What was your first paying job as a teenager? I worked at a pizza joint, How about you??

[debm55]

[BittyJenkins]

1. I was a mannequin in

a boutique at the mall. I stood in their front window very still…

[debm55]

3. Oh. Thank you, BittyJenkins.

[Mad_Dem_X]

159. That's cool - I could never do that! :)

[AltairIV]

2. Newspapers

I delivered newspapers on my bicycle. Few months later I added delivering the weekly circulars on Saturday morning, that didn't last long as it paid really poorly.

[debm55]

6. Thank you AltairIV..That was a very common job back in the day. and from friends having that job, the pay stunk.

[OLDMDDEM]

4. I was a pin setter at a bowling alley in my small town in Nebraska where i grew up. ten cents per line played.

[debm55]

9. Thank you OLDMDDEM. Was it duck pins or regular?

[OLDMDDEM]

12. Regular. Went home with bruises on my legs nearly everyday I worked.

[debm55]

16. Thank you. Sorry about the bruises.

[OLDMDDEM]

17. I was sorry too.

[debm55]

214. You need a hug-------------

[Bristlecone]

5. Catering for my best friend's Dad's company

Started at 13 yo, prepping and event setup/breakdown. Did it through my early 20s off and on. Good pay for a kid.

[debm55]

10. Thank you Bristlecone. Catering is a good business to be in as a teen.

[LoisB]

7. Accounting Clerk for an aerial survey firm.

[debm55]

11. Thank you LoisB. sounds like a neat job.

[underpants]

8. Bagging groceries at a Winn-Dixie

My first day on the job (in pants, shirt, and tie) a lady dropped a glass 1/2 gallon jar of molasses on the floor.

[debm55]

13. Thank you underpants. That must have been a pain to clean up.

[underpants]

39. That's why I mentioned the clothes.

If I’d been at home I could’ve gotten as dirty as needed and then cleaned up myself. I couldn’t get down in the floor AND had to stay as clean as possible for the rest of the shift. Cleaning up molasses off the metal scooper without getting it on me was quite an operation.

[FalloutShelter]

14. LOL been there.

My first job was as a cashier at Shop Rite.
Shoved on glass gallon of milk down the belt after another and they both exploded at the end of the belt.
LOL Never did that again.

Still know how to make change though. Remember making change and no barcodes?

[underpants]

32. I think bar codes were just coming in but yeah I had to make change

I worked cash registers at several jobs.
Working the pizza oven, running the cash register, managing deliveries, and pouring beers on Friday and Saturday nights at a pizza place was actually pretty cool.

Milk. 😳

[FalloutShelter]

35. Yeah... in glass

Dear Dog I'm old.

[debm55]

38. Thank you, FalloutShelter. That must have been a mess to clean. Did they have a worker that did "Clean Up in aisle 3" or

did you have to clean?

[FalloutShelter]

41. LOL

Oh they showed up with a mop and a bucket, but I had to clean up the belt.
Was not fun.

[captain queeg]

215. Yeah we didn't have an operative cash register so had to add up all the items and make change

I forgot about that. Since it was a meat market we wrapped every thing in white buckets paper. We’d weight the items (at least we had a scale that would give you a total price) and then add it all up on the white butchers paper. So your match was there to see. I was always ok at match but I got real fast. And also real fast at wrapping the meat up.

[AnnaLee]

15. Ma and Pa small grocery down the street.

Everything from stocking and can washing to checkout. Summer job. Saved up for my sister's wedding present.

[underpants]

27. Nice.

[debm55]

47. Thank you AnnaLee. What a great thing you did for your sister.

[House of Roberts]

18. Working on a soybean farm

bagging balloon vine so the soybeans could be seed-quality clean for resale.

[debm55]

50. Thank you, House of Roberts. I bet that was hard work especially in the rain and heat.

[House of Roberts]

68. You didn't work in the rain but it was hot.

Nowhere near as hot as it gets these days though.

[lapfog_1]

62. Me too... cutting the milkweed plants in august before the combine harvest

walk up and down the rows of soybeans with a machete and cutting the milkweed. Just knock them down so that they didn't get the white sticky "milk" all over the beans when they ran the combine through the field.

Hardest damn job I ever had. I was maybe 13 or 14. Soybeans up to my arm pits like walking through a jungle... but my head and neck were exposed to the sun. Got paid maybe $200 for doing this job for two weeks. These days I think they have a pesticide keep the milkweed out... but I don't know.

I was also a "stacker" on a hay bailing pickup truck.

[debm55]

69. Thank you, lapfog_1 . You put in alot of physical work for that $200. Thank you for sharing.

[Native]

19. Ice cream shop. I lied about my age.

[debm55]

51. thank you Native. that would be a great job to have.

[Silent Type]

20. Other than cutting grass, I worked in grocery stores. Learned a lot about customers and jerks.

[debm55]

54. Thank you Silent Type. Same here at the pizza place---customers and jerks-you learn life lessons.

[woodsprite]

21. Babysitting and petsitting.

My one client was a music student learning to be a conductor/director. I babysat his kids one night a week. I got paid $8 for the evening. On Tuesdays, I'd give him his $8 back because I took voice lessons from him. We still joke about that. Forty-eight years later, and I'm still singing for him in his group. Can't afford voice lessons from him now though - maybe if he gave a "friends/family discount".

My first job that actually had taxes taken out was working at a car dealership typing inventory cards, retyping the window stickers to pad the visible prices, and working the parts/repairs register. Didn't care a lot for the job, but it was rather enlightening. I left there during college because I found out they fraudulently filed sales/insurance paperwork using my parents names and address to pump up their sales numbers. Dad never owned that type of car in his life and my mom didn't have a driver's license.

