Question of the Day - Monday, May 6, 2024

[MoochNNoodles]

It's a gloomy but warm and humid Monday in my area. We only have 3 weeks of school left and I'm trying to get everyone through everything. I'm also busy taking advantage of spring sales on school curriculum. Normally I'm spending money in July in one lump; but with these sales I've saved hundreds and won't have to think about it again till August! Plus I knew the scoring service for DD's writing would sell out if I waited. (DS will get that next year. It's worth EVERY penny!!)

We have a lot of freedom in choosing what to learn when; but I've got a general outline for high school based on our state Department of Education Codes so I know my kids are meeting or exceeding what colleges will expect to see on their transcripts. Choosing a science is the hardest part. But it's got me thinking about summer jobs! DD is excited to get a job in the next couple of years; but with camps and family trips I'm not sure how we might arrange that. I think I need to get a work permit from the school district; even though we don't use the district. It's weird to me.



Did you have a summer or after school job when you were a teenager? How old were you when you got your first job? And what job did you have?



My first paying job (besides babysitting here an there) was at Dairy Queen when i was 16. My best friend worked there but left right when I started. I spotted a really pretty Camero for sale. My parents were open to it (My dad and step-dad are both muscle car guys.) until they figured out how much it would cost to insure it. They always said school had to come first. And extracurriculars with that for college applications. I also spent most of summer with my dad and family in another state; so I hadn't looked for an after school job or a summer one. I was busy with school, chorus, Latin Club, etc. But I got that job so I could get the car. I didn't end up with nearly as nice a car but I did get good experience working there for about 6 weeks before summer started and I realized I had taken on too much. My stepsiblings always worked but didn't do as much around school. My little $100 car became how my stepsiblings got to work every day and how I got to school things since many were before or after. I guess chauffer was my unofficial job. And gosh it seems it prepped me for this phase of parenting I'm entering.

 

[KittyFriday]

I lived about 45 minutes away from where I went to school, so I didn't get an after school job like my friends because I would have gotten home so late (and didn't have much time). And I didn't really have a summer job, because all of my friends were lifeguards during the summer and I can't really swim, lol.

My first "job," which I did do while I was still in school, was reading water meters. My dad had water/wastewater company for awhile before they annexed to the city and we'd help him do that. He way overpaid me and my brother, but it all went into my college fund and, while I hated that at the time, it helped me out a lot. It was a messy, sweaty job though.

The first job I had that wasn't working for family was in college, when I was a waitress. I did it for a year and I absolutely hated it. The pay was okay, but it was exhausting work, there was so much drama from the employees/managers, and people are just so awful to food staff. I really feared that I just didn't like working, and while I don't love working (ha), thankfully all of my subsequent jobs have been significantly better.

 

[Kat0121]

I started babysitting at around 10. First real job was at 14. I worked in the bakery of a local grocery store. Wrapping bread and stocking shelves.

 

[DeesCats]

My 1st legal real paying job was during the summer months when I was 16 cleaning schools. It was a local government program for low income families and I did that for 2 consecutive summers. I was able to ride my bike to various schools close to my home.

I also had an off the books job working at a local family run aquarium store for one dollar an hour. I loved that job and would have worked for free. I think I worked there for 6 years in the early to mid 70's.

 

[NY cat man]

I was working at odd jobs, like baling hay and chopping weeds in our neighbor's gardens when I was 10, but I was 14 when I got a regular job at a local garage. At first it was just pumping gas, but it grew to where I could do tune-ups, pull and replace engines and transmissions, and assist with collision repairs and body and paint work. I worked summers, after school, weekends, and vacation days all through high school.

 

[denice]

My first real job was the summer between high school and college. I worked as a nurse's aide in a nursing home, that was before they started the class and certification. Before that I did babysitting. I grew up on a farm so there was a lot of work during summer 'vacation'. I wasn't paid for that it was just what was expected.

 

[mama africa]

I had different summer jobs. I was 14 when I volunteered at a local farm (harvesting patatoes, taking care of the animals,...). Loved it. I had my first paying summer job as a playground worker at 16. Very stressful. I worked as a fruit picker (pears an apples). Loved it. Phone surveyor was the last summer job. Hated it.
My first "regular" full-time job was a professional reader at a press clipping company when I was 23.

