First Jobs

Can you remember your first job? No, I am not talking about things you did around the house like make your bed and take out the trash to earn an allowance. I am talking about your first paid job for something outside of the house. If I had to guess, I would say that a fair number of kids and teens do not have the experience of a first job until later in life these days. Mom and dad fork out the cash so the kids can just hang with friends whose parents do the same. It might be surprising to learn just how many young adults could go all the way through college before experiencing their first real job.

My first job was working on my father’s chicken farm in central Illinois. I was paid a wage of $30 a month. My cousin and I were expected to gather eggs every day and pack them for shipment. I learned that chickens did not stop laying eggs because of holidays or birthdays. They did not stop laying eggs because it was freezing cold or over 100 degrees. Just like dairy cows, they kept right on producing a product every day, rain or shine. In the summer, it was hot and smelly inside the chicken houses. Flies and dust were in the air. In the winter, the eggs would get so cold it was like picking up ice cubes, unless you happened to pick up a freshly laid egg...ah.

When I was paid at the end of each month, I thought I was rich. My parents never let my sudden wealth go to my head, however. They opened up a savings and loan account and each month we made the trip into town so I could make a deposit. They instilled in me the idea that we saved our money for those special things we might want to buy. It was our money...but we had to be careful how we spent it. They taught me the value of a dollar. My “special thing” was a guitar. It cost me two months wages as I recall. I took a few lessons but never learned to play. I hated to practice.

Looking back on my first job, I am glad I had the experience, but I also realize that I missed out on hanging with friends and having more time to just explore and be a kid. Unlike many kids today, I learned how to handle money at an early age. I learned that sometimes you have to wait and save up your money for those things you really want. The concept of a charge card, credit and instant gratification was a long way off.

I held my first job of “egg collector” for about 6 years. When I turned 16, my family moved to the suburbs of Chicago. There, I found that the privilege of driving was expensive so I started my next in a series of jobs. What an interesting collection of occupations in my lifetime... egg collector, pumping gas, selling newspapers, babysitting, customer service, regional sales service, buyer, purchasing agent, senior buyer, technical writer, tour guide, freelance writer, author and historical interpreter. None of these jobs had anything to do with my college degree. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in biology at the University of Illinois. I was “supposed” to become a dentist, but life had other plans for me. And so it goes.

Care to share your first job(s)?

FOOD for THOUGHT...