Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Do you remember.... your first job?

My nephew is currently in the process of getting his first job.  I have to say, I am proud of the initiative he is showing in getting a job to help pay for his car expenses, as well as have spending money, since he turned 16 in January.  A lot of his friends also have jobs, and while I hope they are focusing on school still, it is nice to see work ethic instilled in our youth.

I got my first job in high school as well.  I was 17, and I did not drive, so I was pretty limited to the local mall, since my parents could drive me there in less than 10 minutes.  I ended up getting a job through a connection my sister had, from her working at the mall since she was in high school.  She knew the manager of a clothing store called "Rave", and got the manager to interview me.

Photo Source


Let me explain what this store is like.  Think cheaply made, slightly slutty clothing for teenage girls built like prepubescent boys, knock off fragrances, and cheap plastic jewelry.  That was pretty much it in a nutshell.  But, I got the job.  Part of the deal was we got a discount, which was good because we had to wear their clothes to work.

Needless to say, I did not last too long there.  Even though I was very thin in high school, I never dressed in a way that was revealing, so wearing tiny little skirts while climbing a ladder to wash a wall of mirror did not really fit into my comfort zone as far as work went.  Luckily, the boy I dated knew the manager of the local Ponderosa, and he got me a job there.  In fact, he got most of our friends jobs there as well.  So it was super fun to work there.  I worked there my entire senior year of high school, and helped pay for my graduation expenses and senior pictures with the money I made. I still remember how I would smell after a day around all that food, and I quite distinctly remember how the dish room smelled when we would have to take our bus pans back.  Ick.

I think that working in high school was good for me.  It made me more mature, and responsible.  It also helped me understand the value of money a little bit better.  So, kudos to my nephew for wanting to work.

What was your first job?