First Jobs

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MBTI
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What was the first job you ever had and how old were you when you got it?
What did you learn from it?
How old were you when you got your first job in your sought after career?
Did you start where you wanted to be?
 
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My first job was at age 15, washing dishes at a restaurant for minimum wage, which was $2.00 an hour at the time.
That lasted about 2 months. It really sucked.
Then, got a job at a gas station pumping gas, changing tires etc. This I really consider my first job since I worked there for 2 years. And since I am a gear head into cars, I really liked It.
Rode my bike there in the beginning before I got my license.
That was a good time in my life as I look back on it now.

I learned how to be accountable. Be responsible and do what I promised.
It was my first of many jobs that involved dealing with customers. I still am in such a position at the printing company I work for today as a manager.
I never sought out a specific career because I never really knew what I wanted to do. I was afraid to invest years into schooling only to find out I hated it in the end.
Come to think of it, I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up. ;-)
Though, the area of law now interests me.
 
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My first job was washing dishes in a restaurant. They eventually promoted me to bus boy and then kitchen helper. I started when I was 15 and worked there until I was 17. I don't remember what they paid me. That says a lot right there!
I learned people have to work hard for a living and having an education pays off so I went back to school.
I waitressed and cleaned houses and apartments through college. I also had to do work study (work for the school) and borrow student loans. I was always envious of kids whose parents paid for their education.
When I finished college and couldn't find a job in my career I continued to wait tables and clean houses for another year or so. I wanted to die and was afraid my education was a total waste.
My big break came when I literally would not leave this company alone that needed a graphic artist. I harassed them to no end. I was 25 and desperate. I also had to work in one of their other departments in addition to my duties as graphic artist when I first started. A crummy trade off, but I did it.
My true calling came when I taught my first class for a non-profit organization. I was in my late 20's by then. That set me on a completely different path. One I'm still on today.
 
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My family bought a store when I was around five and I started working there from around ten until we sold it, eight years later.

My father was neither a good employer nor good at running a business. We were very prosperous the first two or three years, but without marketing or any sort of strategy, the shop was soon haemorrhaging money. It was not a particularly happy time in my life, but hey, free candy.
 
Worked as an office assistant in one of the Alumni departments my freshman year at the college where I was an undergrad. I was 17. Didn't last long. I just wasn't good at labeling file folders. :D
 
Sadie said:
My first job was washing dishes in a restaurant. They eventually promoted me to bus boy and then kitchen helper. I started when I was 15 and worked there until I was 17. I don't remember what they paid me. That says a lot right there!
I learned people have to work hard for a living and having an education pays off so I went back to school.
I waitressed and cleaned houses and apartments through college. I also had to do work study (work for the school) and borrow student loans. I was always envious of kids whose parents paid for their education.
When I finished college and couldn't find a job in my career I continued to wait tables and clean houses for another year or so. I wanted to die and was afraid my education was a total waste.
My big break came when I literally would not leave this company alone that needed a graphic artist. I harassed them to no end. I was 25 and desperate. I also had to work in one of their other departments in addition to my duties as graphic artist when I first started. A crummy trade off, but I did it.
My true calling came when I taught my first class for a non-profit organization. I was in my late 20's by then. That set me on a completely different path. One I'm still on today.
Click to expand...

That's what I want to do now.....and am struggling to find the path of it.

What did you teach?
 
Sadie said:
What was the first job you ever had and how old were you when you got it?
What did you learn from it?
How old were you when you got your first job in your sought after career?
Did you start where you wanted to be?
Click to expand...

My first job was as a filing clerk in the accounting department of a rather large supply company. I had a desk among many women in a big open room with all of the filing cabinets lined up in the center of the room. The "boss" - a man - had his own private office with a big window in it so he could watch all of us women and make sure we were working.

This was my summer job before I started college and I made a whopping $2 an hour! I was sooooo excited to make this money! I saved most of it - $600 - and paid my tuition all on my own the first semester. Back then I took 16 hours for $600. Hard to believe isn't it?

I remember I would bring my little transistor radio and play fm stations loud enough for me and several other women to hear while I was filing. The boss would walk by on his way to somewhere else and pick up the radio and turn it down slightly. After he was out of hearing range I'd turn it back up. Hahahahahahaha.... I didn't care.... I wasn't planning to stay there because I was going to college.

Ironically - when I gave him notice for my last day - he begged me to stay. He told me that I didn't need to go to college - that I could continue to work there and make enough money until I got married and had babies. [snort]... As if that was my only choice in life. Remember back then women could only be teachers, nurses, secretaries and/or mothers. Right?

I did an excellent job of organizing the files - boxing up the really old stuff - making room for more without women having to get paper cuts trying to get in and out of the files. I made them easy to find information too.

I learned about excellence in doing something even though it was boring.

I learned about women who had little to no options in their life.

I met one woman who had tried being on the pill and had had a stroke. She was in her thirties. Remember when they first came out they were incredible potent? Scared the crap out of me and I had issues a little later in my life swirling around taking "The Pill".

I learned that women worked hard boring jobs for a fraction of what men made...