[debm55]

59. Thank you woodsprite. Did your parents have words with the car company? Other wise it does sound like a neat job.

[woodsprite]

171. No they didn't. Dad did check his credit report though

and nothing was showing as odd. Their lot was really small and by the car manufacturing company they were limited to how many vehicles they could accept to display as inventory. It was tied to their "sales". We think they were padding their figures to increase their available inventory. Apparently the owner's dad lost his dealership over fraud charges, so that apple didn't fall far from the tree.

I worked at 2 dealerships and both of those jobs were VERY enlightening!

[Bmoboy]

22. Soda jerk

At the neighborhood drug store. I actually made milkshakes, sodas with syrup and seltzer, etc.

Also delivered beer and snacks within a couple blocks. On foot.

I was 14.

My boss "Doc" was later arrested for selling barbiturates and narcotics and running a numbers game.

I was young and stupid.

Those were the days.

[debm55]

63. Oh my, thank you Bmoboy. One of my summer jobs in college was as a soda jerk. Never could get the mixtures right and

was fired. Awful about boss.So sorry.

[unblock]

23. Mowing lawns. Did that throughout junior high and high school

[debm55]

71. Thank you, unblock. Great first job, but very physical.

[captain queeg]

218. I did that too till we moved into town. My dad would drop me off at my sister trailer park with the mower and pick me

up after he got off work. The trailer park just had little strips of grass, took about 5 minutes. I started out asking 25 cents but quickly upped it to 50 cents and if the “yard” was a little bigger I’d ask for a buck. For a grade school kid I made pretty good money; around 7 bucks a day. Bought my first bicycle that way.

[Shermann]

24. Data entry

It was mindless entering of service records into a database but was a desk job and beat working in a restaurant.

[debm55]

74. Thank you Shermann. You are right and working in the heat too

[JohnnyLib2]

25. Dime store, age 14

[debm55]

76. Wow you were young. thank you for sharing, JonnnyLib2.

[a kennedy]

26. Sales clerk at J C Penney's, I think in the beauty section.....ha ha, never used anything

they sold until way later in life, then bought at drug stores.

[debm55]

92. Thank you, a kennedy. And it was cheaper at the Drug store. I remember when JC Penney's had a Hair Salon.

[AmBlue]

28. I worked in a pet shop!

Loved the animals, but my job was cleaning critter cages and fish tanks. I loved being in that pet shop significantly less after working there lol.

[debm55]

97. Thank you AmBlue. I see your point. I worked in a no kill animal shelter latter in my life. I had the cat section. I did

not like the smell. Had to always step out into the fresh air. I was a volunteer. I quite but gave them a donation every month for supplies. Still do.

[agingdem]

29. I was 14 and a counselor at a day camp..$25 a week...

[debm55]

118. Thank you, agingdem. It sounds like a great job to have. and the pay(at the time) wasn't bad either for a young teen.

[bullimiami]

30. Fish farm. 14. I loved it.

[debm55]

119. Thank you bullimiami. Your job sounds very interesting.

[getagrip_already]

31. Caddy on a golf course... they didnt ask any age questions

Paid cash. Brutal job. Carried 2 bags. They required carts, but caddies had to carry bags.

Wierd rule.

Before and after that i worked on a family dairy farm, but didnt get paid.

[debm55]

121. Thank you, getagrip_already. That does sound like very hard work. Thank you for sharing.

[Cartoonist]

33. Theater usher

$1.10/hr
I saw Patton and M.A.S.H. about a hundred times each.

[debm55]

122. HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA Thank you Cartoonist. That is funny.

[GainesT1958]

34. Pulling sticks loaded with cured Tobacco...

Out of old-fashioned Tobacco barns...even starting at 6:30 a.m., that was some HOT work!!🥵

[debm55]

123. Thank you GainesT1958. I bet it was. TY for sharing.

[iscooterliberally]

36. I got a job at the local Food Spot at 14 stocking shelves.

Food Spot was a 7-11 type convenience store. It was not legal for me to work there so I got paid under the table. The job only lasted a few months. After that I was a dishwasher at the restaurant for a golf course across the street. That was a "real job" in that I punched a clock, and got a check with the taxes taken out.

[debm55]

125. Thank you iscooterliberally. Very interesting jobs. At Penn State, I worked my way through college working in the dorm's

Food Service. Dishwasher was one of them. but it was using conveyors belts, Huge dishwashers. Not by hand.

[iscooterliberally]

132. I used machines for the most part too.

Some of the bigger pots and pans we had to wash by hand though. I did work at a restaurant called The Kapok Tree when I was about 17. That place had two large conveyor belt machines. That place was gross though. It's long gone now.

[debm55]

133. Thank you very much, iscooterliberally.

[The Blue Flower]

37. Cashier at Publix market

Long before bar codes. I had to manually enter the price of everything. $1.80/hr

[debm55]

126. Thank you The Blue Flower. Yes, I remember putting in the prices. Then you have the people who check their receipts and

tell you that you shorted them out a penny.

[birdographer]

40. I don't remember which came first

At some point while in high school I worked in a bakery. It was boring and I didn't like the boss lady and one day I just walked out, never got my final paycheck. But then I also had this ridiculous job, also during high school, I think, where I sat in a room at the school with other clowns and cleaned up textbooks--using ink eradicator stuff to get rid of notes and Scotch taping tears and gluing spines. Stupidest job ever.

[debm55]

127. Thank you birdographer. I had my students do that themselves at the end of the year. That sounds like a boring job.

[coprolite]

42. My first job was as the University of Alaska

Experimental Station weeding plots for the Agronomy professors research projects.

We were also used as taste testers for the potato chip research on various potato varieties.

[debm55]

136. WOW Thank you coprolite. What two great jobs you had. You are the first potato chip taste tester I met online,

[ColinC]

43. Small amusement/ water park.

Kinda gross

[debm55]

137. Thank you ColinC. I hear you. They can be gross.

[GreenWave]

44. Site gasoline station.

Gas was about 20 cents a gallon back then. And people smoked those filter cools,

[debm55]

138. Thank you GreenWave. Did you wear a uniform? I remember looking on the car seats and car floor to find change to fill

up my car.

