How old were you when you started your first job? What was it?

Question

MrOracle · Accepted Answer

My first "official" job (with taxes withheld, etc.) was washing dishes at a Happy Steak (a cheapie steak restaurant chain) when I was 15, and I had to get a work permit. But I'd had many jobs before that. I mowed lawns and raked leaves since I was about 8, I had a paper route at 10, I started cleaning my dad's chiropractic office at 12 (he was SUPER particular and picky - it was NOT an easy job), and I did various other jobs as I could find them.

How old were you when you started your first job? What was it?

One time, a friend of my dad's, who was also a chiropractor, hired me to look up names from a reverse phone directory and enter the details into his computer, presumably to create a marketing mailing list. This was about 1983, and the computer was a late 70s pre-DOS IBM computer running CP/M from 8" floppy discs. I think it took me 4 days to complete that job.

The longest I've been without a job was about 2.5 months, when I got laid off by the bank when it was bought out, and I had a big severance check. Otherwise, I've always had some kind of job, and usually more than one.

NathanDavis · Accepted Answer

22 years old... my first actual job and all, as an assistant manager, lol

abc3643 · Answer

My first steady job in which I was paid, but not with a paycheck, was in the summer of 1974 when I was 11 and about to enter the 6th Grade.

Growing-up, I had a neighbor named Alan, who was 7.5 years older than me and very much like a big brother to me.

That summer, Alan would turn 19 and was in college. He got a summer job delivering "Homes", the weekly "magazine" containing real estate listings. You see these kinds of magazines everywhere and they are all free. For instance:

While Alan was the one getting the paycheck to deliver Homes once a week, I was his under-the-table assistant. Saturday mornings, we'd get in his station wagon (Do you know what a station wagon is?) to the distribution center and pick up a dozen or so boxes of Homes magazine putting them in the back of the wagon.

We'd then spend a few hours driving around Suffolk County NY to deliver the magazines. Alan was the driver, but I was the legs of the outfit; once we'd stop - usually at a store of some type - I'd get the appropriate allotment of Homes magazines for that store, and take them inside the store completing the delivery.

Alan paid me $10/week to do that with him. For an 11-year-old in 1974, that was serious cash. My allowance was $5/week.

Between us, it was like we were glorified newspaper delivery boys, but I loved it. That was a great summer for radio too. I remember Wings just released "Band on the Run" and Steely Dan and Elton John were on the radio a lot too.

sawno · Answer

20 for an IT company, I was one of the best in my class and they assigned me to a task to place computers in an organization. It sucked. However, I was my natural self. The guy who I paired up with loved physical activity so he did not mind cleaning up the boxes by himself at all, he let me give impromptu technical support to the people we had just migrated. Ended up being a huge save to their help desk just by solo carrying all the questions.

That got noticed and then I landed a job at the internal helpdesk for the company that was placing me. They picked the best of the best for their own internal helpdesk, so I finally got the recognition I deserved.

GuyAnswersGirls123 · Answer

I was 15 (also when I started driving). I worked at a small VHS rental store. It paid very little but came with the employee benefit that we could rent 3 VHS tapes for free (as quickly as we want provided we return them before renting another 3). I completely abused that employee benefit to rent out almost the entire store watching a film or two almost every night.

I developed my love of a lot of B- flicks through that job since I ended up renting out all the films with higher production values leaving me with only things like B- fantasy films, ninja movies, campy horror films.

ChiTown33 · Answer

Technically I was 10. I delivered papers for two different paper routes. But my first wage job was when I was 14, working for a local amusement park. But that was seasonal I did that for 3 summers. My first actual year round job was at 16 working at Burger King, I held that 6 years through college.

Still-alive · Answer

16 in store pizza topping guy. i just put toppings on pizza. thats it lol. i didn't deliver or work the oven or even cut the pizzas up cause i wasn't old enough or had a permit yet. i also didn't work the register. got paid $5.75 an hour for it

exitseven · Answer

I got my first full time job at 17 after I graduated from high school. I worked in a place that made trophies. I put trophies together and also cleaned the place up and fixed things that needed fixing. It was 5 days a week and half a day on Saturday.

molonski2 · Answer

16 , I got a gig as a booking clerk at the local tennis courts , it was pretty dam challenging because before me , these courts used to be free to play on , now you had a time limit , its 47 years ago , and $6 AUD per hour was fcking expensive , and you had to coordinate all , and get them off the courts on time , it was all cash too , no cards then in those days.

Really good learning.

bowenw · Answer

I think about 9 delivering magazines and flyers to 488 homes each week. I was paid $0.01 per house per flyer so I made $4.88 per week for about 6 hours of work. Made more if there were more flyers per house.

ab2shifty · Answer

I’m pretty sure I was 15, and it was some stocking shelves job at a Walmart It didn’t last long tho because they let me and my homies all do the job together and we were just messing around 🤣

Surely · Answer

Since I was raised on a farm. As soon as I was able to do certain tasks. I was doing them. At twelve, I was doing most of the field work while my father worked away.

Bricealan · Answer

A Junior in high school... I think 16, worked in a floor tile, store, moving, storing, stocking heavy boxes of vinyl tile, using a cart to pick them up and move them. Trying to earn money for the Prom

DJB72 · Answer

I was a teaching assistant for a year straight after secondary school. Loved it.

Iron_Man · Answer

I was a child I helped out on the log cabin building it holding things lifting things up. I got paid food snacks, at the campground office

SolivagantRises · Answer

A deck cadet on a container vessel. It was pretty cool as well as scary for a 19 year old. Lol. I was a fucking kid. XD

LaurenM1997 · Answer

It was last year I was 25 and it was a charity shop called Barnardos

gorydetails · Answer

I was 16. I started working at a mall at a shop that sold cookies, crepes and Hawaiian shave ice.

MrZameer · Answer

It wasn't a permanent job, just doing some work of packing in neighborhood. I was like 13, 14 years old. and I was like 21 years old when I started my first proper job

AviatorTom · Answer

My first job was a summer job... on a crew painting street light poles. I was 18.

Alex-Snow · Answer

Mowing lawns when I was 14 and then washing dishes when I was 16

jahaims · Answer

First legal job was around 14. Prior to that I mowed lawns and did odd jobs.

legalboxers · Answer

17 - A&P then Radio Shack a few months later

laly520 · Answer

13 yo first time being a baby sitter

douride2 · Answer

My first job was doing chores at a tourist resort when I was about 13-14.

Squatting_Slav · Answer

13 - stone mason's assistant

Nikki1989 · Answer

I was 16, office temp.

Agape93 · Answer

18, and cleaning bathrooms by a pier

IslaTheWitch · Answer

I've been babysitting since I turned 14...

Booklover_90 · Answer

16, bagger at a grocery store.

riverrat3 · Answer

15 on a work permit, at a waste station

dinojames22 · Answer

Paid or unpaid

OtterMan68 · Answer

16: McDonalds

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