A job is better than no job at all

[Tara]

My first real job was washing mugs at A & W at age 13. My daughter's boyfriend / father of baby thinks he is too good to work at McDonald's or Subway. It's a completely different feeling that I was raised in.

[KarrenOliver]

Mine, too Tara.....my first job was at a Doughnut Shop!

[Faith]

My first 'official' job was at McDonalds the summer I turned 16. I made $1.65 an hour. That lets you know how long ago it was. Yikes!

[wendy1214]

I know Tara. My first job was a cashier at a locally owned Pharmacy. They did treat me great there, and I was able to work on and off all through college and they took me back FT during summers and let the other 2 ladies job share- that way they could get some time home with their kids and I would get lots of hours!
I also worked in telemarketer calling trying to sell newspapers. I only did that 1 summer, that was miserable- some people can be so rude- I remember getting cursed at one time and just hung up on them- I could have gotten fired for that, but geeze!
Kids these days just don't know what is like to have to work for something. They all think things should just be handed to them- I hate that attitude!

[stlcouponwizard]

Like Faith my first real job was at $1.72 per hour (a liitle higher skill level required) I was at first a racoon and then prmoted to a dragon (H.R. Puffinstuff). I was taught the imprtance of holding a job early in life and have never forgotten the lesson. Kids need to know that the things we need in life come from hard work, not a goverment program or mom and dad.

[KellyMarie]

My first real job (I babysat until I was 18) was at a chicken plant on 3rd shift in the eviserating area....chickens came in on a line from the live kill to us, they went through a de-feathering process and then on to us, we slit the butt holes open, pulled the guts out and dropped them over the side, cut off bad spots etc. It was loud, smelly and you came home with greasy skin. Back then the laws were crap for repetitive motion disorders, we worked in a plant that is now owned by Tyson, back then it was not and the work conditions were deplorable. I was left handed and we had to use curved scissors to trim breast meat, I was given a pair of right handed scissors that I used backwards (2 fingers in the thumbhole, I can't explain, just try using curved scissors in the wrong hand). I had a permanent blister on my middle finger (over a year) and to this day the fingers on that hand are bent and now have arhtritis. BUT~it was a job and my parents needed help, minimum wage was like $3.13 an hour and I was paid $4.25 plus a premium for working over night and I earned an hour overtime each day for staying over and washing tubs. On a good week, after taxes, I could bring home $150 and that was pretty good.

And that was back in the days before earned income credit, I worked with people that had children, worked for those low wages all year in that shit hole of a factory and they didn't get these outrageous tax refunds to look forward to.

[lh150107]

Wow Kelly, that is intense! Major kudos to you.

My favorite job as a teen was at Chuck E Cheese. It's not always about the place but the people you work with and your boss.

Good luck, Tara. How old is the father?

[Rasha]

My first job was at the perfume shop in which I worked 3 years.

I know how you feel Tara. My sister (24) has 2 kids (2 & almost 4) and he loses his job what seems like every month ( he does contracting stuff - no degree though) and he will just sit around and its like go get a f*ckin* job at Mcdonalds or safeway or something and support my nieces! It's just ridiculous... Honestly even if its only $8 an hour, thats $8 more than you are getting doing nothing... who doesn't realize that??!?!

[Rasha]

My first 'official' job was at McDonalds the summer I turned 16. I made $1.65 an hour. That lets you know how long ago it was. Yikes!

For real?? $1.65? crazy!

[Faith]

Rasha, back then it was good money. Don't forget, it was....ummm....38 years ago. Sheesh!

The thing is, my dad had passed away 3 months before I got that job and my mom had 6 kids to support. I was the oldest. So most of what I made helped pay the bills. Sometimes you do what you have to do.

[Tara]

For real?? $1.65? crazy!

That's about the same hourly rate I got at A&W in 1987. The A&W I worked for had been there for a long time. My aunt worked there when she was a teenager, 30+ years plus before me.