[GreenWave]

141. I don't think we did. They wanted me to go to oil school telling me I could make Big Bucks

But at 20 cents a gallon, free 16 oz tumbler with every fill-up, plus stamps, I smartly said no.

[MichMan]

45. Burger Chef

Worked making sandwiches while in HS

The last summer before college, they had a special throwback promotion celebrating some anniversary of the founding. They sold regular hamburgers for 15 cents each (normal price was around 40 cents I believe)

Their claim to fame at the time was the "Works Bar" which was essentially a self serve buffet with lettuce, tomatos, pickles, onion and all the condiments to dress up your sandwich to your choosing.

Instead of people ordering one large sandwich like a Big Shef (Big Mac clone) or a Super Shef (Whopper clone) , they would order like 10 regular 15 cent hamburgers instead. That means we had to make 10 burgers instead of just one big one. They were so cheap, people would walk up and order a few dozen at a time. Bought them for their dogs, or threw them at each other in the parking lot. It was crazy !

A few years before that I had a newspaper delivery job when I was around 12. Instead of delivering the papers to homes, I was the middleman who had the big bundles dropped off at my house. I would divide them into separate piles for each kid (Jimmy gets 26, Don gets 29 etc), so really very little work. Got $10 a week

[debm55]

139. MichMan , I love your Burger Chef story it is so funny. Thank you for sharing with us.

[captain queeg]

222. Ah yes. I remember Burger Chef. Not sure how wide spread they were but had them in Ohio.

They were in completion with Buger King but BK ended up winning.

[MichMan]

238. Burger Chef was bought out by Hardees and rebranded

[Mme. Defarge]

46. Sales clerk in a cigar store.

[debm55]

143. Thank you Mme. Defarge. Did the smell bother you?

[Mme. Defarge]

169. Loved the smell of good tobacco,

but definitely not the smoke!

[lpbk2713]

48. Bagging groceries.

Did it for about a year and a half after school and during the summer.
The manager was an asshole but the tips weren't bad so I stuck with it.

[debm55]

144. Thank you lpbk2713. We have to bag ourselves now.

[sinkingfeeling]

49. I worked in a grocery store at 16. Was paid $.85 an hour.

[debm55]

145. Thank you sinkingfeeling.

[LuckyCharms]

52. I shined shoes at a brick and mortar shoe shine shop.

I was 14, and I had just received my working papers.

The owner was never there. He gave me a key to the place, and he let me open up whenever I wanted. The place was a 30 second walk from my home.

The owner didn't really pay me, or paid me minimally (in cash). I didn't mind, because I kept all of my tips over and above the price of the shine. On a busy day, I could bring home $80, at age 14!!

I lived in a town that had a huge, predominantly white collar corporation two blocks from the shoe shine place, so there was a lot of shoe shine traffic.

One day this guy came in that was dressed to the nines. As I was shining his shoes, he started asking me probing questions. Long story short, it turns out the guy was from the labor board, and he determined that I wasn't getting paid properly. He told me to lock the place up and go home. The owner was busted, and he had to pay me $700 in back pay.

[Niagara]

86. "Now go home and get your fucking shinebox."

Sorry, Lucky! You know how I am with quoting that movie! And I wanted to be the first to say that as well!





I'm glad that you got reimbursed for your lost and basically stolen wages.

[LuckyCharms]

91. No more shines, Billy. Maybe you didn't hear about it, they didn't go up there and tell you.

Niagara, I have a buddy on the west coast that I speak to on the phone maybe once a month. He can't talk without using quotes from Goodfellas.

[Niagara]

105. "What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?"

I love that movie, Lucky!!!! 💗💗💕

[LuckyCharms]

112. It's my favorite, hands down!

[Niagara]

116. I love Carlito's Way too.

I use quotes from that gem of a movie as well.



Hehehe!

[debm55]

88. Thank you for sharing. LuckyCharms. That was a heck of a lot of money for a 14 year old.

[Gaytano70]

53. Omaha Zoo cleaning the tank windows in the aquarium.

🦈

[debm55]

149. Thank you Gaytano70 that sounds interesting.

[Gaytano70]

170. Yes, I walked around inside the aquarium with a bucket of vinegar water and a squeegee cleaning

... the glass after people slapped the glass to get the shark's attention! 🤣

[debm55]

182. HAHAHAHAHAHHAH. You are funny.

[TheFarseer]

55. Detasselling

I was 12 and making $3.95/hr

[debm55]

151. Wow, that is a lot for a 12 year old. Thank you TheFarseer.

[TheFarseer]

187. It was only for about 10-14 days

It was like $300 for the whole season after taxes! Hardy worth it!

[PXR-5]

56. New York Times

I delivered the NYT from age 14 to 19.
I had to assemble the papers by section and read most of it. Today I still have it delivered

[debm55]

153. Thank you PXR-5, I remember my cousins doing that. They had an assembly line putting the Pittsburgh paper together.

[grumpyduck]

57. Demonstrating magic tricks in a hobby shop.

Also did a stint as a busboy in a hotel dining room. Didn't last long.

[debm55]

173. Thank you grumpyduck. I really find the job demonstrating magic tricks to be interesting. Do you remember any?

[grumpyduck]

193. Sadly, no.

[kimbutgar]

58. Gift wrapping for the holidays at a high end men's store

I wrapped a gift for Bing Crosby and he kind of was a jerk. And never said thank you,

[debm55]

155. Thank you kimbutgar. I am sorry that happened to you. I heard the same about him

[kimbutgar]

198. And I met his daughter who was on Dallas and she wasn't a nice person either!

[Basso8vb]

60. Local stationery store

Small local chain when I was 16-17 back in the late 80s. It was a great first job.

