# What was your first job?



## dark_angel (Oct 21, 2013)

Mine was at Goodwill the summer before my senior year in high school. It was a seasonal job, so I was just there for the summer. As a cashier, it was my first time dealing with customers, some of whom were just weird. That was back in 2006. Since then, I moved to another state right after high school and am currently working 2 jobs. Been at both a few years. It took me 3 jobs in between in order to learn to keep jobs. 

You?


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## Mange (Jan 9, 2011)

I worked at a fish restaurant. Then at a hotel as the "breakfast attendant". I ended up moving out of state and then worked at a Tex Mex place for a month, and then a pizza place for 2 years. Then I moved to a different town and worked making pizzas at a bar/restaurant. Then I moved out of state and worked at a sandwich shop. Then I moved across the country again for a few months and worked at a similar sandwich shop. Then I moved back to where I worked at the first sandwich shop, and then I moved to another state and again worked at a 2 different sandwich shops. Then a temp job at a factory and a couple different restaurants and then a Halloween store. And then another restaurant.


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## Schizoid (Jan 31, 2015)

My first job is a seasonal job. I got that job when I was like 17 years old. It was a sales job, and I have to go around the streets selling chocolates. Since that job is commission based, I have to work super hard to be able to make money from that job.


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## Lovable (Apr 1, 2017)

paper route delivering newspapers


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## anorganizedmess (Oct 31, 2016)

Promoting art, selling my music, comics.


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## marybluesky (Apr 23, 2012)

I translated some pages for very little money. It was working from home. If we consider going to the workplace, then it was being cashier in a book fair.


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## Introvertia (Feb 6, 2016)

Shop assistant at this hobby craft shop (as a teenager). 
It started as internship but they ended up hiring me.
I stayed for half a year, lost interest and moved on.

What I remember about the job:

-creepy, old gross men who would stare, make inappropriate comments, and exit without buying anything.
+long conversations about my special interest with customers who shared my interest (painting). 

I always received positive feedback for it.


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## BearRun (Mar 3, 2017)

ski and board technician at a resort when I was 15. I already knew the owners because I live nearby and skiied there since I was little. Plus they knew I knew the equipment, they didn't need to give me a lot of training.


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## Librarylady (Mar 11, 2017)

I did office work for my Uncle's company when I was 17.


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## twoseventeen (Apr 26, 2017)

My first job was a grocery store cashier. It made me realize that a fairly large portion of the population is much too comfortable with taking their bad day out on people who are just doing their jobs.


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## Gossip Goat (Nov 19, 2013)

Does volunteering count...? I worked at a hospital as an assistant to the occupational therapist.


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## telepariah (Jun 20, 2011)

@*BearRun* I'm always glad to see other skiers here in PerC!

My first paying job was a paper route. I had to get a job to pay for ski equipment at 13 after I broke my skis jumping off cliffs in the morning of a downhill race, then broke my dad's identical skis crashing out in the race. He said I was on my own after that. ;-)

I also spent a summer cleaning and doing yardwork/repairs around the house that our hospital provided to a priest. 

The first job I had where I went to a workplace and reported to people in authority was working in the housekeeping department of the county infirmary (nursing home) picking up soiled sheets, doing the laundry, and making up beds with clean linens. 

The first job I ever had that was something I really wanted to do was working in a mountaineering shop. That passion has always stayed with me and a few years ago, when I lost my career due to illness, I went back to a mountain shop, coincidentally in the very same building and basement that my first job was in. I felt like I had come full circle in my life. I loved working there but as I recovered my health, I began to see opportunities to get back into the field of my career, which is instructional design. Now I design and deliver customer training for a software company. I also create training videos and manage the company's documentation and learning portal.


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## la_revolucion (May 16, 2013)

McDonald's during the summer of my freshman year of college.


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## SilverFalcon (Dec 18, 2014)

Video games designer.


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## stormgirl (May 21, 2013)

First paid job would have been babysitting when I was a kid. I was paid cash, I think it was about $2/hr. Though this was in the 80s when you didn't have helicopter parents and snowflake children, so kids were routinely cared for by slightly older neighborhood kids. Nowadays parents leaving their kids in the care of the girl across the street would probably be charged with neglect, and they would have to hire someone with a masters degree in child care to watch their toddler for a couple hours.

First job that I got an actual paycheque for was a paper route. (Does the Penny-saver even exist anymore?)


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## Finny (Jul 17, 2015)

I've only done volunteer work and internships (17)


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## Bipedal P 314 (Dec 10, 2011)

I was a security guard or I as I preferred to describe it - a paid witness or glorified observer.

