My First Jobs

[sparks]

As I usually do, I spend Sunday afternoons reading all the junk i've gotten throughtout the week, reading newspapers, mags, listening to the radio, watching some tube, and last but not least spending more time on the net than my wife would prefer. Well, my wife is still in Cancun. Waaaah. So I spent more time doing what I usually on Sundays. Was watching a bit of economic stuff and got to thinking about when I entered the working class.......paper boy...$5-6 dollars a week. My first real job (taxable) 90 cents an hour helping a local shop owner.....how times have changed! Yet I would never trade my humble beginnings for the idea that appears in so many of the newbies have today.........That being that we (US) owe them something. Good grief, what has happened to the value of work, no matter how simple......sparks........The tips were good at Christmas on the paper route.

[glenn kangiser]

$.50 an hour - during HS TV repair.  Trout farm - don't remember how much.  Union 76 ? don't remember but -- Dodge - started changing oil etc.  $1.18 hr start -- $3.25 end 1969 and 1970  11 raises as I recall -- quit as head mechanic and radiator repair man.

[Willy]

I won't count selling tomatoes, beans ect as a kid or Watkins, Fuller Brush, Amway ect in my early teens. My first real job at 18 was the US Army and I made $90.00 a month!! When I got out I started a job as a electrician for $1.25 a hour in 1973 and thought I was in seventh heaven. Worked my way up to a Journeymen by 1978 but still was not making that much at $10-$11.00 a hour non/union pay scale. After that I continioued working the trade into the late 80s and got my administrator licence so I could be a electrical contractor. Was in buisness about 19 years and closed the doors to retire at 45 years old. Now I just fight fires during the 3-4 summer months and take the rest of the year off to feed the cows and plow snow.  I realy love doing the wildfires for the drenelin rush and being my own boss again sorta. I do electrical side jobs a couple times a year if there the ones I like and can do it my way. Other than that I am waiting to get my check from the goverment each month if they still have some money left in 6 years! Mark

[peternap]

Hmmmmmm. I guess my first job lasted 1 day. This will tell a lot about my age. I got a job in a service station, Remember those things...fill her up, check the tires, battery, wash the windshield.

Anyway, all went well until about 3:00. A customer drove in and I asked how much he wanted. He said "About 5". Well, I started putting gas in and at .95 cents  he came screaming outside. Why are you filling it up, I said 5 gallons. (That would have been .45) I told him I thought he meant 5 dollars and the boss came out and told me it wouldn't hold 5 dollars of gas.

Anyway, he gave the customer the excess gas free, fired me and paid me the 7 hours I worked. About .60 as I recall.
A failure at age 12.

After that, I had a ton of summer (and winter jobs)
Lifeguard
Spotter in a mountain firetower
Fuel truck driver
Explosives handler (shooter)
Backhoe operator
Carpenter
Ski Instructor
Forest Ranger

Labor laws were different then.

My first big money job was the explosives. I went to work one summer for a company that was running sewer lines in the mountains. I got 2.25 an hour and that was a lot of money in those days. I was given the key to the explosives locker, a jackhammer, 20 mininutes of training and away we went.

How things have changed. I worked in 12' foot ditches with no bracing, drilling 4' holes in solid rock with no eye protection or mask and that was considered normal. I.d use a quarter stick of dynamite under 3 feet of fertilizer and another foot of rock dust. The blasting wire was so short, I had to punch the detonator and run like Hell to miss the rain of rocks.

[glenn kangiser]

Labor laws are part of the failure of the United States.  Kids learn no trade until they are out of school unless their criminal parents ignore the law and go ahead and teach them something.

Once these unknowing green kids get out of school, if they are not self motivated and have no useful purpose in life, about all that is left for them to do is become a politician.

[sparks]

Peternap, impressive resume. Uh, Uh, you still play with explosives???

[Erin]

Labor laws are part of the failure of the United States.

Personally, I think 14 is plenty young enough to have a regular job...

My husband was working 40 hours per week by the time he turned 14.  It was required where he went to HS that all students have a job, in part to pay tuition because it was parochial boarding school. 
But then kids can work on the farm/ranch from the day they're born if their parents want.    For that matter, your kids can have a paper route by the time they're five, if that's what you want.  I had my first route when I was 10.

[StinkerBell]

Child labor laws was thought to be an idea...A crazy one in my family......lol

Grew up working in my Grandfathers Resale Aircraft Hardware Business. My age was also something that fluctuated depending on the circumstance. You had to be 18 to be allowed on a military auction. Sometimes I was 18 when I was 14.  I learned how to bid based on an inventory I had to create. You were allowed to look at the bid lots a few days before. This was very tough work. Back at the store I was on the cash register at age 10 and by the time I was 12 I was doing the books. I got it all prepared for the CPA. I did the payroll and monthly tax deposit. I learn to sort and sort and sort. I can look at just about any AN or MS fitting and tell you its part number. I can also tell you the hardness of a bolt (American a/c ones, not the stuff made in China). At the end of the summer I would get about 100 dollars. This was my budget for my school clothes. No such thing as sick pay.

