What was your 1st job/past jobs

11yrs - 15yrs SF Chron Paperboy
15yrs - 18yrs Golf Driving Range worker
College Years: Library Services, Telephone Installer, Black Jack Dealer (So Lake Tahoe), Horsetrack Bet Taker (Bay Meadows Race Track)
After College: AP Clerk, Financial Analyst, Finance Manager (Current)
2014-Present: Volunteer National Ski Patrol

 

When I was in college, my worst job was working at a mayonnaise factory. I was on the assembly line and my job was to open the boxes for the mayonnaise to be poured into. There were multiple, 200 gallon, open tanks of mayonnaise being stirred all day long. When I came home from that job, my clothes, my hair, and my skin stunk to holy hell. The smell permeated every pore of my body. Needless to say, I only lasted 1 day at that job. Working that job made me refocus my college efforts

 

I started working summers at 11 or 12 years old with my dad who was a concrete contractor. We did mostly flatwork and foundations. During the school year once I turned 16 I bagged groceries at a Jewel for 3 months, then delivered pizzas until I graduated. I got a job in college as a porter at a Toyota dealer, and 6 months in they promoted me as the night shift assistant service manager. Later in college I got the day shift ASM gig. My last year in college I interned as a general ledger accountant at World Kitchen (think Corelle, Corningware, Chicago Cutlery, etc..) on my Tuesdays off while writing service. Once I graduated I got a gig as a staff tax accountant finished my 150 credit hours and sat for the CPA exam. I worked my way in 2 years at that position to be a senior and now a manager at the CPA firm I am with now on a partner track.

Other odd jobs I did that were one off or so was dig out and installed pool off and on and I worked at a plant that manufactured microchips for iPods for a few weeks.

 

at one time after HS I worked 4 jobs at the same time....full time military, full time at Hidden Valley Ranch, pay time at as a secretary at my grandfather's law firm, and part time at Copeland Sports. I have also been a Drill Instructor for "Project Walkabout", a valet at a casino, worked at Eddie Bauer & Old Navy, been a cocktail waitress (not saying where ), dolfull time military since 2001 to 2010. Contactor for Lockheed Martin, and currently a Jailer when not of AD orders for the military

 

15-22 (summer jobs while in HS and college) Dishwasher, cook, busboy, waiter, tackle shop manager at the same restaurant. Made the most money waiting tables - hated it. Most fun was the cook (something I still enjoy).
22-24- Payroll manager, then special projects manager (repairs to our marine equipment) at a large civil construction company
24-27 - project manager for commercial painting contractor.
27-30 - full time student (pre-reqs to apply for dental school) painted houses, worked at a large nursery that supplied landscapers.
30-34 dental student
34- dentist, US Army.

 

Bicycle shop. I was racing BMX at the time so I got parts for the dealer cost. Ended up building one badass BMX bike that would fit my 6'2" frame and only weigh 23 pounds (lots of titanium). I was in high school so the hours were flexible. Tuesday-Thursday worked 3:30/4 to 7, Friday off to go race, Saturday 9-6 and Sunday 11-5. Monday closed. How I remember that 20 years later is beyond me.

 

Started at Arby’s as a teenager, McDonald’s, product analyst, warehouse manager at a door shop, now a union commercial electrician

 

Why not? We are all friend here

 

My first job was at Robert Hall. Now I'm sure that most of y'all don't even know what that is.

 

14-17 Quincy's Steakhouse, dishroom, cook and waiter.
18-20 heavy equipment operator in the woods and swamps of SC. Westvaco and a company owned by one of my dad's friends.
20-33 Soldier extraordinaire and family man, being a soldier was easier. I don't mean that in a bad way.
33-now whore, I mean contractor, commo, satellites and sigint (field/system engineer)
That's all I got to say about that.

 

First job was for Winn Dixie in Orange Beach, Alabama. Worked as a produce associate for about 7 months.

Moved from Florida to North Carolina and worked for Harris Teeter (grocery store) for 6 years while in college. I did everything in the store. Bagger/cashier, produce, grocery, dairy/frozen.

Left there and went to Allstate claims. For 7 months I took claims, then for 2 years I investigated coverage issues on claims, lastly I allocated claims for proper handling.

Moved from North Carolina back to Florida. Currently, I am working for Herzog. We work on the Railroad for SunRail. I built the crossing signals and wired them, and now I work on their construction crew installing the same signals.

 

In order: dishwasher for summer in high end restaurant on a Wi. lake, janitor in high school in Richardson, Tx, worked summers in an aluminum mill in Fairmont WV. every summer was different job 1st I was groundskeeper, next ran the packing/shipping line, ran the scrap baler, prepped coils for production and worked on a punch press making aluminum discs. After college I worked for a mobile home/building supply company in various cost accounting roles in all 4 divisions, mobile home mfg., window/door mfg., truss mfg., and mobile home components. Left MH company when they moved HQ to Detroit. At that time housing cost in Detroit was ridiculous. Joined a tile company as RDC/samples/freight controller. Left that position to be controller at our 3rd largest plant, currently a Logistics finance manager handling corporate Logistics Dept. and all financials for transportation. Between college and real job I worked construction on large plant for Rockwell. After working I concrete crew for a short time I quickly taught myself to drive a bulldozer and loader. I got to fill on on dozer for crank head that only showed up about 3 days a week. Much better than pulling mud.

 

Grew up in Miami, at 12 years old I used to go to the flea market on the weekends and get jobs for the day pushing ice cream carts around, selling $1 t-shirts, selling grapes by the pound, just with whoever needed help for the day. Pulled in about $50 - $75 a weekend back in the mid 80's.

