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Yadkin 09-29-2022 7:23am

What jobs did you have as a child?
 
We were expected to work around the house, had a unwritten list of chores. I remember getting paid 25 cents/ week, doing the math and realizing how long it would take to afford the latest slot car. So I hot-rodded the old ones.

Starting at about age 12 I worked a lot for my grandfather. He had a second home- truly a cabin, and a large vegetable garden. He taught me how to raise a settled portion of the house, roofing, sweat copper pipe, fell trees. After a weekend of work he'd give my five bucks. Real hard jobs I'd get ten.

As soon as I got my driver's license a friend's mom set us up with a moving business. She paid for the truck, gas, advertised and arranged the schedule. I drove the '66 C10, three-on-the tree, painted with a brush and latex house paint. We worked all over Boston moving folks in-out of apartments. We made $27/ hour and split it three ways. That was about three times the minimum wage back then. A lot of that money went into buying tools and parts to keep my old car running.

My summer after HS I finally got the job working in a hospital kitchen that I had applied for a year earlier. I learned two important lessons. First, I hated being around sick people so should never work in the health care field. Second was how to clean stuff, and the importance of kitchen sanitation.

After my second semester of college I entered a co-op program, working every other semester. I put my drafting skills (junior high, high school, then college level courses) to work. As my engineering knowledge increased, I was employed designing. After four semesters of school I ran out of money so went to work full time for 18 months.

When I went back to college, first semester I trained for a bus driving job. Zero pay for the whole semester. But the investment paid off- the next five semesters of driving was very good pay. Every summer, winter and week vacation I worked my drafting/ design gig.

Rob 09-29-2022 7:32am

When I was 15 I worked for my Grandfather one summer doing sandblasting. Mostly steel beams, bridges, and large pipes. The suit you had to wear in the summer was awful. There was never enough water to keep hydrated doing that kind of work.

That was my Dad's idea so that I would learn the importance of an education.

After that Summer, I worked at a TCBY and was damn happy for that job.

markyerger 09-29-2022 7:46am

Petroleum Distribution Manager.
Petroleum Importing and Exporting Agent.

I pumped gas at the local Exxon

VITE1 09-29-2022 7:52am

As a kid my brother and I were required to do certain things around the house my Mother and Father decided we should do. Like taking out the garbage, weeding the lawn, helping with landscaping and keeping the pool clean. In return we are allowed to eat and sleep in the house for free.

I started delivering the newspaper when I was 12 and did well. Went on to be a dishwasher and then MacDonald's. By the time I was 18 I had saved enough to buy a brand new 1973 Camaro for cash.

Retired at 60 and never looked back.

Rodnok1 09-29-2022 8:00am

Hand operated snow removel equipment specialist in the winter
Power yard equipment and hand operated debris removal specialist in the summer

Many different restaurants and mechanical repair places... I stayed cleaner not working in restaurants :slap:

That of course was on top of anything needed to be done at home, you were expected to help around the house and refusals did not go well.

69L46 09-29-2022 8:02am

I started working in a lumber yard when I was 13, the earliest age you could get your 'working papers' at that time. That including running a circular saw and operating a forklift, all with no training required.

The country was much different place then.

Aerovette 09-29-2022 8:54am

Network broadcast relay controller
(I was dad's remote)
Auto repair tool management
(Handed dad tools)
Disc/Drum hydraulic fluid activation engineer
(pumped brake pedal while dad bled brakes)
Hydration assistant
(Brought dad water while he worked)
Mower endurance tester
(Occasionally I would run over the dog's chain which tested the mower's survivability)
Border control
(Edged the yard)
Utensil and dinnerware disinfection assistant
Dog excrement removal
Dog groomer
Cat herder
Waste management
Food tester

GTOguy 09-29-2022 9:13am

Started out collecting returnable bottles and turning them in. I saved my money, my brother bought comics and candy. Did the expected chores around the house (lawn mowing, hedge trimming, garbage, etc. for .50 a week allowance. At age 8, on the weekends visiting dad at his commune, I opened a 'restaurant' where I would cook burgers and make rice and salads for the people in the commune who were too stoned to prepare their own food. I learned the basics of capitalism at that point. At 12, helped out with friends paper routes and mowed lawns, pulled weeds, painted houses and furniture, etc. for neighbors. This was model airplane money for my control line stuff. In Jr. High and High, heavier work for friends of the family, landscaping stuff, hauling stuff, etc. Then into the work force at an auto shop, then a motorcycle dealer. After a year, went to state university, sold Cutco door to door for gas money (tough job) and after a year, quit and went to work as a tune up tech for a chain....learned a lot and got hired by a large tire company and I was off to the races. Retired a year ago tomorrow comfortably with no worries.

slewfoot 09-29-2022 9:52am

Got my first job as a dishwasher at the local ski mountain restaurant in 1970 when I was 14. Stayed there until I left high school doing other things along the way.

Onebadcad 09-29-2022 10:01am

I started working illegally at 13, as FL Law said 14, but I massaged that.

Was a dishwasher at Lum's Restaurant, was damn good, I only had to load into machine so had extra time to bus tables, clean around the kitchen, used the slicer for meats and veggies, clean out the walk-in freezer and was the designated parking lot cleaner.

Then I sold door-to-door subscriptions for The Fort Lauderdale New and Sun-Sentinel, never had to deliver, just took the upfront 2-month payment, I was paid minimum wage PLUS $5.00 for every sale, I could make $60/day for three hours work, damn good money for a kid back in the late 70s.

While doing both of the above, I worked side jobs including painting exterior of houses, landscaping-mostly tree trimming and removal, owned my owned Sears Craftsman chainsaw, trench digging, anything that would pay me.

