[tainsley]

I was the neighborhood babysitter beginning at age 11. In the summer, one family took me along on vacation to Cape May, NJ (loved that job). At 16...McDonald's is your kind of place...NOT, my brother was the manager (hated that job)!

[quirky3]

In the summers, babysitting, pet sitting, and "grandma-sitting". I was a summer swim instructor at the Y, and a camp counselor at a large Girl Scout camp. Worked the night shift in a donut shop, making the donuts till dawn. Was a waitress at restaurants for bus loads of tourists coming to see Niagara Falls.

During college, worked as an engineering aide in an aeronautical lab and a nuclear fuel rod designer company. Taught middle school music for a year before finally deciding to go into computers full time. Played music professionally part time for 25 years. Wish I could have made a good living doing just that, but it all worked out!

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by quirky3

In the summers, babysitting, pet sitting, and "grandma-sitting". I was a summer swim instructor at the Y, and a camp counselor at a large Girl Scout camp. Worked the night shift in a donut shop, making the donuts till dawn. Was a waitress at restaurants for bus loads of tourists coming to see Niagara Falls.

During college, worked as an engineering aide in an aeronautical lab and a nuclear fuel rod designer company. Taught middle school music for a year before finally deciding to go into computers full time. Played music professionally part time for 25 years. Wish I could have made a good living doing just that, but it all worked out!

Quirky,
That's so cool! What instrument did you play?

[quirky3]

I play clarinet. One of the reasons I like TV is the many musical performing opportunities.

[gongoozler]

Paper route until I reached 16 then worked in many jobs until I graduated from college.

Clerk in drug store, gas stations (pumping gas and changing tires . . . Atlantic and Sears), Catering services (one hot food company and one sandwich company), tennis shop stringing rackets, proctor for state job exams, shipping clerk in a mill, lathe operator for a plastic company. Most of the time I was working two jobs and putting in about 32-40 hours a week besides going to school full time. Looking back on it I really don't know how I did it but I had to if I was going to go to school as my family needed the money.

[redwitch]

An allowance or reward for good grades was out of the question. Dad died and we went from upper middle class to below poverty. I don't know how my mother did it, but I had no clue we were suddenly poor. She did her best to continue the same lifestyle with the difference being the house was not as nice and clothes were homemade but beautiful.

Started babysitting around age 12 -- gave my mom half of whatever I earned. Summers I worked in the local flower nursery and weekends in strawberry fields. Got into the school work program when I was 14. I worked for the city's public works department as a clerk. Honestly don't remember what I did there but I know it was WAY better than the hothouses or the fields.

Started college when I was 15 (almost 16). Worked at a local law firm as a "night" receptionist (6:00-10:00). Phone hardly ever rang but it was a great way to get paid to study, which was the idea behind this job. Then worked at Denny's about 3 blocks away. Quit the law firm and Denny's when I was 18 and started serving cocktails -- work was much easier and the money was really good. Did that until I graduated from college.

After college I got into an automobile accident and couldn't continue my education (needed at least a Master's). So, put my degree in child psychology to very good use -- became a legal secretary for the next 30 years and loved almost every second of it.

And now I have a small business in TV doing a little bit of everything. My California friends laugh every time I mention that I cleaned a house or weeded a yard (I always hired someone to do it for me cause I hated doing those two things). Strangely, I love what I'm doing now, too.

[pauld315]

I was about 8 when I first delivered a newspaper. My brother was 4 years older than me and had a really large route for the morning paper. I would go with him sometimes delivering and when he was collecting. I think he paid me with a free chocolate milk he got from the guys at the milk company and a free donut from the owner of the diner he delivered to. At 12, I got my own route for the afternoon paper. Did that for 4 years and then, 1 day after turning 16, I got a job at McDonald's. Worked there until I went away to college. During college I always had a job on campus as well as a summer job. Thinking about this makes me realize I have been working for too long !

[batman911]

We lived in a small town but we were sent to our Uncle and Grandparent's farms during the summer to pick cotton (by hand in the hot Texas sun), corn and haul hay. I would mow lawns in town for 50 cents each (large lawns, my mower and gas). Worked nights and weekends at a gas station first few years of high school. Learned to work on automobiles there (other peoples automobiles ). Worked in commercial construction the last two years of high school (digging trenches, tying steel rebar, unloading cement bags and pushing cement buggies). This was the job that made me decide to attend college. My Dad's friend owned the company and I believe to this day that he had him ensure I had every hard job there was to change my mind about going to college. It worked. Worked at a wholesale grocery ADP department nights and weekends through college. Company provided a full scholarship. Basic IBM 602 Accounting Machines, lots of punch cards and key punchers. I became the assistant manager over time. I actually applied for a job unloading rail box cars but, during the interview, the owner decided to give me a chance in the ADP Department. One of the best breaks I ever got. Adventure called and I joined the Navy to see the world.

[aljetmet]

During high school I had three short lived jobs after school. One was delivering meat for a butcher shop, I was also a soda jerk at a candy store. ( that I enjoyed) The third was selling fruit and veggies at a local super market.

Jobs I had during the summer.

I sold ice cream and orange drinks at Manhattan beach in Brooklyn NY.
I lugged the first year had a cart for two years. Enjoyed having my cart parked in front of the ladies lockers!

Then by the time I was a senior in high school, my dad got me a summer job in the NY garment industry. I was an ILGWU member (You may remember the jingle, "..look for the union label...." not sure if the ad played nationally) I packed boxes of women's clothes that were shipped to stores all over the country.

[coralway]

When I was in junior high school, I became friends with a kid whose dad owned and operated the local Pioneer supermarket. So, I was able to get a job delivering groceries from 3-5 every day after school and all day saturday.

In a good week, I could pull in $20. Big bucks for a kid of 13, or so.

Worked all throught HS assisting the local guitar teacher - and through college as an assistant grading test papers and also in the library, while carrying 18-20 credits a semester.

[jackz]

While in High School worked after school at Shoprite in the Deli Department, Also worked summers as a lifeguard on a lake in NY and in between all that cut lawns in the summer and shoveled snow in the winters.

[JimPete]

Spent time during the summers flagging on a road construction crew. During the school year I clerked in a grocery store and was a DJ on the local rock and roll radio station.

Rock on!