[debm55]

160. That is so nice to hear. Most first jobs are crummy. Thank you Basso8vb.

[oldsoftie]

61. Construction helper @ age15. $1.50 an hr. Thought I was GOD when I got paid

Too young to drive & it was every 2 weeks so it made it seem like a lot more!

[debm55]

161. Wow, Thank you, oldsoftie. That is a lot for a 15 year old.

[moniss]

64. I had worked full time hours+

on a farm from the time I was 11. I was a big kid from birth and even in 5th and 6th grade I was already almost 6 foot tall and weighed about 145. So when I was an actual teenager at 13 I was then a full 6 foot tall and I weighed about 155+. At that time my hours on the farm increased from about 45+ during the winter to about 85+ during the spring/summer/fall. Dairy and crops. My time was unpaid from 11 to 13 but once I hit 13 I got paid $1 per hour. No overtime. I used to work sometimes on farms for others too at the same time as the family farm during plowing, stalk chopping, haying etc. It just depended on who needed extra help.

I developed back trouble and joint problems by the time I was 15. Given the state of medicine at the time there was nothing corrective to be done other than quit and I wasn't allowed to do that. Big time upper back pain between my shoulders. Knees pretty well shot by the time I was in my early 20's. Some farm kids can work like that at a young age and it doesn't seem to affect them. I wasn't one of them.

[debm55]

162. Thank you moniss. I am so sorry about the back and knee problems. Let me give you a .........

.

[moniss]

195. You're the best kiddo.nt

[49jim]

65. Paperboy....Newsday Long Beach NY

the paper was 5 cents a day.....delivered over 100 a day Mon-Sat. Collection day on Saturday 35 cents per customer. Usually made 5 to 6 dollars a week (in tips).
My real first job was in 1963. I got my "working papers" and was 14 years old. Stock boy in a small mom and pop store down the street from where I lived. Made $1.15 an hour (minimum wage at the time). Was working there when JFK was killed.....remember watching it on the small b&w TV they had on beer/soda refrigerator. Side note- my first realization of the value of a dollar....6 pack of beer was $1.15.....I remember saying to myself, "have to work an hour for that?"......although I never did buy any.....

[debm55]

163. Thank you for your post, 49jim, Very interesting post.

[drray23]

66. Working in a lab analyzing water samples.

I was 16 but already getting a degree in chemistry. My father knew somebody who had a lab specializing in water sample analysis. So. I would work there every summer.

[debm55]

174. Thank you very much drray23. You must be very smart to be getting a degree in Chemisty at 16,

[unc70]

67. Priming tobacco on neighbor's farm

Mostly did that awful work on my family's farms. Only got paid a few times, mostly swapped work with neighbors. Mean, nasty, exceptionally hot, days on end.

Summer after HS and before tobacco harvest season, I worked for the US Department of Agriculture measuring and surveying crop lands. Mostly tobacco, but some other crops including a little rice.

[debm55]

175. Thank you unc70 for sharing with us. I bet it was very hard working in the hot sun.

[North Shore Chicago]

70. Mowing

I mowed every single home on my block all through high school. Made really good money, and icing on the cake? My parents matched the money I put in a saving account. College came, and I had a nice chunk of dough. Gave tennis lessons as well.

[debm55]

177. Thank you North Shore Chicago. You had some very parents that matched what you made.

[MaryMagdaline]

72. Babysitting as a pre-teen and waitress at Denny's as teenager

[debm55]

178. Thank you MaryMagdaline. It is a hard job being on your feet all shift.

[MaryMagdaline]

191. It was! I did waitressing and fast food through age 24

My feet hurt even then. Can’t imagine doing it into my 70s. I was so happy when I got my first office job - in air conditioning!

[Wicked Blue]

73. Sales clerk at a small stationery store

[debm55]

90. Thank you very much. Wicked Blue. Sad that the art of writing letters is gone.

[Wicked Blue]

95. Not only letters

I posted a cleaning hint on reddit the other day about using crumpled up newspaper to remove odors.

Several people asked me where one buys newspapers these days.

[Karia]

75. Babysitting and file clerk

I started babysitting for neighbors when I was 12. My first job with an actual paycheck was filing invoices; I had to take an alphabet test to get that job.

[debm55]

79. HAHHAHAHAH. That is funny about taking an alphabet test. Thank you. Kara.

[PittBlue]

77. 1966...Howard Johnsons on the PA Turnpike.

The pay was 50 cents an hour plus tips. I was 18 so they made me work 11PM to 7 AM. That gave me 55 cents per hour plus tips! It was awful but I sure learned a lot!

[debm55]

89. Thank you PittBlue. Yes, they didn't have to pay minimum wage for those under 18years , I remember them all over the PA

turnpike. Loved there ice cream cones.

[CanonRay]

78. Selling bikes at Toys Are Us

$1.60 per hour

[debm55]

83. Thank you CanonRay. Did you have to assemble them too?

[CanonRay]

184. Just the pedals and handlebars on the floor models.

I started on my 16th birthday.

[synni]

80. I self-published a music fanzine

And, yes, I did make a profit. 😊

[debm55]

81. Good work, synni. Thank you for sharing.

[HipChick]

82. Nursing Assistant in a Psychiatric Hospital...

[debm55]

84. HipChick. Thank you for your work that you did there. It must have been very draining on you. Love, Debbie.

[HipChick]

124. Very eye opening

went on to become a Registered Nurse, but later left that career field entirely....

[surfered]

85. As an Explorer Scout, Nature Director at Summer Boy Scout Camp

Included room (tent with wood floor) and board. Fun times!

