What was your first steady paying job?

1. 73

   livewithrichardposted 15 years ago

   My first real paying job was when I was 10 years old.  I had a paper route in a northwest suburb of Chicago.  I didn't just have a paper route.. I had a paper empire...lol 
   
   My route consisted of 125 homes, a huge route for a 10 year old, but I made five deliveries and never missed a house.  I was paid $12 a week for my services.  How is that possible, 5 delveries and 125 houses? Easy, I enlisted 5 of my younger friends to deliver 25 papers each for which I paid them 75 cents.  It was a sweet gig and lasted for about a year until my grandfater found out about my entrepreneurship and shut me down.  He said it wasn't fair to the paper company and to the other kids.  It wouldn't  have been healthy for me to argue with him so I gave it up and turned the back of his shed into my new worm farm!...

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   1. 71

      TrinaLynneposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      My first real paying job was when I was 17 years old. I was a Teen Leadership Assistant at the Free Library. It was so much fun. I helped children with homework, created displays for library events, and I even got to work behind the desk  on slow days with book returns. It was so much fun. I got to work with children and work around books.

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      carpesomediemposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      My first real job, too, was a paper route.  But definitely not as big as yours!  I delivered about 30 papers a day in my neighborhood for the afternoon edition and then the Sunday paper to about 50 houses.  I made about $250 a month during high school doing that, so it wasn't too bad.

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   cashmereposted 15 years ago

   You sound like the original entrepreneur.
   My first paying job was writing web content for a medical portal. they were part of the dot com boom that went blast.

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3. 79

   sunstreeksposted 15 years ago

   I owned my own business selling sports cards at 13. Went to city fairs, swap meets, and trade shows every weekend except in the winter. Bought WAY cheap sometimes as low as 10% of book value from a veteran dealer who thought I was cool being a kid and selling.
   
   Because of how quickly I made my money back I would easily have thousands of dollars in inventory and it would all be profit. Grown adults would approach me and try to sell their inventory to me, occasionally if I could knock them down to dirt cheap I'd take it.
   
   Didn't know a thing about how the games were played but knew by heart jersey numbers, rookie years and the what draft pick number the basketball players entered in with. Did it for about 2 years and then the market was flooded with everyone wanting to do the same thing.
   
   Still have a few select valuable rookie cards that will pass on to my daughter.

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4. 49

   badcompany99posted 15 years ago

   Like the first poster I was a paperboy, hated it but my first real job was actually in a Book Shop in the accounts section but when they were short staffed I had to help out in sales plus stocking the books away. Being an avid reader and book fan looking back I wonder why I quit it, oh I remember the wages were hopeless.
   
   Sunstreeks  - That was amazing doing that at 13, thats how Richard Branson started, in his back shed and look at him now.

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      dwilliamsonposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      So badco how did you go from a paperboy to a pirate My first paying job was in the cage at a stock brokerage firm in Toronto, ON.

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5. 79

   sunstreeksposted 15 years ago

   Thanks BC. It was fun and I learned a lot. I had to help my dad sell his canopy stuff right next to my own booth and some of those tarps get big, and HEAVY. It was a lot of work doing the canopy part but I had a blast, my sportscards made great money and we went to many different places all over the state.

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      badcompany99posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I know the feeling, I sold sports memorabilia at a car boot sales part time on Sunday mornings for about 3 years and I loved it way more than my job which is sitting in an office. Just meeting and chatting to people, out in the air, the bargaining and the not knowing whether you would have a good sales day or a bad one. Twas fun, but deff would loved to have travelled about like yourself. Like you I had the stall, canopy and the joy of getting up about 6am to get it all set up. Ahh you have brought back some happy memories indeedy !

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6. 77

   Bard of Elyposted 15 years ago

   Sales officer in what was then British Telecomm (BT). A most horrible and stressful job that I lasted only a year with. At that time their were adverts being dispalyed saying "Make someone happy with a phone call" and from this people like me would get new customers phoning to order a new phone and line but then getting the disappointing and shocking news that they couldn't have one yet. In some cases they had to be told they may have to wait up to two years. This resulted in angry people, complaints and all you were doing was doing the best you could under the insane conditions.
   
   Coupled with feeling bad about talking to so many angry customers you couldn't help was a constant stream of phone calls and letters in the intray and no let up!
   
   At one point I had 13 telephone exchanges in South Wales and most of them were closed or had long waiting lists for service. At the same time BT kept up their advertisng campaigns!
   