I remember that grueling 6 hours of training.
Lesson 1: CYA - Cover Your Ass
Lesson 2: Not only can you not physically prevent somebody from trespassing or committing a crime you can't even tell them to stay where they are - that's false arrest.
Lesson 3: If you defend yourself you might get fired even if you aren't arrested. The company is covering it's own ass here.
Lesson 4: 911 - Learn it. Love it.
Lesson 5 (My own personal experience): If you call the police to break up a domestic disturbance expect to have the guy and his friends sit outside and watch you until you quit showing up because they're threatening to kill you and nobody cares.
Lesson 6 (More personal experience): People will throw things at you - beer bottles, cinder blocks, etc. They'll even threaten to kill you because you won't drive them home with the company golf cart.

Ahh, memories.


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## birdsintrees (Aug 20, 2012)

Newspaper route until I had saved enough money for a stereo set at 13 years old.


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## Messenian (Jan 22, 2017)

I washed dishes and waited tables at a small restaurant. I preferred doing the washing up because I could think of various things whilst my hands were on autopilot, and I didn't have to pay attention to my surroundings all the time, to notice whether this client had finished her first dish or that client needed his ashtray emptied. I was never good at tasks that demanded constant attention and observation of everything and everyone that moved around you, to care to their petty 'needs'

What I remember being surprised at, was how many of our clients were groups of women, some younger, some older, who seemed to come for a chance to crack sexual jokes and otherwise attempt to catch the male waiters' attention. It was annoying and a bit sad


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## bigstupidgrin (Sep 26, 2014)

Unofficial: newspaper job with my sister and mother. 

Official: seasonal help for Best Buy. I'd... recommend not doing that.


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## JayDubs (Sep 1, 2009)

McDonald's during high school. I worked about 20 hours a week to save up for college. 

It honestly wasn't that unpleasant. It was sort of fun to see how it works behind the counter. And I honestly think it helped me get my current job, just by showing I'm not above doing hard work and getting my hands dirty when the situation calls for it. 

The grease dumpster in the back was hella nasty though...


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## master of time and space (Feb 16, 2017)

paper round to save up an buy my first pair of levi's


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## O_o (Oct 22, 2011)

Selling painted rocks on the street each summer between age 4 and 7.


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## Fumetsu (Oct 7, 2015)

O_o said:


> Selling painted rocks on the street each summer between age 4 and 7.


Hipsters pay a lot of money for that shit nowdays.


I was the head of set design/carpentry and the head/only member of the lighting departmen in our HS theatee.

Don't laugh. It's the largest and most advanged stage in the NW. We rented it to huge gigs from across the country. It was very serious business.

Oh the stories I could tell-like working over night with the one of guys from the Twilight movies while some super crazy ballet director screamed at us like the evil Queen he so wished to be.

My grandpa who was in his late seventies picked us up at 2am so we could get some Taco Bell...and so Cameron could not be in the same building as said Queen.


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## O_o (Oct 22, 2011)

Fumetsu said:


> Hipsters pay a lot of money for that shit nowdays.


I guess they share that in common with my neighborhood's European babushkas back in 1998


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## angelfish (Feb 17, 2011)

I was a part-time cashier at a little specialty grocer that I always liked because it was dim and smelled like coffee and got all decorated in scarlet and gold for Christmas. I met my fiance there. Funny especially because my parents met at a grocery store where they both worked their first jobs, too. Life is circles...


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## Hollow Man (Aug 12, 2011)

Mowing lawns at people my father knew houses at fourteen. One lady didn't like our work and I got let go. But, it was OK, some people are really picky, and we aren't the most graceful people or actual landscape experts at all. 

Bagger at sixteen at a supermarket. Became a cashier right before I turned eighteen.


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## Wincor (May 15, 2017)

I did a couple of weeks at a graveyard. I expected to dig holes at night with a shovel, but it ended up being mostly taking care of the grass and such. In broad daylight. Not quite what I had in mind, but working outside at summer is always a plus for me.


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## Peppermint Mocha (Jun 19, 2011)

My 1st job was being a camp counsellor. I love working with the children and preparing for parents night


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## Clare_Bare (Apr 6, 2015)

The finance industry.
I survived 15 years ...


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

Delivering newspapers at age 11. My mom had to sign for me to take over the route.

Albany Times-Union


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## jointhecraziness (May 15, 2017)

Cashier....*vomits*


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## Veggie (May 22, 2011)

I was a waitress at a Mexican food restaurant - technically illegally, lol. I think you have to be eighteen to serve, and I was sixteen. I couldn't differentiate between a lot of the dishes either at first so it was an adventure when my orders were up. I think I cried in the bathroom one of my first days. 

I had a few guy friends who worked there too though, and a girl friend who got me the job, so it was actually sorta fun. I remember sneaking behind the bar several times after work in the spirit of if anyone asks how old you are it isn't their business. 

I only did it one or two nights a week. In hindsight I'm not sure why my parents let me. I'm assuming they weren't aware of serving laws, and I guess that wouldn't have come back on me anyway. It was in a mall, so I'd go shopping with tip money afterwards, or hang out with coworkers. Carpooling and stuff gave me an excuse to stay out later when I still had a curfew.