[debm55]

87. Thank you very much, surfered. It sounds like a very fun first job.

[surfered]

189. Life was simpler then and I was young

[catbyte]

93. Babysitter for two kids from a rich family vacationing in my area for a summer. Just turned 14.

I grew up in northern lower Michigan on Lake Charlevoix which flows into Lake Michigan so it's a big resort area. Actually, I was more of a nanny. It was a resort club close to my house so I could walk there daily. I cared for them most days, went to the beach, etc., and didn't have to do any housework -- they brought their maid but she didn't do kids apparently. The kids were well-behaved so I enjoyed it. I can't even remember how much I got paid, lol.

[debm55]

180. Thank you catbyte. You sound like you really enjoyed the kids. Wonderful. I think they enjoyed you too.

[GPV]

94. Babysitting starting age 11.

[debm55]

183. Thank you very much for sharing, GPV.

[Niagara]

96. My 1st paying non taxable job as a teenager was a babysitter

My first taxable job as a teenager was a waitress at Ponderosa Steakhouse.


I never thought of myself as an introvert until I got that job. It took me awhile to greet people, get their beverages and that sort of thing.



Today, I wish that there were still Ponderosa's around so that I could get a part-time gig for myself.

[debm55]

100. Thank you, Niagara. I remember Ponderosa's around here. We also had a Bonanza Steakhouse here. Thanks for sharing.

[Niagara]

114. My pleasure, Debbie!

[Deep State Witch]

98. Camp Counselor

Then worked at GC Murphy's lunch counter during HS.

[debm55]

186. Thank you Deep State Witch. I lived near the location of their home office in McKessport, PA, Did you store have the sit

down dining area on the top floor?

[gopiscrap]

99. other than getting paid to sing at church (I was a soloist at 11), the first real job I had

was shagging foul or homerun hit baseballs at the stadium in Tacoma for the AAA ball team. I got paid 2.50 a game 50 cents per baseball I turned in and received 1.00 per diem in food per game which meant one hot dog and one soda. Most balls I ever shagged was 26 in one night so my pay for that night was 15.50 which was great for a 14 year old at the time. I loved it because I loved baseball so in addition to the pay and food, I got to see the game for free, this was in 1971

[debm55]

190. Thank you gopiscrap. You hit the jackpot with that job.

[Rustynaerduwell]

101. I worked an agricultural job in the city when I was 14. An evergreen nursery where I dug, planted, cut...etc

Blocks away from my house in what used to be called Polishtown in a city of a quarter million.

[debm55]

103. Thank you very much, Rustynaerduwell. It sounds like it was a interesting job.

[no_hypocrisy]

102. Babysitting my sibs

25 cents an hour

[debm55]

106. Thank you no-hypocrisy. You were lucky. I never got paid.

[no_hypocrisy]

113. If it's any solace, pretty sure the

prior babysitter got twice as much.

[gibraltar72]

104. Newspapers and greeting cards.

[debm55]

188. Thank you gibraltar72. It sounds relaxing.

[SWBTATTReg]

107. Janitor. And I loved it! Had my sister work for me too, she cleaned the front half of the office complex, and I

cleaned the main room out back. It was fairly quick, a roughly 2 hour stunt to do, and voila, we were done! Now sometimes of course, we would do more heavier tasks such as mopping the vinyl floors etc., but that was like a once in the month thing. It was a good part time job for both of us while going to school.

[debm55]

109. Thank you SWBTATTReg, I like how you included your sister. thank you sharing.

[BlueKota]

108. A city park near the lake

used to charge non residents a small entrance fee to enter the park. I sat at one of the gates and asked to check their resident park badge or collect the money.

Now they only charge if people want to swim.

[debm55]

110. Thank you BlueKota. Sounds like a interesting job.

[fernlady]

111. Department store credit office

I was 16. I answered customers' questions, accepted payments and credit card applications. I sent credit bureau requests (via teletype!) and received the cb responses, and learned how to rate credit accounts. I helped put the paper sales receipts into the paper credit card files. And I learned a whole LOT about credit and money that has stood me good stead all my life.

[debm55]

117. Thank you so much, fernlady. I remember those days of applying for a cc or making a payment on a cc. At our store it was

in a little room on the second floor. Yes, having a job when you are young can lead to a lifetime of skilles.

[malthaussen]

115. Busboy at the Waterfall Lounge.

Housed in what was then the largest bowling alley in the world, or so they claimed. It was an architectural marvel that earned a pic in Populuxe, but alas the Philistines tore it down.

-- Mal

[debm55]

210. HAHAHAHAHHA, Thank you Mal. Was it located around Pittsburgh or down in Florida.

[malthaussen]

255. Willow Grove, PA

A suburb of Philly from whence the current First Lady hails.

No, I didn't know her. She was a few years ahead of me in school.

-- Mal

[rsdsharp]

120. Started out as clean up boy in the meat department of a small grocery store.

That evolved into counter hop and meat cutter all through high school.

[debm55]

129. Thank you, rsdsharp. I remember to work the meat cutter in the deli you had to be a certain age. but I knew kids younger

then 18 that worked them.

[rsdsharp]

134. I was 16 (started at 15). Used the slicer, band saw,

grinder, tenderizer, and patty maker, not to mention knifes, cleavers and hand saws.

[rainy]

128. Janaf Cinema movie theater selling concessions. Started at age 14.

That was when one movie played for 6 months. The Sting was one I remember the most. I was in love with Paul Newman. We would time our breaks for the card game

[debm55]

131. Thank you rainy. That would be neat working in the concession stands.

[ihaveaquestion]

130. Counter person at a Red Barn (fast food burger & chicken joint)

The food was pretty good too.

[debm55]

142. Thank you ihaveaquestion. I always liked the shape of the place and the name.

[dlk]

135. Other than babysitting, opening tax season mail at the IRS

The IRS paid well, for a teenager.

[debm55]

140. Thank you dlk.

[beaglelover]

146. McDonalds. I was a closer and cleaner.

[debm55]

223. Thank you, beaglelover. Closer is a hard job.

[deepthought42]

147. JoAnn Fabrics

Had to go there to get supplies for a Lit class project (we got to read whatever book we wanted!), and they were hiring. Started working there summer of '99, right before I turned 17. Worked at the fabric counter for awhile before finally being taught how to use the register.