   It was my introduction to a string of jobs I hated and the reality of the insanity of it all!

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7. 0

   dennisemattposted 15 years ago

   My first work was when I was 11, with my mother, we cleaned businesses..banks, Dr.'s offices,a shirt factory, a chinese resturant, I even got to help a friend clean a movie theater... and houses. I got payed by being able to eat. When I was 18, you guessed it....I cleaned houses on my own.

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8. 59

   dianacharlesposted 15 years ago

   Wow...most of you guys started off real young. My first job was when I was 30, as a teacher.

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9. 76

   frogdroppingposted 15 years ago

   I worked as an onion/potato peeler for a slave driving café owner when I was 11. Did it for about two years. Hated it. And felt about the same about the owner. I worked 3/4 evenings a week for about a fiver
   
   My first full-time job was for a hairdresser. An awful women. I was underpaid and overworked but the clients used to give me lots of tips. My boss kept them ...

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10. 75

    Susan Ngposted 15 years ago

    I worked part-time at McDonald's for six months during my first year of college. Looking back now, I wonder how I was able to do it.  Being an introvert, I was never good at talking to people face to face.  Yet somehow I managed to have fun at the front counter.  I even made Employee of the Month.

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11. 60

    Pete Maidaposted 15 years ago

    I worked in a cigar factory for a year or so before moving up to a vending machine factory.  Finally I moved to the DC area and got into computer programming.

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12. 69

    Maddie Ruudposted 15 years ago

    My first REAL job (ie, not babysitting or any of that nonsense) was as an order picker for a local greeting card company, during highschool.  I was the only female working in the warehouse.

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13. 68

    waynetposted 15 years ago

    I worked for the local council, sweeping the streets....yeah!!!!

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14. 0

    girly_girl09posted 15 years ago

    Age 18 - I worked for a gubernatorial campaign. Since then I have worked on various political campaigns, including a presidential campaign. Also political consulting and political event/project management.
    
    I recently retired at the ripe age of 22! lol I'm going back to school next semester full-time to pursue a legal studies degree so I can eventually become an attorney.
    
    I miss the world of politics; but not all of it! I garnered incredible real world experience and was responsible for things that most adults could never even dream of. I'll fondly look back on those 4 years. Got to visit some great places, meet some great people and developed a lot of insight when it comes to dealing with the most difficult people in the world. Made a few close friends for life and maybe a few more enemies.
    
    100-120 hour work weeks, intense thrills and a fast paced lifestyle is definitely fun for a while, but not practical to do the rest of my life.
    
    The stress was really starting to get to me. Physiologically, last campaign I developed REALLY bad acid reflux, insomnia, and I have a few gray hairs now at age 22...seriously!
    
    Several months later, my acid reflux is gone, gray hairs have been dyed but my sleep disorder still stands. Now, I use it to capitalize on writing for hubpages! lol Working in politics turned me into one of those people that can survive and function at almost full capacity of around 4 hours of sleep a night.

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       livewithrichardposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       It's funny how we start out "knowing" exactly what we want to do with our lives.  I joined the Army as a combat medic when I was 18 "knowing" someday I would be a doctor.  Ended up hating working with grown men who complained daily about having an upset tummy just to get out of duty for a day.
       
       I went to college and pursued my degree in History "knowing" I would go off to law school afterwords.  I found out I liked being a student and learning and writing way more than I could ever like the law... I guess I watched too much Matlock at that time.
       
       Now, I'm a consultant, which more or less is a problem solver.  Sometimes I find clients, sometimes they find me, but they all have a problem which needs solving and I happen to love solving problems... except my own of course...lol

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15. 60

    myra636posted 15 years ago

    My First real taxpaying job was in an antique and fine art shop I was 17

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16. 57

    Dame Scribeposted 15 years ago

    I was 12 and had regular weekend babysitting jobs for a few years then graduated to my parents business as a office clerk. lol

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17. 61

    Lisa HWposted 15 years ago

    This will sound strange to people today, but I was eleven when I became "established" as the person to send to the neighborhood store to buy cigarettes for the young mothers in the neighborhood.  I made a couple of dollars a week getting 50 cents a cigarette run.  Ironically, I was 13 when I had a neighborhood monopoly on babysitting because the parents knew they could trust me with their kids (and not smoke).      I made about $50 a week doing that, and one "client" kept asking me to sit until I was 18.  (That was "big bucks" for a kid in those days.)
    
