What was your first real job

[Spiel]

Born in 63.... My first job was a paper run, I was 12 back then. Was making $8.00 a week and was able to bye hockey sticks with the hard earned money Back then the Sherwood PMP were $7.00

 

Damn! You's younger than me. But not by much.

 

Like you though my first job was a paper run.

[motion]

Born in 63.... My first job was a paper run, I was 12 back then. Was making $8.00 a week and was able to bye hockey sticks with the hard earned money Back then the Sherwood PMP were $7.00

 

Jacques, dont get me going on that topic. My son insists on a "good" one piece stick. I keep telling him it not the stick that makes him a better player......................... Again, it would be different if he had to pay for a new stick. I still use a wooden Sherwood.

Edited February 1, 2010 by motion

[archer379]

i started work at 13. i was selling toys at "the barn" flea market made 35 dollars a day.

[Joey]

Born is 64 my first real job was cashier at Archie's Hamburgers when I was 14. I also made fries and cleaned the stainless steel units. Once in awhile they let me flip burgers, but that was a man's job back then. I made $2.50 an hour.

 

Joey

[HTHM]

Like a number of you I started out as a paper boy, I had all of Fenwick in my back pocket. I took over two routes that my older siblings had. I think I had more fun doing that job than any other one. It taught me how to approach people to buy something from me. I used to go door to door selling subscriptions to the Welland Tribune in order to increase my customer base. At least twice a year I would knock on your door to pitch for a subscription.

It is too bad that my kids did not have the same opportunity.

[rob v]

I grew up on a tobacco farm also - like Dan D. My two brothers and two sisters spent plenty of long days doing anything and everything that needed to be done. Plenty of dirty, hot miserable work , but lots of good times too. Taught me plenty also - like the value of a dollar and what an honest days work was really all about. I sure don't complain abou those days- fact is I kinda miss them. Never got paid much, but always had what we needed with some extras thrown in for sure, and a university education. If I have any regrets its that I didn't get a chance to give my two kids that same experience. But they had plenty of what I would've called dream jobs - doing the Mc Donalds thing, working in retail, call centres and restuarants. But like someone else said earlier, the main thing is they both finished post secondary educations and are starting careers, and continuing their educations.

[carll2]

born in 1985.....started working when i was 14 years old washing cars on weekend...at 18 started paying rent...every toy(atv,dirtbike,snowmobile,cellphone,etc) i have ive payed for with my own hard earned money....no help from mommy and daddy and im darn proud!!!! kids today really do expect everything handed to them.

[MCTFisher9120]

$12 under the table. Did telemarketing for 2 weeks in gr 10 and had to quit.

 

You need to be crazy to do a 4h shift doing that...omg

[camillj]

Caddied for a few years .. made really good money for a 12 year old ... but my first regular 'pay cheque' job I quit in 1974 because the owner (at Sneaky Pete's) couldn't see clear to give me a raise from the $1.25/hr I was making washing dishes and busing tables ... so I went downstairs to clean fish tanks at the Pet Stop for a whopping 1.35/hr and I was on easy street ... havent looked back since

[Leecher]

Jacques, dont get me going on that topic. My son insists on a "good" one piece stick. I keep telling him it not the stick that makes him a better player......................... Again, it would be different if he had to pay for a new stick. I still use a wooden Sherwood.

 

I hear ya Tony..... the extra buck that was left was for a bus ride to the hockey game I believe it was .50 cents back then

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

i spent 4 years working at a food basic$ grocery store during high school. this allowed me to purchase the occassional fishing lure and have a good time on the weekend.

 

since then i've worked for a commercial diving company, intrawest resorts, searchmont ski resort, purdy's chocolates, the mnr, and the dfo.

[Big Cliff]

Born in 46, at 12 I was weeding gardens, mowing lawns, raking leaves in the summer and shoveling snow in the winter. Worked for the local farmers; chickens, hogs, haying, but my favorite job was shooting ground hogs, they would pay me $0.25 a tail and a box of .22 shells only cost $0.25 for 50. I spent many wonderful summer days walking the endless miles of fields with my .22.

 

First full time job was at 15, $3.00 a day delivering milk We had to be at the dairy at 5:00 am to load the truck and we were usually finished by 2:00 pm. Did that for a whole winter then got a job at a local nursery for $0.25 an hour (thought I was rich). Bought my first car that fall, 1948 Plymouth coop paid cash.

 

Joined the army at 18, went back to school when I was 21. Worked while going to college got married, raised a family. Started my own business in 1983, sold it in 2003 and retired. I probably work more now than I ever did. Now that I don't have to be at work or finish at a certin time I find I am always finding things that need to be done.

[Cudz]

First paid job was paper route. It was a big route and I got about $70 /week. I hired my mom to drive the car on saturdays when I had to put together and deliver over 100 big saturday start papers. She charged me $10 each saturday so I guess I cleared $60 per week. That was back in 1985.

First job other than that was bus boy dishwasher at Swiss Chalet when I was 14-15. Brutal job. I was making more than minimum wage at $2.75/hr but I belonged to a union (lol) so I had to pay dues.

I only worked there for a year.

The following year I worked at CTC in the fishing department. Cool job as we had a great fishing dept in the Barrie store back in the day,

[Governator]

Worked in IGA's bakeshop when I was 15. Burnt myself 3 times and cut myself twice on the bread cutting machine. Made $6.40/hr min wage

[torco]

Born in 82 and started working consistently when I was 15before that at A&P for 6.40/hr. I saved enough money to buy my first boat. It was also the first and most satisfying job I quit The boss was such dirt ball. When he finally pushed me too much and I no longer needed the job as I was ready to go to school in the fall, I quit on a busy holiday weekend and left him high and dry. Now I know it sounds bad, but really this guy was completely unprofessional and a real, I still to this day feel he deserved what he got.