I learned that going to college was the best thing I ever did. :D
 
I worked in a large coffee chain and it was pretty awful-- the pay was crap and it was all pretty degrading-- I hated wearing the uniform most of all. I refuse to work in another job where I have to wear a uniform… not just because they look like crap, but because of the psychological effect it has on you. I guess you can tell that I have a bad attitude towards that kind of thing now, but at the time I was still pretty naive. My manager fired me after a month or so because she had a fight with her boyfriend and I was the only male employee working there-- she didn't give me an explanation at the time, I heard it from my co-workers (who I still kept in touch with afterwards).

I really didn't learn anything from working there… it was hard work and the pay was crap, so I suppose I learned how to respect people who work in those kinds of jobs, because they deserve a lot better than they often get. To be honest, seeing what happens at those places and the kinds of idiots that get promotions, it probably hurt my work ethic more than it helped-- there was a general feeling in the place that the whole thing was complete bullshit, because it pretty much was.

I got into my current job when I realized I didn't want to be in advertising, which I was doing before what I'm doing now (EFL). My friend knew I wasn't happy and gave me an ad she cut out of the paper and after a really easy interview I ended up flying to Utsunomiya in Japan, and then transferred to Fukushima-- yes, I lived in THAT Fukushima. I've been bouncing around Asia ever since. There's not a lot of mobility in this field… so yes, I started where I wanted to be.
 
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I got my first job at 18. It was a temporary job, cleaning 3 ft of snow and 1 ft of ice off the hangar rooftops at Air Canada. It was part of ice storm aftermath cleanup.

I did not really learn anything from that experience.

I was 24 when I first started my career in IT with a temporary position at McGill University. Once I completed my stage (internship?) I could not find work elsewhere in Montreal. Then I moved to Edmonton and stayed with my cousin. My career took off almost immediately, with plenty of opportunities to be found.
 
Kgal said:
That's what I want to do now.....and am struggling to find the path of it. What did you teach?
Click to expand...

I taught life skills to developmentally disabled adults. I'm pretty sure most or possibly even every state has an alternative teacher certification process that doesn't take too long.
 
My first job was at a certain kid's arcade/restaurant franchise with a mouse as a mascot where I was hired as a hostess/waitress. My job was to sing, dance, and serve kids pizza and birthday cake. I was 15 at the time and I worked there for about 3 months. It was a fun job, but the way they structured their schedule for the hostesses was a huge rip off. I would work in an hour and a half increments and then have to clock out before the next party. Sometimes it wasn't a problem; the next party was right after the first and I only had to wait half an hour. Sometimes I had to stick around for another two hours without pay. This one time one of the parties I was supposed to host got cancelled at the last minute 'cause the birthday kid got sick and the restaurant got to keep the deposit but they wouldn't compensate me for sitting around for two hours. I got pissed and called corporate asking them what their policy was on that and showed it to the manager; I ended up getting paid but it really created friction between the manager and I and that was when he started giving me the most fucked up hours ever (usually one or two parties a day instead of my usual four or five to fill out an eight hour shift). Considering I had to take two buses to get to work and only got paid minimum wage, this shit didn't fly too well with me, so I quit.

Immediately after that, I did a co-op program with a law office without pay for six months, but then they hired me on after that. It was a pretty cushy job. Not including my internship, I worked there all the way up into second year university; full time in the summer and a few odd hours on weekends and after school (in 11th and 12 grade only). I learned a lot of the ins and out about office work there. I initially started off filing and doing some basic data entry, but as they trusted me more and more, I helped out with research and title-searches. I was pretty much guaranteed an articling job there. I made some great connections. My former boss and I still keep in touch; he's still won't let me live down giving up on law school (which, as some of you know, was my final destination once upon a time).

Both these jobs, though drastically different, help me sharpen my people skills and my ability to negotiate. The former taught me not to be afraid to stand up to authority figures and not let myself get bulldozed over, while the latter taught me to take pride in my work and gave me the taste of the life of a professional. It also taught me the value of building good relationships and networking. and having the right people into your corner. My lawyer boss was the one who introduced me to my current mentor and both of them are now pushing me towards arbitration once I get my license and the experience I need.
 
I spent a summer working for my dad, helping to paint an industrial boat. I was maybe 13? I wore overalls and had to hang off ropes and work all day. During lunch I sat with the men and had my sandwiches and they were all very polite and respectful towards me. It was like stepping into a whole new world -- being around all these working men. Many important insights were made...

I earned about $10 an hour and that was pretty good pocket money. But most of all I got to spend a lot of time with dad, since I hadn't known him terribly well growing up. So I got to see him more as an individual than as a parent and I still remember it as one of the most interesting summers in my life.
 
What was the first job you ever had and how old were you when you got it?
What did you learn from it?
How old were you when you got your first job in your sought after career?
Did you start where you wanted to be?
Click to expand...