Then I grew up and at 18 I knew everything......had my CNA worked at an convalescent center. Then from there got my idea job working at a bank as a teller. Have about 10 years under my belt and being robbed twice it was time to move on. So from there I went to college for a bit and the last 10 years worked at an ER. 

I have had other misc jobs. Usually last a few months then I move on from sheer boredom. Not sure what I want to be when I grow up.

[glenn kangiser]

I think the early training - however it happens is necessary and beneficial.  TV and Nintendo until 18 make a bunch of slackers.

[glenn kangiser]

Have about 10 years under my belt and two robberies.

Cool Stink -- lots of experience there.

So you've been both sides of the line, eh? hmm

How many years did you get for the robberies?

[StinkerBell]

:slap <-----equally good emote you need here.

[glenn kangiser]

[Erin]

How many years did you get for the robberies?

glad to know I wasn't the only one reading it that way.  lol

Child labor laws was thought to be an idea...A crazy one in my family...

Minimum age rules don't apply to kids who are working for their parents.

[glenn kangiser]

I believe the minimum age laws do apply somehow (child labor laws), Erin, because many people in Oregon used to have their kids pick fruit and vegetables to help support the family.  I guess that's if they are not working for their parents and is specific to agriculture. 

I don't think they should be slaves but they need to learn to work. 

http://www.ericdigests.org/1997-4/labor.htm

Stink -- I see you changed it--- good thing I kept a copy.  We all know you did it. 

[StinkerBell]

I have no idea what your talking about glenn........

[ScottA]

I worked more when I was a kid than I did after graduation. My dad had us working full time in the summer and atleast 2 hours every day after school. Saturdays where good for 6-8 hours atleast. Never got paid a dime. Dad said something about earning our keep or some such. First paying job was at 14 working in a grocery 3 days a week for $1.45 an hour. Worked in a foundry for a couple of years during high school as a forge operator. Went into plumbing right after high school by accident. Was the best paying job I could find. Paid pretty well until about 2000 then started going down hill fast after that. I'm getting out of plumbing within 2 years and taking up fishing part time along with sleeping in late 2-3 days a month. Maybe a little woodworking on the side for beer money.

[Erin]

Maybe that's specific to Oregon then, glen.

http://www.dol.gov/dol/allcfr/ESA/TITLE_29/Part_570/29CFR570.2.htm
The fed says: 
"The Act exempts from its minimum age requirements the employment
by a parent of his own child,"
And
"a minor under 12 years of age...may be employed with consent of such parent or
person on a farm where all employees are exempt from the minimum wage
provisions"  (IE, if the place has fewer than what?  Five?  Ten?  I can't recall the magic number to have to pay min. wage)

That's how the states in my area operate, anyway. 

[glenn kangiser]

I don't know -- I remember something keeping young kids from working in the fields and looks like it may apply to anything other than farm labor.

[Sassy]

    I'm still laughing at that one, Stink!  Been away at work & haven't had much of a chance to read CP... 

I was babysitting my younger brother & sister when I was 9-10, babysitting for others at 11 y/o for 50 cents/hr, started playing the organ for church a 13 y/o for $2.50 a week & still babysitting - that lasted through high school; packed peaches during the summers for 3 yrs, started college after graduating from high school & worked at Sears 20-40hrs a week - hardware dept, sewing demonstrations, clothing, credit dept.  Changed irrigation pipe, did flood irrigating for my dad in our almond orchard, helped plant 40 acres of almond trees after my dad retired from Air Force & 1st bought the 100 acres of land, raked almonds by hand during harvest (we didn't have any equip at that time)  Then was an editor for a newspaper for a year - interviewed people, wrote stories, took pix, developed them, did ads, layouts of the paper - most anything that could be done; worked as a CNA for year, then at a bank for 10 yrs in loans, new accts & as a teller; worked as a home health aide & at a small country gas station & store, cleaned houses; tied up raspberry canes during one winter dragging a 3 y/o & 6 mo old along the rows in a plastic skiff (boat) with snow on the ground - I had them bundled up--who needs illegal aliens?   ;  did grocery store demonstrations & worked as a student nurse when I went back to college to get my nursing degree; & have worked as a registered nurse for almost 18 yrs - ICU, clinics, pt education, ER, nursing supervisor...  & helped Glenn remodel our other house, build the cabin & even helped him on some of his commercial jobs when he didn't have a helper...  so....  lots of experience...  started early & haven't stopped although I don't work as much anymore