One summer the parking lot needed repaved, maybe 89 or 90. Instead of hiring a company, the owner asked his workers who would like to help. He paid us, $5 an hour. I think we were there for about 5 hours. Some might think that was taking advantage. At the time, it didn't feel like that - me & the other girls who showed up that day were glad to help our boss and his wife. They were very nice people.


Lauren, 18 - has no excuse, imo. He's under some "illusion" that his daddy having a college degree will get him places.And as much as I'd like to indulge him - sorry, that is not real life.

[KellyMarie]

my 3 oldest kids' first job was working for me...and they will all tell you that having your mom as a boss is very hard. I expected more from them. They had also done side work with their father pulling concrete and such...hard work.

Even when they were very young, JH and Jerry were maybe 10 and 9, they helped haul hay and stack it in the barn. I think their Pop paid them .25 cents a bale. If you haven't ever hauled hay, well let me tell you......imagine 100 degrees in the afternoon with typical Arkansas 99% humidity, running behind a truck, tossing in bales, then unloading and stacking inside a dusty, miserable hot barn....you earn your .25 cents a bale!

[johnholmes]

My first job was feeding the animals at the farm. Carrying 5 gallon buckets of water to fill water troughs. $10/week. We were never given spending money. We earned it. Sure, it was easier to earn and there were always opportunities to earn it, but we still did something for it.

I've had so many crappy jobs I can't count them all and I think it makes me a better person for knowing that I can appreciate the good job I have now. Sure, none of us want to flip burgers - but sometimes you gotta make the rent.

[Delissa]

I was about to rant about my other sister's baby daddy, but Rasha did it for me. I fully do NOT understand this mentality. I left home before I turned 18, had my own apt and worked 2 jobs while I finished high school with honors. Often between 18-21 I worked 3 jobs at a time just to pay the rent. Jobs like KFC cashier. I started babysitting at 10 to earn money. I cannot understand how someone thinks they are "too good" to work to feed their own children. I would do anything to care for mine.

Kelly, I think that you officially had the worst 1st job! lol

[Rasha]

I was about to rant about my other sister's baby daddy, but Rasha did it for me. I fully do NOT understand this mentality. I left home before I turned 18, had my own apt and worked 2 jobs while I finished high school with honors. Often between 18-21 I worked 3 jobs at a time just to pay the rent. Jobs like KFC cashier. I started babysitting at 10 to earn money. I cannot understand how someone thinks they are "too good" to work to feed their own children. I would do anything to care for mine.

Kelly, I think that you officially had the worst 1st job! lol

haha! I knew youd come rant about it too!

[KellyMarie]

I was about to rant about my other sister's baby daddy, but Rasha did it for me. I fully do NOT understand this mentality. I left home before I turned 18, had my own apt and worked 2 jobs while I finished high school with honors. Often between 18-21 I worked 3 jobs at a time just to pay the rent. Jobs like KFC cashier. I started babysitting at 10 to earn money. I cannot understand how someone thinks they are "too good" to work to feed their own children. I would do anything to care for mine.

Kelly, I think that you officially had the worst 1st job! lol

Do I win something?

Delissa, I totally admire you!!! I am pretty sure I have told you that before

[KellyMarie]

My first job was feeding the animals at the farm. Carrying 5 gallon buckets of water to fill water troughs. $10/week. We were never given spending money. We earned it. Sure, it was easier to earn and there were always opportunities to earn it, but we still did something for it.

I've had so many crappy jobs I can't count them all and I think it makes me a better person for knowing that I can appreciate the good job I have now. Sure, none of us want to flip burgers - but sometimes you gotta make the rent.

You actually had a pretty tough job of staying with your Gram at such a young age too. I know it wasn't a "job", but you and Jerry took excellent care of her, and ya'll were so young!

[Heather]

My first job was working with my family's carpet cleaning business. I've had a ton of crappy jobs, too. Including telemarketing. Believe me I know all about men that don't work. Seems to be my calling card. Maybe something wrong with me? They have good jobs when we get together, but something goes downhill. I have always worked. No matter what job I can get. I had my daughter when I was 18 though, and they don't feed themselves.