[eweissenbach]

We lived just outside a very small town as I grew up, and there were only about 2 jobs available to teens, which were taken up by townies or children of the business owners. I was expected to help around the house and never got an actual allowance, but things I needed and some I just wanted, were seldom denied me. Since I was an athlete, involved in sports year-round a regular job was almost impossible to work around school, practice, and games. In the summer when in high school and into college I worked as a hay hauler on a haying crew. 2 cents a bale, and if you had a good situation you could put up close to 1000 bales in a day -- a twenty dollar day was big-time in those days. I still remember the wonderful feeling of taking a shower and drinking an ice tea (or later a beer) after hauling alfalfa hay all day in 100 degree temps with alfalfa seeds and dust covering my body stuck to the sweat. In college I also spread hot pack asphalt on a road crew, lifeguarded, and worked for a few months at Hallmark Card Co. Fortunately scholarships along with some help from my parents got me through college without any loans. Just one of a thousand things I am forever grateful to my wonderful parents for.

[jblum315]

i helped out at my father's country store in rural Virginia. He could never understand why I couldn't add 4 columns of figures in my head like he could. Later he put in a cash register, but I don't think he ever trusted it.

[mr and mrs bike]

I was the full time summer baby sitter for my brother. I was only 10 when he was born . I did this until I was 18 and he was 8. Not sure how that would play out today. Happy to say I didn't do to much damage to him as he turned out to be an awesome man.

[eweissenbach]

Originally Posted by mr and mrs bike

I was the full time summer baby sitter for my brother. I was only 10 when he was born . I did this until I was 18 and he was 8. Not sure how that would play out today. Happy to say I didn't do to much damage to him as he turned out to be an awesome man.

And I would wager you remain very close to this day! Our daughter was 10 when our youngest son was born, and like you became his regular baby-sitter. When he was in college she hired him to work under her and when he graduated she promoted him to her assistant. 3 years later they bought a business together which they have grown into one of the most successful of it's kind in the country. They are closer than any siblings I have ever known.

[skyguy79]

I did a few odd jobs like collecting newspapers to bring to the recycling center for pocket change, some shoveling snow or even substituting for our paperboy on his route, but my main job was getting out of doing my homework... with mixed results of course!

[rubicon]

I had a paper route. We had to pay for the papers and whatever we collected was ours. Needless to say that I periodically got stuck.

I also worked in a movie theatre as an usher. One of my duties was to break up young couples that were too engaged. i take my flashlight and tap tap tap there seats.

[swimdawg]

Turned 16...took a bus ride to the nearest hospital to apply for nurse's aide job. That was over 50 years ago before Personnel & H.R. Depts. The Administrator, a nun, interviewed me & asked if I had any health problems. I said, "No...but I had braces removed last week". I forgot to tell her they were on my TEETH. She looked at my LEGS and said, "Poor dear". The next day, she called and I was hired! I worked at that job all through high school and college.

As a post script, the First Chief of Staff of that hospital, a respected physician, encouraged me to go into the medical field....which I did. His very grandson will be delivering a new vehicle to me from New Orleans to my house in St. James...two weeks from today!!!

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by swimdawg

Turned 16...took a bus ride to the nearest hospital to apply for nurse's aide job. That was over 50 years ago before Personnel & H.R. Depts. The Administrator, a nun, interviewed me & asked if I had any health problems. I said, "No...but I had braces removed last week". I forgot to tell her they were on my TEETH. She looked at my LEGS and said, "Poor dear". The next day, she called and I was hired! I worked at that job all through high school and college.

As a post script, the First Chief of Staff of that hospital, a respected physician, encouraged me to go into the medical field....which I did. His very grandson will be delivering a new vehicle to me from New Orleans to my house in St. James...two weeks from today!!!

That's funny about the braces, Swimdawg. And very cool how the story turned out.

No allowance or money for good grades for me either. Good grades and choirs were expected. My Dad had ladies clothing stores. When I was around 4 or 5, I learned to make bows for Christmas gifts with a hand crank machine and later to wrap presents. While I was still in grade school I posted sales tickets, checked in merchandise, made change and use the cash register. I also was a sales girl. The customers thought it was adorable having an eight-year-old show them to their size, take them to the dressing rooms, etc. Looking back, it probably helped sales.

Back then, of course, we counted out change from the amount given to the amount due. Now cash registered figure it and I wonder if young people still knows how to do it?

When I was in high school, long before computers, my Dad bought his third store. I figured out a system to consolidate posting sales tickets from all the stores. That way, you could see on one page which store needed more of a certain garment or size and which store might be able to send it to another one.

During summers, I went with Dad to buy merchandise in the New York Garment District. Although he had membership privileges at the wholesale Atlanta Merchandise Mart, he never bought merchandise for the stores there because he didn't want his stores to have what all the other stores had.

I learned a strong work ethic; values of honesty and integrity; and much about business from my Dad and Mom-- two people as kind, smart and generous as any I have ever known.

GG, thanks for this thread and reminding me again how fortunate I am.