My last two years of high school I worked the islands of the largest / busiest Amoco around, I could run six full-serve and twelve self-serve pumps on my own, I enjoyed the challenge, time flew on that job.

Since age 13 no one ever game me a penny, my mom raised five on her own, no car, cleaning houses six days a week, once I started working I paid for my school lunches, clothes, haircuts and nights at the movies.

I was poor, but working hard got me out of the hole!!

I regret nothing, working hard while young builds your character for life!!

GTOguy 09-29-2022 10:20am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Onebadcad (Post 1994922)
I started working illegally at 13, as FL Law said 14, but I massaged that.

Was a dishwasher at Lum's Restaurant, was damn good, I only had to load into machine so had extra time to bus tables, clean around the kitchen, used the slicer for meats and veggies, clean out the walk-in freezer and was the designated parking lot cleaner.

Then I sold door-to-door subscriptions for The Fort Lauderdale New and Sun-Sentinel, never had to deliver, just took the upfront 2-month payment, I was paid minimum wage PLUS $5.00 for every sale, I could make $60/day for three hours work, damn good money for a kid back in the late 70s.

While doing both of the above, I worked side jobs including painting exterior of houses, landscaping-mostly tree trimming and removal, owned my owned Sears Craftsman chainsaw, trench digging, anything that would pay me.

My last two years of high school I worked the islands of the largest / busiest Amoco around, I could run six full-serve and twelve self-serve pumps on my own, I enjoyed the challenge, time flew on that job.

Since age 13 no one ever game me a penny, my mom raised five on her own, no car, cleaning houses six days a week, once I started working I paid for my school lunches, clothes, haircuts and nights at the movies.

I was poor, but working hard got me out of the hole!!

I regret nothing, working hard while young builds your character for life!!

B---B----But what about your gift money?

dvarapala 09-29-2022 10:30am

My first job was delivering the Chicago Daily News from my Radio Flyer wagon every afternoon after school and one Saturday mornings. Of course I started this job in the dead of winter, so I was pulling my wagon through deep drifts of snow. And for all that physical effort my first paycheck was a whopping $12.

I didn't last until the spring. :D

Onebadcad 09-29-2022 10:34am

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTOguy (Post 1994932)
B---B----But what about your gift money?

When my relatives die, including my mother and father, I get bills and pay all the final expenses, including the meal after the memorial, and the after-party at my home.

I have no problem with that, as I owe them much more for the lessons they gave me in life.

Onebadcad 09-29-2022 10:35am

Quote:

Originally Posted by dvarapala (Post 1994939)
My first job was delivering the Chicago Daily News from my Radio Flyer wagon every afternoon after school and one Saturday mornings. Of course I started this job in the dead of winter, so I was pulling my wagon through deep drifts of snow. And for all that physical effort my first paycheck was a whopping $12.

I didn't last until the spring. :D

The route was 100% uphill, right?!?!?

Aerovette 09-29-2022 10:44am

I peeled off a bit of my gift money and bought a steak to grill. Not sure what I'll do with the other half of the funds.

theandies 09-29-2022 10:50am

At 10 I cut our grass and a few other neighbors yards. Of course my Dad didn't pay me for our yard and I charged $5 to cut our neighbors yards.

Fast forward to when I turned 13. At that time you didn't get your SSN until you actually started working so my Dad towed me to the SS office to get my SSN. Then I worked for him at the Pepsi plant where he was plant manager and Vice President cutting and maintaining the plants grounds in the summer. Paid me a whopping $2.50 an hour. This was in 1976.

Aerovette 09-29-2022 10:55am

Quote:

Originally Posted by theandies (Post 1994954)
At 10 I cut our grass and a few other neighbors yards. Of course my Dad didn't pay me for our yard and I charged $5 to cut our neighbors yards.

Fast forward to when I turned 13. At that time you didn't get your SSN until you actually started working so my Dad towed me to the SS office to get my SSN. Then I worked for him at the Pepsi plant where he was plant manager and Vice President cutting and maintaining the plants grounds in the summer. Paid me a whopping $2.50 an hour. This was in 1976.

$2.50 was pretty good in 76. I was a busboy at a restaurant/bar and made less than that.

DJ_Critterus 09-29-2022 10:57am

When I lived in Italy as a Navy Brat, I wasn't allowed to work unless it was summer vacation and school was out. By the time I was 13 I was racing Go-karts for money with the team that owned the home track where I learned the sport. Made good money for that time and my age....much, much more than my other friends who got summer hire jobs on the Navy Base for $3.25/hr.

That gig ended when my family moved to the states when I was 17. Sucks....

Anjdog2003 09-29-2022 12:56pm

Pimp

6spdC6 09-29-2022 1:19pm

As a kid, I worked at the family business (undertaker). Helped by going to the hospital or death scene and bringing the body to our funeral home. Helped set up flowers, tended the door. Also as my father also owned a 2 family house next door I sort of migrated into being the person to fix most small things that can go wrong.

During that time, up to about 17 or so I also cut grass, shoveled snow, raked leaves to make money. That allowed me to buy my first car a couple year old 59 Chevy 4spd 283 power pack at 16 years old.

Also about my 17 birthday I got a nice after school job at the large super market. The money was minimum wage but I was a carry out person and made about double what the store paid me getting tips.(all tax free). other than working for my father on ocassion I gave up all my other jobs to work the supermarket.

After I graduated school I did a bunch of jobs just to see what was out there and then went to work for the Laborers union as a concrete guy, made real good money at that and bought a couple better faster cars, (muscle car era)

Had a opportunity to be a apprentice in the pipe fitters union and made the move. As the apprentice pay for the first couple years was not that good I worked part time under the table at my buddies speed shop/garage, both selling stuff and installing.

Jumping way ahead I worked for the pipe fitters union for many years as a pipe fitter/welder and took a very decent retirement at age 55.


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