 

[catloverfromwayback]

I don't even know how much "summer jobs" (bearing in mind we never had the enormous summer break you do, it was six weeks) were ever a thing here. I doubt it. My first job was when I was 21.

 

[denice]

I don't even know how much "summer jobs" (bearing in mind we never had the enormous summer break you do, it was six weeks) were ever a thing here. I doubt it. My first job was when I was 21.

The long summer break in the U.S. is a holdover from when the U.S. was primarily agrarian. Farming involved a lot more manual labor and people didn't hire someone, the family did it themselves. The kids were needed on the farm or the work didn't get done.

 

[Willowy]

As a younger teen I babysat and had a paper route. My first "real" job was at a call center (inbound calls only, I would die if I had to do outbound calls). I didn't mind it too much most of the time but call center work is frustrating and feels futile.

 

[Margot Lane]

Babysitting, then in restaurant kitchens doing it all, from dishwashing to pecan & key lime pies n salads, prep work for the clam chowder & other tasty crustaceans. Then later library work, copy editing & editing at a publishing house, and working on constructions sites. Wasn't really a job, but also Meals on Wheels, rebuilding after Katrina.

 

[lizzie]

No,I never had a job as a teenager.My first job at the age of 26, was running a dairy queen type place here in town with my sister, called the Carryout.We had soft serve,of course,but also burgers,fries,etc.It did well,actually,even in the winter,but the guy that owned it decided to move back to Kansas so he sold it.Then came Casey's and finally WalMart.

 

[susanm9006]

I started babysitting when I was 14 and usually did it every weekend and some days after school. Then when I was 16 I got a job as an A&W carhop for the summer.

 

[MonaLyssa33]

My first official job was my freshman year of college, so I didn't have a summer job as a high schooler. I did volunteer for two summers at a food shelf in high school after I heard about them when I was on my hometown's human rights commission as a student representative. We did a presentation on homelessness in our city and had someone from that organization do part of the presentation. Funnily enough, I now work in homelessness prevention for the county and tangentially work with the same organization I volunteered for. I've realized that I've been fated to work in addressing homelessness.

 

[nurseangel]

My family moved to a rural area, so unfortunately there weren't many places close enough to work. It wasn't until after I married that the area built up. Now I don't know how I feel about the way the area has grown, but back then, I would have loved it.

 

[catloverfromwayback]

The long summer break in the U.S. is a holdover from when the U.S. was primarily agrarian. Farming involved a lot more manual labor and people didn't hire someone, the family did it themselves. The kids were needed on the farm or the work didn't get done.

Thanks, I didn't know about that!

 

[Jem]

I did some "date night" babysitting for one of my neighbors as well as after school babysitting for another neighbor starting when I was 13 or so, but my first real job was when I was 15-16 at a jewelry store. I kept that job until was 19 or so. At 17, I got a job to be a camp counselor for a camp for disabled kids. I was away from home for the whole summer as it was an overnight camp not just a day camp. That was an experience I'll never forget. My other "long term" job was at a retail clothing store. I started that one when I was 18 and kept it all the way thru College and even after I graduated until I was established in my career. I had a few other jobs here and there over the years to get extra hours, mostly in the summer months. Some summers I had 3 jobs on the go...all mostly retail. I did have a stint being a waitress at a local restaurant...that was terrible...I am so not a waitress. I also got hired on as a beer cart girl at a local golf club for one summer. Management there was terrible so I didn't stay very long.

 

[game misconduct]

i was 14 and got a job as a cook at a bob's big boy

 

[vansX2]

I had a few odd jobs. Though the one that stands out was I was a "Car Hop" at a "Hot Shoppes" Restaurant. I got the job through a high school friend. Since I was under 18 I couldn't take carry out alchohol orders from the car patrons. I received a free lunch, with my $.075 cents a hour wage. When I learned one weekend that my friend got fired. I quit soon after. Found a better job that paid $1.50 a hour.

 

[neely]

My first job was a babysitter for the next door neighbor when I was in high school. Then my best friend and I volunteered at a local hospital as a candy striper. (I don't think they exist anymore.) I enjoy helping people so didn't mind not getting paid. One of my high school teachers recommended me for a secretarial position in the legal dept. of a large corporate insurance co. which was my first actual summer job. I really liked the staff and work so kept it until I went away to college.