[Bill-n-Brillo]

First job wasn't really a 'job' from my point of view at the time: From about age 13 through 15, I put in time at the local bowling alley - cleaning the lanes and approaches, running the sweeper, cleaning tables, setting up score sheets for leagues, spray disinfectant into stinky rental shoes.....just any odd job the owners wanted done. What I got in return was free bowling any time they weren't busy! I thought I was in heaven!!

Next: McDonald's. Had to pay for a car, gas, and insurance some way! Worked there starting at age 16 - evenings, weekends, and a couple of summers - and even worked during breaks, etc. during my first year of college whenever I was back in town. Fun times!

I also fit in a summer stint carrying mail as a substitute carrier for the Post Office. An educational experience all its own! And I paid for my next year of college with what I made!

Between my jr. and sr. years of college, my summer job was at Rink's Department Store (who's from the Ohio area and remembers these??!!). Only one guess who I met there that summer........!!!!!

At that same time, even through my summer after graduating from college, I worked off and on at a Gray Drug store, running the cash register.

WHEW!! More jobs "than Carters had liver pills"!!

Bill

[Indydealmaker]

Like most everybody posting here, our family did not give out allowances. We were allowed to work though.

While in grade school, I delivered the morning daily newspaper (I still hate mornings).

When I turned 12, I got a job at a local newspaper as a "printers devil". Then I graduated to working for an offset printing company and weekly newspaper in the darkroom, making printing plates, typesetting, graphic layouts and sports editing.

My family needed the money and I actually am very glad because this early indoctrination into a "real" work ethic came in handy down through the years in the businesses that I have owned and operated. I learned that if you want to be paid for 8 hours, then you WORK 8, not 4-6. You don't work, you don't eat.

[chuckinca]

Sold ice cream and popsicles from a three wheeled bike cart in the summertime.

Worked as a stockboy in a Jewel Tea supermarket.

Delivered newspapers.

Sold produce door to door from a converted 1940 International Laundry Panel Truck - Bought the produce at the central market in Chgo at 3 AM.

Cut lawns.

During college: Worked at the Argo Corn Starch Plant using an air hose to blast the corn dust off the equipment and building. My friend worked in the same plant but in the Bosco Chocolate Syrup Dept.

Worked in a steel mill doing scrap inventory reports and comparisons to furnace usage and output. A large rail shipment of scrap during the Big snow of 1967 was later found to contain about $100K of snow instead of scrap steel - they paid for the scrap by weight.

Worked at Washington and Arlington Park Race Tracks in the food service dept doing payroll and cash register readings. They hired about 300 union workers on Friday and let them go on Saturday night and they were paid with cash at the end of the Saturday shift. They made about $10 to $30 for the two days depending on the type of work they did (most of their income came from tips).

Worked at a large (7 story) woman's department store in the Loop on State St in the cashier's dept locked in a small back room counting the 50 or so money bags from the cash registers sales from the previous day. (They used straight pins to fasten papers together instead of staples.)


.

[momesu]

First paying job was babysitting neighborhood kids. This was back when making 25 cents an hour was a big deal....at 15 I got a special work permit and went to work at the local library starting out re-shelving books and moving up to preparing new books to be put out on shelves. Next job was as a sales clerk in the bakery at end of our street. That was a yummy job. I often worked the last shift on Saturday and since the bakery wasn't open on Sunday's we got to take home some items after cleaning and closing up at the end of the day. I worked there till I left for college.

Suzanne

[Schaumburger]

Babysat a lot when I was 13 and 14. Can't believe those little devils are in their late 30's by now. When I turned 16 I got a job at the local swimming pool as a clothes checker (like a coat checker) watching peoples' clothes while they went swimming. When I turned 18 my parents let me work the graveyard shift at the local pancake house as a hostess...the late night revelers and drunks all showed up at 2:00 a.m. when the bars closed--only worked there for about 3 months...hated that job, but that pancake house is still open 33 years later. Don't know if the pancake house is still open until 4:00 a.m. though on Fridays and Saturdays.

Once I went to college, my part-time jobs got more interesting. Spent 2 semesters work in the math department at Loyola University assisting the department administrative assistant. Math and I are like oil and water, but it was a good job for a college student. Worked for over 1 year at Crain's Chicago Business as a researcher. That was a great job. I also worked at Quaker Oats corporate headquarters in the government affairs department for one semester. Another great part-time job, and I also managed to get some class credit for it, and the food in the test kitchen that employees were invited to sample and evaluate was another great perk.

[Oren L Miller]

Started passing papers at 12 years of age and I haven't been unemployed since. Worked two jobs most of my life. Owned and operated an income tax preparation business and still working at Cat 39 and a half years. Will retire in 4 months to come to TV. My father worked at Cat for 32 years and his dad worked there for 33 years and was there when Holt and Best combined to become Caterpillar. My father said to never quit a job until you have another job lined up. It was great advice.

[Posh 08]

I was a caddy and ball shagger. Also worked on the farm, feeding, making hay, fixing fences, mowing, clearing snow.