At 15 worked for a butcher under the table, making subs and cutting lunch meat. I never got to learn how to butcher the meat, too bad. Then multiple standard jobs in high school, retail, restaurants, movie theaters, etc.

Best job ever was an Internet company for 3 years before the bubble burst, those were fun times. Now I work for government agency.

 

1st job was right after I got my “working papers” at the age of 12. I was a dishwasher at a local restaurant, then fryer, haha. Next was working at a feed store loading farmer’s trucks with 50, 75, and 100 lb bags of feed, hay, straw, etc. also restocking the warehouse. Then landscaping/snow removal in High School and college, detailed neighbors cars on the side too. Landscaping and full time college didn’t mix so then I worked for a telephone company in sales part time, Hollister part time, and a valet at a large car dealership full time in the summer, part time during school.

Some of the guys I used to landscape with are still with the same company, I may go back when I retire!

 

wish that wasn't so difficult. also wish i hadn't f'd it up when i had it but that's another story.

my father put me to work early. probably started about 10.
- spent a summer working in a cave with the CAD engineers building relay housings
- next summer was building testing equipment for the relays i had worked on the previous year. hand building lots of PC boards and sniffing 1000's of feet of solder smoke
- at 16 i started working in his factories on the production line building the actual relays. worked 2nd shift. business was good and we were on overtime. 10hr shifts, 6 days. out at 2am, lots of drinking, lots of drugs. most of those summers are pretty much a hazy blur.
- first year of college i didn't work but i flunked out. left indiana and headed back to san diego.
- cleaned myself up. got off everything. started racing my bike, road/mtn/track. worked as a bike mechanic, odd construction jobs, as a lifeguard and a personal trainer in high end gym in la jolla. started fiddling with cameras.
- went back to school. worked my ass off. full load of classes plus 40hr work weeks. back on 2nd shift at lifetouch. yep, the school photo people. started as a retoucher. old school. painting medium format negatives. that was a blast. someone there realized i was in the computer science program and mentioned it to the IT director. next thing i knew i was pouring through 1000s of lines of C code and running coax cable. kept that job all the way through college.
- got through college and wound up working for my father again. slinging code, keeping my head down and trying like hell not to be the CEO's kid. very difficult. my head and heart were not into the job. so i started bouncing. just over 20 years later and i'm paying for it.
- during those software years, i worked as a naui scuba instructor on the weekends. i found i had a knack for teaching and keeping calm under pressure, literally and figuratively. worked on my emt during that time as well but for various reasons never worked as a full time emt or medic. although, i thought about it a lot. still do.
- about 15 years ago, after 2 carpal tunnel surgeries and the birth of our first daughter, i started my photography studio. taught me a lot, mostly about myself. after so many years of not having any confidence in what i did, i finally had something where i had total confidence and that was awesome.
- part way through the years of the studio, i went to work at UPS to get some cheaper health insurance. worked the morning shift loading trucks. kept my head down and never mentioned my background. just moved boxes. start at 3am, out at 8am. i'd leave UPS, make a surf check, swim out with a camera and shoot for a couple of hours, then go home to start working on wedding and portrait clients.
- right after our third daughter was born, i went back to software and i've been on a plane since then, just shy of 9 years.

 

Because....it was the worst job i ever had....i HATED it

 

Hooters?

 

Nash that wouldn't be too bad. i actually applied to work at the one in downtown Dallas. didn't get the job. Was told I wasn't physically adequate for the job

 

9-13 delivered papers, mowed lawns, shoveled snow

13- worked at a small chicken factory, be-heading chickens also did misc. farm work

14- my father died. mother said were moving back to Idaho.. I said... no you go ahead.. I'm staying.
the next day quit school got a job at a gas station.. moved out & got an apt. with 1st paycheck.. had $3 bucks left over for food. never looked back.

14- got a job as carpenter apprentice & found my calling in life, in construction, Love Love Love it !... after 20+ years of hard work building stuff, my body started falling apart & I became a const. superintendent.

now I'm 59.. I have always worked, yes.. I've seen rough times but, I have never been un-employed or collected un-employment & don't understand when someone says "I can't find a job"

retirement for me is when I drop dead... I Love Construction!

for you youngsters out there... there is great opportunity in the construction industry...
Everyone stresses to the next generation to get a college education & get that big corner office.
Meanwhile in America we forget how to build that corner office.

 

Seems like now people don’t want to get into the trades. Becoming a union electrician was the best thing I ever did. Free schooling, excellent benefits and retirement. Not many jobs that pay 120k+ without a college education

 

I'm not in a trade but I agree. Trying to come up with suggestions for my little ones for when they get older. Find a trade you like and be really good at it, I would think everything else should fall into place.

 

Like most kids growing up in the 60's, mowed grass and raked leaves for the surrounding neighbors. High school in the AG program I built Chicken Houses for a local contractor. Moving on I was a Maytag Repairman ( don't believe everything you see on tv)....Bug Man (Terminix when they had the Big Bug atop the trucks) ...ran the local Bowling Lanes at night....Worked as a Motorman in the Oil-field....then spent a while (25 yrs) as a professional tire builder (Cooper Tire).....now retired I Manage a machine shop part time. Wife and Grands keep me busy these days.

 

Absolutely, there’s nothing wrong with building things with your hands. I’m from the Bay Area so I’ve worked a big Apple, google, Cisco buildings etc. Its cool to drive around with your kids and be able to show them things you helped build

 

Agreed.. the overwhelming pride & since of accomplishment of a quality job is outstanding!