    For the last three years in high school - supermarket cashier.  Started at 1.70 a hour and "worked my way up" to 2.10 (a "giant" raise of about 10 cents/hour per year). I remember getting weekly checks as little as - like - $24 (so it was far less lucrative than babysitting. 

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18. 60

    Teresa McGurkposted 15 years ago

    Bookshop.  Heaven.

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19. 60

    purplesheepposted 15 years ago

    When I was 14 I stacked timber in a timber yard.

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20. 53

    photobunnyposted 15 years ago

    my first real job????????? working in the garlic room of a bakery pumping garlic into the garlic breads, 12 hour night shifts through the summer, stinking of garlic, had to pay for uni and it was the best paying job at £3.90 an hour!!!!!!!

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21. 0

    Gods Gardenposted 15 years ago

    My first job...a paper route in Michigan. Not so bad in the spring,summer and fall, but have you ever pumped a bike in 12" of snow with three sacks of Sunday papers weighing more that you hanging from your bike and body??? Now that a character building Job!!

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22. 70

    Beth100posted 15 years ago

    For me, it was in western Canada working for a typesetting and silk screening company at the age of 9.  I was in complete awe as to how many different types of fonts existed (before computers) and how my coworkers actually recognized each type without ever referring to the cards. I finally joined their ranks after 2 months of working.

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23. 60

    Colebabieposted 15 years ago

    My first job was at a pet store. I got the job before I turned 16 but couldn't start until the day after my birthday. Before then I baby-sat

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24. 66

    Ladybird33posted 15 years ago

    My first job was babysitting at the age of 13...kind of sad, worked since then...

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25. 60

    Gemsongposted 15 years ago

    My first job was as, believe it or not, a disc jockey on the radio. My air name was Lynn Rogers. I had a huge fan following. The really funny part was the fact that people were always shocked that I was black.I guess I sounded very... ummm... neutral on the air.
    
    BTW is the above post spam? I think I've seen it in a number of different threads.

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26. 61

    Lisa HWposted 15 years ago

    The OP said he had a newspaper delivery empire...    At 13 (and past the time I started to working as a cashier at 16), I had quite the "babysitting empire"     ).  I was a conscientious kid, and the children liked me; so word spread in the area, and before I knew I was making "big bucks" as babysitter for "everyone in the area".  I had one "client" for six years.  My driver's license meant I could drive myself to people's houses to supplement the 1.70/hour I earned from being a cashier.  When they moved away the guy came back to pick me up so I could still sit for the kids.  It was an accidental empire and neighborhood monopoly.  I wish I could fall into an accidental empire when it comes to my writing.  Apparently, good writers are far more common than good babysitters. 

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27. 54

    Genniferposted 15 years ago

    I was a private tutor in English for a child of my mother's friend at the age of 15. She (child) made progress, I was very glad and proud.

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       Lisa HWposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       That's a nice one.  You should still be proud. 

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          Genniferposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          Yeah, maybe I have a gift for teaching... LOL

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28. 69

    lrohnerposted 15 years ago

    My first job outside of babysitting and dog walking was a job at MacDonald's when I was 15.

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29. 0

    Crazdwriterposted 15 years ago

    My first paid job was a teacher's aide....loved the preschool and loved my job. I want a job again.
    
    Oh yea forgot about babysitting for old elementary and middle school teachers that I had. Don't know why they asked me but hey whatever lol

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30. 60

    europewalkerposted 15 years ago

    Babysitting for next door neighbor the summer when I was twelve. We lived on an army post, her husband was sent tdy for the summer. She got a job at the NCO club and I was able to purchase all my school clothes for the coming school year.I was so happy to have some money!

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31. 81

    Benjimesterposted 15 years ago

    Mcdonalds

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32. 59

    A2shleyposted 15 years ago

    Lifeguard...which is kind of hard when you have fair skin and don't tan at all

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33. 60

    pddm67posted 15 years ago

    I was 17 and started workin at a local drugstore as a cashier and moved up to "bookkeeper". Actually - CVS before it was CVS and became so well known (it bought out the small chain I worked). Was my first steady job and 20 years later I still keep in touch with some of the people I worked with then. We had some good times!

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34. 0

    lynnechandlerposted 15 years ago

    Babysitting for a lady in the community and then working in retail. I sold Izod shirts for little boys.

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