn't get paid for.

First Jobs--Leo

I'm beginning a new series, First Jobs, in which I ask people about their first work experiences.

Today, I am talking with Leo. He tells about an early job he had during the 1940's. 

Tell me about your first job or an early job that you had.

I'll tell you about the first one that I got paid for. That was when I was about 11 or 12 years old. Before that job, I earned money by picking blackberries at the old gravel pit. I sold them door to door and would pick just enough so I could get money to go to the movies.

So, what was the job that you got paid for?

My friend and I helped with installation a septic field. After it was dug and the gravel and tiles had been put down, we laid shingles to close the top between the tiles. We also hauled cinders to put over the tiles.

How long did the job last?

The work lasted about a week during the summer. At that time, WWII was going on and my father was lost at sea. Also, my younger brother had recently died from an accident so my mother was preoccupied with things. She was happy that I was doing something productive for a little while. I made 10 cents/hour.

Did you think that was much money?

No, I thought I got ripped off. Even though I was a kid, I thought I deserved more. However, as I look back on it, I realize that he provided us with sandwiches every day. I guess that was considered part of my pay.

What did you spend your money on?

I think I spent it on movies and Cokes. That was what was important to me at the time.

Another time, we will learn about some more interesting jobs Leo had when he was in high school.

First Jobs--Ward

I'm beginning a new series, First Jobs, in which I ask people about their first work experiences. Today, I am talking with my husband, Ward. He tells about jobs he had during his teens in the 1970's.

Tell me about your first job.

I remember three early jobs that I had during the summers. One was a dishwasher in an officer's club, one was on a construction demolition crew, and another one was on an asphalt crew. I think the most significant of these was the asphalt work.

photo credit

Were you on a highway crew?

Not exactly. We worked in a private trailer park fixing potholes in the roads there.

What were your duties?

The first thing we did each morning was to clean the laundromat at the park. After that, we started our road work. 

How did you fix the potholes?

First we'd take picks and shovels and clean the holes until there was no more loose debris in them. Next the boss would back up the dump truck full of asphalt and tilt the back of the truck. One of us would balance on top of the truck sides and push out the asphalt onto the road. The others on the ground would rake the it into the hole. Then we would run a steam roller over it. When that was done, we moved onto the next hole. If you were the one balancing on the truck, that ride could be scary.

The job sounds hot and dirty.

It was definitely hot, and it was pretty miserable when I was working in very hot and humid weather with hot asphalt. It was also very dirty. From the dust, tar, and sweat, our clothes could get messed up pretty quickly. We wore the same ones every day.

It also sounds dangerous. Did you ever get burned?

No, but my brother did. He worked there with me. One day, I was shoveling asphalt from the truck and some of it accidentally went into my brother's gloves. He ended up with blisters on his hands from the hot tar, but he wasn't out of work long.

Was there anything you liked about this job?

Even though it was hot, I liked being outside. In my dishwashing job, I was in the basement without windows. I didn't like that.

You said that this job was the most significant among your early jobs. Why?

It exposed me to a lot of new things. For example, except for my brother, my coworkers were ex-cons and drug addicts. Their stories about jail and their sexual and other exploits were things I had never heard before. I wasn't sure if I were impressed or scared. However, I did know that I wanted a better future for myself than they had. Many times my parents had given me the advice of, “Study hard and get good grades. That way you can go to college, and have a good job some day,” After this job, I finally understood what they meant. 

Thanks for your story. Even after all of these years, I learned new things about you.