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## Veggie (May 22, 2011)

Actually, reading through this thread I guess my first paid job was babysitting in middle school-early high school. I had several families I'd work for regularly.

One of the girls I watched had a crush on my little brother, and she'd beg me to call my house so that she could listen to his voice from another phone (landlines!) Of course I complied because it was funny and he hated it.

Edit: Just reminded me of this John Mulaney skit... lol.


* *


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## Syvelocin (Apr 4, 2014)

Worked at a Halloween store when I was 15 from September to the end of October. 
Basically consisted of wandering around the store listening to the Time Warp. Second-favorite job. First favorite was my third job, worked at an ice cream stand for 15 months.


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## cathyr (May 23, 2017)

My first job was in Kraft Foods. I interned there for the whole summer and got the chance to ate lots of chocolate!!!!


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## thirtyhertz (Nov 7, 2013)

Stocking shelves for the weekend at a supermarket every friday evening, together with a friend. I was about 16. 
Since we came in when everyone was almost at the end of their work day, they didn't really watch us closely. They gave us a shopping cart to put the empty cardboard boxes in, so we would hide food and drinks from the store in there and stuff it in our backpacks in the back. That's what they get for hiring kids for far too little pay.


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## Nesta (Jan 17, 2015)

I worked at Target for my first job. 
I remember having to wear the red and khaki outfit and people would come into Target in those colors and I would ask them for their employee card for their discounts and they were like what do you mean? They didn't work there but just liked to wear those color combinations. 
It was also when Target's food court had popcorn and the whole store had this plastic and pop corn smell. It would get into my clothes and in my hair. It just smelled really bad. Sometimes I go to the older Targets and I smell that smell.
They wanted to give me the shoe department but I ended up going back to school instead. People would steal shoes and leave their old ones behind.


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## flamesabers (Nov 20, 2012)

Lovable said:


> paper route delivering newspapers


Same for me.


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

Trimming Christmas trees 40 hours a week when I was 14 and going into my freshman year of high school. Did that 2 summers and then moved onto road\conrete crew for the city's public works department.


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## Jaune (Jul 11, 2013)

Receptionist at an athletic club.


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## fihe (Aug 30, 2012)

I was a cashier at Kmart. The store I worked at closed just a few months ago.


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## martinkunev (Mar 23, 2017)

Software developer with PHP and JavaScript. My wage was about 2.5€ per hour, which was a lot for my country at the time.

I was 18, still in high school, but I had to support myself. I worked part-time at first. Then, during the summer I went full-time.


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## joshman108 (Apr 14, 2014)

I taught piano. At the tender age of 14, I believe.


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## LandOfTheSnakes (Sep 7, 2013)

Worked in a factory packaging onions and potatoes.


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## Tripwire_Desire (Jul 8, 2017)

I was a part-time "Service Agent" for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. I was the guy who cleaned the cars (both inside and out). I was also the company chauffeur; it was my responsibility to drive people around -- assigned by my manager of course.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

I delivered newspapers at the age of 11. I earned enough money to buy a 12 speed bike.


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## VinnieBob (Mar 24, 2014)

tanstaafl28 said:


> I delivered newspapers at the age of 11. I earned enough money to buy a 12 speed bike.


they had bikes back then:laughing:
were the wheels made of stone?


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## txstats (Mar 20, 2016)

I delivered newspapers for about 6 months, pharmaceuticals manufacturing for maybe couple months, DVD manufacturing for about 2 years, printing house about 2 years. Most memorable was printing house, boss was really nice. Thinking back, I feel bad for moving out of the country without saying goodbye.


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## pwowq (Aug 7, 2016)

My first job in the white market:
12 year old,* paperboy, put advertisement in peoples mailboxes*. Slave-wage -> cheated (threw lots of it in a dumpster) -> quit, within a few months... My worry was someone in the district would notice the junkmail was missing.


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## shameless (Apr 21, 2014)

Seriously I was a hustler as a child I was always out spinning money and when I made money I used it to go make more money. 
-Constantly set up lemonade stands, jewelry stands (I forced my sister and her friends to do the labor), baking, & lawn services
-When I was 12 I set up my own phone line and cold called people asking them if they wanted a baby sitter and took my profits to place newspaper ads and was always going to the local grocery stores copy machine and handing out flyers

-First consistent hire for pay was at a greenhouse when I was 14


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## mrz (May 23, 2017)

First job was refereeing soccer during early middle school. But I didn't like giving up a large part of my weekend to it though so I only stuck with it for a season.


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## Reyzadren (Oct 5, 2014)

My first real job was a teaching assistant at university. *achievement into the CV/resume*


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## johnpoe (Sep 15, 2017)

Toys R Us giraffe mascot during children's birthday parties. I got to scare children, sweat more than I ever had before (fan in the giant neck was broken), and dodge vomit all day. It was pretty fun and also terrible. I had pretty mixed feelings when I heard Toys R Us went bankrupt recently.


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