Stayed there until I went out of state to finish my Bachelor's in 2002. For a first job, it was fine. Not the most amazing job ever, but far from the worse.

[debm55]

225. Thank you deepthought42. I like JoAnn Fabrics.

[Different Drummer]

148. I was a part-time sportswriter for my local newspaper, covering...

football games of the various area high schools.

[debm55]

235. Thank you Different Drummer Neat job

[k55f5r]

150. Diving for pearls at The Alibi in Portland Oregon.

Minimum wage $1.75 per hour. All the leftover food you could eat

[debm55]

229. What a great job. We had a pearl diver at the Sea World in Ohio. Loved watching them dive. My husband bought me a

setting for the pearl. I still have it.

[Rastapopoulos]

152. Another pizza worker here

i would get in early in the morning to prep over a hundred pizzas for the evening rush.

[debm55]

219. I worked the front counter and stepped in the back to sometimes make the pizza. Hot as hell in the back.

[brewens]

154. I said shining shoes and cleaning spittoons at a local massage parlor and got some laughs on FB a while back. n/t

[debm55]

157. Oh brewens, that is gross. Is it true, If so I feel sorry for you

[WheelWalker]

156. Farm/ranch hand.

Every night after school, weekends and summers on my vo-ag instructor's ranches.

Tractor operator clearing, planting, fertilizing, making and hauling hay, etc.

Working cattle & sheep, feeding, lambing, calving, shearing, veterinary assist, etc.

Building, repairing fences, corrals, barns.

Setting up, maintaining and changing irrigation.

Year-round work all through HS

[debm55]

231. Wow, Thank you WheelWalker. Where did you get the energy to do both?

[WheelWalker]

237. It's my Dharma.

School work came easy to me . And, I didn't do Athletics. I had my own livestock and worked on my family's Farm, as well. I earned $2 an hour which was good pay for a high school kid in the mid-60s.

[Mad_Dem_X]

158. I worked with little kids in a daytime program

for the Parks Department. We went swimming, did crafts, etc. From 9 am to noon, every weekday for several weeks. I worked with another teen girl. It wasn't too bad; the kids seemed to like me well enough, LOL.

[wryter2000]

164. Other than babysitting

Waitress and cook in a pancake restaurant.

[Permanut]

165. Paper route, 1957..

Made enough to buy a new Schwinn bicycle and a SEVEN transistor radio!

[debm55]

260. Thank you, Permanut. You must have made good money as Schwinn bikes were the top of the line.

[Fla Dem]

166. My best friends's mom worked for a catera, serving tables at events.

She brought us alone and we worked many events with her. It was fun. I think that was when I was freshman and Sophomore in high school.

In later summers I worked at Pleasure Island. It was considered the Disneyland on the East Coast. I worked behind the counter in one of the theme restaurants.

After I graduated from high school, I went to work for a company in one of the 1st skyscrapers in Boston; The Pru Tower.

[Elessar Zappa]

167. Sonic Drive-In.

Started as a soda/ice cream maker and eventually went to the kitchen.

[debm55]

259. Thank you Elessar Zappa. I love their ice. Working in the kitchen is a hot, dirty job. I did it too

[duncang]

168. 13 years old

Worked at a full service gas station. Changed oil, hand washed cars, fixed tires even semi truck tires, and pumped gas.

At the time the semi truck tires were more dangerous especially when airing them up. The metal rings could blow off. Had to make sure you stood to the side when airing up.

It is kind of funny seeing my social security records showing taxes taken out from then.

[debm55]

258. Thank you duncang. that was quite a job for a 13 year old.

[3catwoman3]

172. My first non-babysitting job was in the women's clothing section...

...of the local J C Penney's. 1967, and I was 16. $1.60 an hour. The one and only raise I got after many months took me up to a whopping $1.65.

It was not unusual for customers to come in 10 minutes or so before we closed at 9 PM, take a massive armful of clothes into the fitting room, buy nothing, and leave everything in a heap on the floor. To this day, I cannot leave a mess in a dressing room.

Once the customers were gone, we'd get straightening the stock. Buttons buttoned. Zippers zipped. Belts buckled. Shoulder seams symmetrically on hangers.

If you happened to work closing on an evening and opening the next morning, it was kind of a pain. The store manager, a prissy sort, Mr. D.W. Hockridge, liked his employees to "look busy." If there were no customers to be attending to, he'd want us to be straightening the stock. First thing in the morning, there was no real straightening to be done because we'd done it all the night before, so we'd just walk around shoving hangers back and forth on the racks so it looked as if we were doing something.

The "D" in D.W. stood for Dorris. No wonder the boss wanted to go by his initials.

Interesting perspective - the last raise I ever got in my final nurse practitioner position, some 50 years later, was a paltry 65 cents an hour. The 5 cents was a 3% raise. The 65 cents was a mere 1.6%. I was sorely tempted to tell my employers that if they couldn't see their way clear to at least a dollar, to just keep it. I thought about quitting, but was in my early 60s by then, and the idea of starting over somewhere else wasn't appealing.

[debm55]

221. Wonderful post 3catwoman3. I remember the workers at Penneys would have this hand steamer and would steam the clothing

[Joinfortmill]

176. Waitress, local diner

[debm55]

209. Thank you Joinfortmill. You learn a lot of people skills. And it is hard work being on your feet all day.

[Demovictory9]

179. Tutor in hs, then Arbys

[debm55]

208. Thank you very much Demovictory9 , Two great jobs. I taught for over 40 years.

[Beachnutt]

181. I was about 10 years old

started picking peas at .50 per bushel, an old farmer down the road had a huge pea patch and sold peas on the side of the road, he came by early in the morning and picked me up to go pick peas.
Next job was hauling water melons out of the field and stack then take em on to roadside and sell em for 1.00 each, the big ones were 1.50

that was my first 2 jobs pre teen.

