Getting to Know You - September 02

[Ann]

What was your very first job?

[Don Wood]

First summer job was typist in a law office. First regular job was a chemist (really, lab technician) for Dept. of Agriculture.

[Maryanne]

I did not work until I was out of school. No formal education just high school. Women were not encouraged to go to college like the boys were. My parents never even brought up the subject. Actually, none of my crowd went on to college.

I worked at my dads place, which was a clothing cutters manufacturing co. I was a Keypunch operator. I worked on a machine, kinda like a big computer with a keyboard set up like a calulator and you got this listing with numbers on them(I imagine that was inventory). I fed these cards into the machine and I had to punch the numbers for the listing into the machine. It then went to a verifier who would do the same numbers. If there was a mistake you would get them back and have to do it over.

I was so boring... I even went to work with my dads car pool people, who I thought was so old at the time. They were like in their 40's.

Needless to say, I was there less than a year.

Maryanne

[Ann]

My first job was a summer job, working as a teachers aide in the Headstart program. At that time, and for most of my college years, I thought I wanted to be a teacher. Wow...having three sons of my own...all close in age, really changed my mind about that!

[Ry]

I was 16 and got a summer job in a cafeteria. The cool thing was I got my best friend in and we had waaaay to much fun working together.

[kimmek]

My very first job I got as soon as I turned 16...Baskin Robbins Ice Cream. I even had my picture in the school aanual with me in my uniform, hat and all..it was sooo embaressing...To this day I am not a ice cream eater..Guess i had too many back then

[Connie B]

My first job was at age 15-1/2 as a waitress, did that up until I graduated from Highschool!

[dadstimeon]

First real job was @ 16. Stock boy, Jordan Marsh, downtown Boston. I think was making something like a buck and change an hour LOLOL!

[kitkathi]

The military base that I was near (in England) had a pretty neat summer program that allowed kids (I was 14 yrs old) to work on the base. I worked with the military police typing out ID cards and I manned the snack bar; I'm sure I must have helped myself to a few candy bars I made like $3.75 an hour. It was great because I saved my money all Summer so I could have cash during the school year (I went to a boarding school).

[tnmynatt]

My first job was a summer job at 17. I was a ticket seller at Carowinds (amusement park), which is south of Charlotte, NC. I had a GREAT time. But, those long dresses were HOT!

[Addie]

I was 14...still too young for a work permit. I worked at a furniture store where my aunt ended up having a 57 year "career".

I worked the elevator, the switchboard, did flyers up in the warehouse on the mimeograph machine (that tells ya how long ago this was, eh? ) and also worked a little in the office, which my aunt ran.

The only time I wasted was listening to my aunt tell me NOT to waste time because it reflected poorly back on her!

[sharyn]

My job was working in a Country Club as the receptionist at the front desk... I was only 15 at the time.... LOVED THAT JOB.... Got to meet Frank Gifford... He was dating one of the members at the time and he lost his superbowl ring... They turned it into me so I met him when he came to retrieve it... pretty cool.

[gail p-m]

My first job -- I worked for an Travellers Insurance putting together calendars. It was a stand-up factory job, you punched a time clock, they treated you like ____. You got deep paper cuts all day long, all this fun for $1.65 an hour!!!!

gail p-m

[Kaffie]

I was 15 and was ofered a job at a hair salon as a receptionist which also included sweeping up hair and running errands.

Kathy

[mamasbabygirl]

I worked at a concession stand at a swim club. It was the best job ever, I got to stare into dreamy guys' eyes and that was about all I wanted to do at age 14!

[Leslie221]

My first real job (outside of baby-sitting) required mt to take the streetcar waaaaaaay downtown in San Francisco three afternoons a week to remove and replace expired magazines, candy, snacks, cigars, and whatever at a friend's father's shop near the Financial District. I was 16.

The neighborhood was creepy and luckily the streetcar stopped right in front of the shop. It was easy to do and I'm sure I didn't earn much money. But he let me keep some of the old issues of magazines as a bonus! That job lasted about four months -then I went away for summer vacation and he found someone else.

Leslie

[MilliBr1]

My first job was at Osterman Jewelers. I worked in the mailroom tagging jewelry, entering in the computer and helping with the mail.

[melindasue37]

My first job was a dishwaser at a place called JoJo's Maidrites. It was the absolute worst job. I don't think I lasted more than a week or so.

If my memory serves me right, I was only about 14 or so. Boy, that sure seems like a LONG, LONG time ago.

[Snowflake]

My first job that came with a paycheck that took out Social Security and taxes was at McDonald's. I found it pretty boring at times since I was a math whiz and ALWAYS stuck in that drive-through window. I could make change in my head faster than the darn machine (had to punch in the totals)... BORING...

BUT, I had a helluva lotta fun flirting (there was a lot less of me then, minimum wage was $3.15).

[elkiesmom]

My first job was at a music studio were I was taking music lessons. They let me teach a few students accordion piano and guitar. The only draw back was that they made me lie about my age because I was only 16 at the time. I had a great time though.

Lorrie

[Kasey]

Like Leslie....babysitting was first. But the first REAL job was a summer job at age 16. It was at Valley Forge Military Academy in the library!!!! The cadets had to salute me and say, "Good Morning, miss" or "Good afternoon, miss" ! I thought that was very cool! What was cooler was that I then DATED one of the majors (his rank) there and we went sailing . He was Russian and obviously thought I was much older than 16!!!! I only did it to drive my older brother CRAZY!!!! And I did ! It was called get even time!

Boy, I haven't thought about that in a LONG time!

Kasey

[Andrea]

Getting paid for getting good grades was my first real job :)

Then I was a camp counselor one summer for 3 hours a day, helping a friend out, and I didn't take to it too well Being an only child with no first cousins, I was like what do I do with the crying kids :)

Then my next real job was an internship at the Legal Dept of Universal Studios which was pretty neat

[Cindy RN]

A car-hop at the local Dari-Castle, age 15. No I did not wear skates

0.75 cents per hr!

[kamataca]

I was the cashier at Wendy's ($3.15/hr.) I was 15 and couldn't drive, so I had to find a place close enough to walk to. That left me with Wendy's (blue polyester uniforms) or Taco Bueno (brown, orange, and yellow flowered uniforms). It was no contest.

Kelly

[Nushka]

My first job was at the city swimming pool. I taught swimming lessons in the mornings and worked the concession stand and sold tickets in the afternoon. I got a great tan. I made $1 an hour. I was 16 and loved it.

Nina

PS. The funniest thing that happened that summer was when I was teaching little 5 year old boys to swim to me in water above their heads. They would swim about 5 feet and grab my neck and I would take them to the edge to hang on again. One little boy was in a panic and instead of my arms or neck he grabed my swim suit top. Pulled my top all the way off. One of the mothers saw what happened and threw me a towel. The little boy never even noticed...he was just proud he swam to me.