I've always been inspired and influenced by my friendly dentist, though I never had aspiration to become a dentist...
So my first job was dental assistant at age 17, or after highschool when I finally had time to indulge in a job... at that time, don't know why exactly, but felt an immense need and rush to prove myself and become partially independent, probably because lacking in self-esteem...
I learnt the technique of putting on a professional temporarily extroverted facade while maintaining my true inner introverted balance, and am proudly still at this job (5 years).

As for a career, this is my second round at univeristy studies, changed course to occupational therapy after two years of architecture. Hopefully in a full-time job by age 25 :-)
So, I've been wandering a bit what regards to what I want to do, but look back with no regrets, as they say because "at that point in life, that was exactly what you wanted to do".
 
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I have several I consider my first for different reasons. My first bit of employment was a paper round but that is so cliché and predictable at 13 years old. My other what I considered a first was with my Dad ripping out a toilet and fitting new piping and fittings when I was 14; I had several of these including flooring a kitchen and building work but it was with my Dad. My first official job was working making packaging for spark-plugs in a foam manufacturers called Mondi at the age of 18.
 
My first job was bailing hay. I worked for one day because I didn't throw the hay perfectly into its place from 20 ft above like the old timers did. Plus I probably worked slow so I ended up not getting called back. I was probably 16 or 17 at the time. I did it because $5 an hour and all the exercise I could afford seemed like a good idea at the time. I would have kept working but like I said, Im a slow worker.

I learned that hay needs to be stacked in such a way as to not touch the wall of the barn or the barn will burn down. Also there is a certain pattern they like to stack with that I cant use words to describe, I'd just have to show you.

I never wanted to be a farmer, I actually wanted to be homeless and had no preference where my life led me.

I took a career change and joined the Army for a couple reasons:

1. I didnt have a car and no one would buy me another car since I crashed the truck I had so I had no transportation to work.
2. I thought it would be a good idea to join the Army and have job training. I didn't take into consideration that I was getting OJT for a job that had janitor/laborer as the civilian-equivalent job title.
3. I wanted all that free college money which I just finished throughly enjoying and spending every last dime.
4. I was a wild-eyed romantic and thought marriage to my then g/f was a swell idea. BUZZ-Wrong!


i did have a brief stint raking leaves for a teacher on my block in 3-4th grade. My parents would scold me for taking money from them for raking. I think it added to my mindset of "fuck work".
 
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What was the first job you ever had and how old were you when you got it? Washing dishes, pots and pans at a restaurant/pub. I hated it. I was only 14 years old and they would keep me late on school nights. I think I managed to stay there 2 weeks.

What did you learn from it? People work hard in crappy jobs for crappy pay.

How old were you when you got your first job in your sought after career? I was 19 and sold insurance.

Did you start where you wanted to be? Yes. I had just recently moved to a new state. My mother found the job for me through one of her friends. I will forever be grateful to my boss for taking me under his wing and mentoring me. He treated me as though I was his daughter (even dated his son for a short time too :D ). He was very fair in pay scale and promotions after I demonstrated the ability to do more. Now I have job security. Should I ever want to get back into insurance, I have a job waiting for me (with a different boss, after moving to Georgia.)
 
I was doing odd jobs like cleaning and yardwork at 17 but I had my first real job that I paid taxes on at 22 or 23 in the beginning of the dot-com boom. I picked up a computer that my dad wasn't using prior to that and learned how to make websites and became a self taught hacker and a friend of a friend heard of me, hired me and trained me to design websites for businesses and do admin work on remote Linux servers.
 
detectivepope said:
I have several I consider my first for different reasons. My first bit of employment was a paper round but that is so cliché and predictable at 13 years old. My other what I considered a first was with my Dad ripping out a toilet and fitting new piping and fittings when I was 14; I had several of these including flooring a kitchen and building work but it was with my Dad. My first official job was working making packaging for spark-plugs in a foam manufacturers called Mondi at the age of 18.
Click to expand...

I didn't even think of those kinds of first jobs, but they do count don't they? I remember raking leaves in our yard when I was in elementary school. My dad paid me 50 cents. One season would produce like 50 hefty bags!! Geeze 50 cents for 50 bags. That's 1 cent a bag!! But back then 50 cents would buy you a huge bag of bazooka bubblegum :becky: I had to rake them, bag them, and then stack them, and if I did it wrong he would make me do it over again until I did it right. I really learned a good work ethic from that. Not to mention working like that is an excellent source of physical exercise and stress relief.

Thanks [MENTION=2800]detectivepope[/MENTION] for reminding me of those kinds of "first jobs".
 
My first job was bagging groceries and cleaning out bottle-return machines at the neighborhood grocery store. I was 15, and worked for $5 an hour. I hated it, but stuck it out for about a year or so. I then bounced around from minimum-wage job to minimum-wage job for years.

I'm hoping that I'll land my first job in my career field in the next month or so. If I don't, this post-grad course work, full-time internship, and substitute teaching job (and all of the associated stress and debt) is going to feel like a giant waste.
 
Working at Krogger as a bagger. I've worked at publix too.....playing the grocery field lol. But now I'm older and in college and I work the front desk at a gym. I love it. I love coming into a workplace where I have high autonomy, people's endorphins are raging and people care about their health. Sorry had to rant.
 
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