[debm55]

206. Thank you, Beachnutt, that sounds wounderful. The smells of farm fresh fruits and veggies.

[Nictuku]

185. I worked in a movie theater in Wailuku Maui that was recently bought by Seiks

I didn't work there very long, but it was my first 'real' job. The problem was transportation. I was 16, and we lived in Upper Kula, and the theater was across the Valley Island on the other side. No buses. My mom and her partner were kind of glad when I decided it wasn't the job for me because they didn't have to drive me. I paid $18.00 in taxes that year (shows you how little I made, but it is on record for my SS for my first year of work)

The theater had previously been a XXX type of theater. It was really creepy (it had these icky couches in the back). I admire what the Seiks tried to do, by bringing other types of movies, but I don't know how long they ran the place.

I ended up leaving the nest (moving back to Oahu) at the tender age of 17. My next job was at Pancho Goldsteins Taco Stand in Waikiki.

[debm55]

205. Thank you Nictuku. That first job sounds sort of creepy. Your second job sounds great. Making tacos. YUMMY

[Submariner]

192. Fenway Park selling scorecards, peanuts in the stands

I got to watch Ted Williams, Jimmy Piersall, Mickey Mantle, Yogi, etc, when those damn Yankees kicked our butt in the 50s and 60s, when we were deep in the curse of the bambino.

[debm55]

203. Thank you Submariner. My husband is from Boston and we always said "who sells the best hot dogs, Fenway Pawk" True.

[oberle]

194. organist

When I was 14 I began substituting on the organ on Sunday mornings for churches around the DC area. Never did babysit. Just played the organ for money. In fact I still do that, although now I have a regular church job.

[debm55]

201. Thank you very oberle. How great to have your first paying job turn into a career.

[sakabatou]

196. Martial arts instructor

[debm55]

200. Thank you very much sakabatou. That is very interesting.

[wishstar]

197. Age 14 through 17 picked cherries for $.50 a pail

For several weeks each June/July I would ride my bike to orchards outside of town, show the owner my state work permit and go to work climbing tall ladders with a pail strapped across my shoulder. No dwarf trees back then. I mostly picked sweet cherries and could eat all I wanted and only had a few days of picking sour cherries. Very few local kids wanted to do the job because it wasn't easy and the spray used on the trees was sticky so it was a dirty job. Cherries are still my favorite fruit that I eat by the bagful daily this time of year and whatever was in the spray hasn't hurt me yet! Might have just been dormant horticultural oil.
Most of the other workers were black migrant laborers originally from Florida, Georgia or SC who came to upstate NY to pick fruit in summer and fall. I enjoyed listening to the conversations.

Best money I made as a teen because in our rural area there were no other jobs for teens besides lawn mowing and babysitting and I could make $10 to $15 per day back starting in late 1960's.

[debm55]

199. Thank you wishstar for a great post. Love cheery cobbler. Now everytime I make it , I will think of your post.

[deRien]

202. I worked as a starter

at a golf course. We live upstairs over the clubhouse and on weekends I would be the one to call golfers in order of play. 5:00 am to 1:00 pm... Boss had to get me a small megaphone so that they could hear me...

[debm55]

204. Thank you, deRien. That is quit a job.

[Lochloosa]

207. Garbage man @ 14.

It was in a large trailer park. The owners had their own garbage truck and me and a couple of other guys would fill it up a couple of times on Fridays.

Moved up to What-a-Burger at 15 as my High School job. Ended up as the night manager by the time I was 17. I made more money than anyone I knew in school. 110.00 a week in '75. That was a lot of money. Blew it all on girls, pot and liquor. Not necessarily in that order.

[debm55]

212. Thank you Lochloosa. What a variety of jobs you had during your teens.

[captain queeg]

211. I had a couple paper routes but then I got a job cleaning up a meat market at night.

It worked out real well, I had a key and just had to be done before they opened up in the morning. My mom worked nights and my dad went to bed fairly early so I could leave for my job after my mom left for work. Then I could stay out as long as I wanted since my dad wouldn’t know when I got home. It allowed my to run around late at night. Then when I turned 16 they had me come in after school and help out in the store. It turned into my first career, working at meat plants. I did that for 10 yrs before going back to college and launching my second career as a mechanical engineer.

[debm55]

213. Oh wow, thank you captain queeg. You had a variety of careers you had.

[captain queeg]

220. When I was young I'd do most anything to make some money.

Picked corn when it was picked by hand in early HS. When I went to college I was a security guard. Good job for a college kid. They just wanted someone to be there to keep their fire insurance cheap so you could study as much as you wanted. It was minimum wage but sure had more buying power than nowadays. I could make enough for living during the year and work in the summer to make enough for tuition.

[Tribetime]

216. Car wash

[debm55]

224. Thank you Tribertime. Did you ever go through it when no one was looking?

[TexasBushwhacker]

217. Dairy Queen in 1973!

$1.50 an hour. I made the best swirls, so the manager had me make all the freezer treats like Dilly Bars. Since it was hard to save much making so little, my mother made me a deal that she would match anything I put in my little passbook savings account that went towards something BIG! I saved up to pay for one of those student trips to Europe - 3 weeks, 7 countries. It's the only time I've been.

[debm55]

227. Thank you, TexasBushwhacker. What a deal!! We must be around the same age. I am 69 years old. I love the swirls. YUMMY

[TexasBushwhacker]

236. Yup. 67 n/t

[True Dough]

226. I rolled joints

for people who came to the pizza joint. Were you ever one of my customers, deb?



Seriously, delivered newspapers for a few years as a teenager. Then worked a summer job at the local newspaper inputting minor sports scores and highlights from game sheets.

[debm55]

256. HAHAHAHAHHAHA. Thank you True Dough. Your second job sounds cool.

[True Dough]

265. What?

Not going to reveal if you inhaled, deb?

[debm55]

267. Hahahahah. I have an inhaler and MM for my husband that has Malignant prostrate cancer. He won't take it as he is

afraid that as an addictive type(booze) but sober for 38years it will lead him to be addicted to the MM. However since the radiation started last week he has not been able to sleep. I wish he would take it. PS Opiated Hash was my thing And I inhaled, Haven;t smoked since College. But I 'll tell you , with all the stuff going on here. I am about ready to smoke it.and inhale.

[True Dough]

269. You do

whatever you gotta do to get by, deb! No judgement here!

I didn't suffer anything as nearly as serious as Rich's cancer, but I can somewhat relate. Last year when I had to have emergency surgery on my detached biceps tendon, the doctor prescribed two different types of opioids when he sent me home, a total of 40 pills.

I took exactly three of those pills, one each of the first three nights and I refused to touch the rest. I returned them to the pharmacy because I've read and heard so many opioid nightmare stories.

They have their place, but they're rather scary.

[NoMoreRepugs]

228. Summer I was 12 worked in my uncles auto body shop 5 days a week for a buck an hour - 1961.

[debm55]

253. Thank you NoMoreRepugs. You were young.

[Luciferous]

230. I worked the drive thru at a fast food

place.

[debm55]

252. Thank you Luciferous. Hard job with sometimes rude people

[samnsara]

232. cutting asparagus...early in the morning before school

..i was 14 and I bought a pair of blue BoyWatcher sunglasses with my first check. we got 25c and hr.

[debm55]

251. Thank you samnsara. That is different job.

[Delarage]

233. Paper Boy

Do they even have them anymore? I still get a print paper delivered (The News Journal) but someone drives by in a car and flings it out as they drive by at 40 MPH--the paper usually ends up dead-center under one of the cars.

But I took pride in my job---certain people wanted their papers at certain doors, sitting on a porch table, wherever. I obliged them all.

[debm55]

250. Thank you , Delarage. We don't get get newspapers here in Pittsburgh anymore. All online. You were a very good paper boy

for the special service you gave you customers.

[murielm99]

234. I was a carhop.

[debm55]

249. Thank you murielm99. What a neat job.

[The Wandering Harper]

239. stocking shelves and emptying meat scraps

at a little grocery / butcher
whatever the youngest legal age to work in NY was

[debm55]

248. Thank you The Wandering Harper.

[Figarosmom]

240. Popcorn and candy stand

At a small theater a couple blocks from.my parents house. UAW used to have family night at the theater, free movies fot family members of UAW workers on Wed. Nights and my little sister and I would walk there for the movies. The owner asked me if I'd like the job. I was 15 made 90 cents an hour and all the popcorn I could eat. My first full time job was as draftsman (person) at the natural gas company, drawing street maps and plotting gas mains on the maps from work order cards before computers did it.

[debm55]

243. Thank you Figarosmom. Very interesting jobs. Thank you for sharing. PS I took drafting in HS and I loved it.

[electric_blue68]

241. I think an Art Assistant to an Art Teacher at a summertime art school for kids, maybe tweens...

The hesitateation as to if it was my first paying one.

Think so bc the summer before I did Headstart, and that was volunteer.


Quickly scanning reminds me, one time as neighbor's babysitter. No more of that! I think that was the earliest.
But I'd consider the other one bc it was a steady ongoing job.

[debm55]

242. Thank you electric_blue68 Working with is a rewarding job.

[OldBaldy1701E]

244. I actually started at age twelve.

My father 'hired' me to work on the farm. (Before that, I was a volunteer, I guess ) That was also when I got my Social Security card.

And, it became apparent that I inherited my mother's genes regarding money as I spent it as soon as I got it. I will never forget the time my father stared incredulously at me when I told him I was broke the Sunday morning after payday. And, my town was tiny. It had like five stores, including the auto parts store. I did not own a car, as I was twelve. I burned through like $60 in one day in 1976.

(I did purchase my first skill saw that day. It accounted for $30 of that. My father had three of them. No one needed a saw. I just wanted my own saw.)

[debm55]

246. OldBalsdy1701E, Thank you very much. I did the same with the money from my first job.

[Blue Full Moon]

245. Passed out newspapers

[debm55]

247. Thank you Blue Full Moon. I always wanted to do that.

[LizBeth]

254. Donut shop at 12, my parents bought one....

[debm55]

257. Thanks LizBeth That sounds like a very sweet job. Yummy.

[Hotler]

261. As an employee, Denver Post paper route 1968, had to be thirteen. I made some good money for a kid in school.

That was back when the Denver Post was an evening paper, morning on Sunday.

[debm55]

262. Thank you Hotler. I don't think there any paper boys any more. Most is online. I enjoyed the smell, look and feel of

actually sitting down and reading a paper. You were lucky you had a very busy route.

[Rocknation]

263. Helped a friend's father pack silverware while my father was laid up witn a broken foot.

Earned enough to buy my own school shoes that year -- I felt SO grown up!


Rocknation

[debm55]

264. Thank you Rocknation. That was so nice of you to help out. And I bet those shoes were spiffy.

[ProfessorGAC]

266. Janitor's Assistant

At a banquet hall near our house. Coincidentally, between HS and my first year of college, the guy got fired for drinking on the job, in late May. So, I had a full time gig for the summer.
Then, the new guy had a heart attack almost exactly a year later, so the next summer was the same.
I ran their fish fry on Fruday nights, too. Plus, I did a little bartending for weddings there. I was done at 10pm on Saturday nights, so even those days I worked there was still time to get to a party!
Paid 50 to 75 cents per hour above minimum wage, so it was a good gig for a HS or college kid.

[debm55]

268. Thank you very much. ProfessorGAC. That is very interesting.

[ailsagirl]

270. Babysitting (does that count?)