 

Anyways after that I slugged boxes at the LCBO distribution warehouse for a summer while in university made $10/hr. Then I moved onto the swanky Toronto Golf Club for half a summer until I realized that the hospitality industry and serving the wealthy elite was not for me and went onto work in another warehouse and factory for another making around 16/hr couple summers before finishing my degree. When I graduated a few years back I took my first full time job as entry level accountant making 35K and after a few years of slogging away at work and doing my designation I graduated with my CMA and its been smooth sailing since.

 

Reading some of the other posts I certainly had it a lot easier than you guys from my parents generation. But I guess things have changed in order to get ahead it seems you have to work harder at school than just work. Personally I think I have done enough formal schooling and will encourage my kids if it interests them a trade seems like a great way to earn a living.

[motion]

The following year I worked at CTC in the fishing department. Cool job as we had a great fishing dept in the Barrie store back in the day,

 

My son has mentioned he would like to work at CTC or even BPS (we are less that a 10 minute drive to Vaughan Mills). He turns 16 in October and I think he'd be great at too. Heck, he does it now by talking to customers and offering his free advise on equipment and supplies. He really knows his stuff.

Edited February 1, 2010 by motion

[Moosebunk]

Lucky to break my arm playing hockey in the fall of 90 because a new grocery store hired a massive amount of kids to begin work but within a few weeks after the rush of customers let a bunch of them go. Then I came in not having worked a shift, once I had healed. Packed groceries for $4.15 hr. Couple years later stocked shelves, then moved onto working in the cooler and freezer doing the same. Finally ended up delivering groceries and doing pick-ups. Stayed 8 years until graduating college.

[Cookslav]

Started with a Paper route at 12, then got a dishwashing job at a local restaurant at 13.

I'm surprised there are not more people who washed dishes?

I thought that was a super common starting job for kids LOL!

 

When I was 14 I dropped the paper route, and washed dishes part time, while being a general laborer In a sheetmetal shop.

When that gig was up(temp position) I took a job as a cook....the rest is history

Edited February 1, 2010 by Cookslav

[super dave]

McDonalds at age 16. Favourite was when people would order a cheeseburger with no cheese. Didn't last long there. Worked at a variety store after until I graduated high school. Its in my Korean blood.

[Beans]

Born in 1936...did the usual jobs as a youngster...cut grass, shovelled snow, drugstore delivery, Eaton's catalogues one summer, etc...

 

Left school at the age of 16 (mom worked for $0.50 per hour in a factory) and got a job as an office junior for $25 per 5 day week +Saturday mornings...paid $10 a week room and board...got a $5 raise and my mom raised my room and board to $15...I took a loss with extra taxes...

 

Company closed and I started working at The Orchard Park Tavern as cashier/barboy...Well !!!...there I was...21 years old...working in a bar with lots of booze...lots of broads...a liquor store just down the street and a racetrack right across the road...What more could a young man wish for ?...(he could wish he was still single)...

 

At the age of 36 I went back to school and got my grade 12 and then took an accounting course...

 

My resume looked like rabbit tracks in the snow before then but only two jobs since...

 

I spent the last of my working years at the CBC as a "bean counter" and retired at the age of 65...

 

Retirement is by far the best job of them all...

Edited February 1, 2010 by Beans

[bigbuck]

Started working when I was 13 at a grocery store for the princely sum of $3.55 an hour, within 6 months the minimum wage went up twice and I was making $4.25/hour. 10 years there while I went to school. I'd work 22 hours a weekend (Friday and Saturday). I'd start Friday at 5pm, work 12 hours and be back in at 8am the next morning and work until 6pm. I did everything from work on the meat counter, cutting meat, receiving, stocking shelves, pushing buggies, cutting and stocking lettuce, unloading watermelons by hand from a tractor trailer, counting money, supervising, managing....you name it, I did it at one point or another. I realized by the time I was 19 that I did not want to spend my life working for someone else and making them rich. At 25 I joined a financial planning firm and the rest is history, I've been there for going on 15 years now.

[Harrison]

First JOB was at Burger King for $3.90 an hour. Lasted only a couple months after being fired for eating food with numerous warnings.

 

Right after I went to St. Huberts for a promotion, $4.15 an hour as a dishwasher. However that was short lived as I was fired after the cooks ran outta french onion soup bowls one night. Ever tried cleaning one, easier to hide them.

 

So I got a job selling Baseball and Hockey cards at a flea market booth. He paid me in a cards, I asked him to carry over a few days and saved enough to get the first Upper Deck Baseball set still in the wrapper. Still have it, wonder what its worth today.

Edited February 2, 2010 by Harrison

[Twocoda]

i too did all the usual kid jobs ...papers grass snow etc....first real job was in a candy factory as a student for $5.25 hr in 1981....not bad money for the times plus all the benefits of eating every candy imaginable at a huge level and cookies galore!!!!....i quit school and stayed on in the factory and went to $7.45 hr ...got used to the paychecks and bought a house at the rip old age of 19....tried when i was 18 but they discriminated against me cuz of my age....i lasted 6 years ( $11.10 hr) at the factory thing and never stepped back into one (knock on wood icon) to this day....

[Governator]

You know what I hated most about min wage jobs? When I started at 6.40/hr I got "raises" to 6.80/hr over the course of a year or so. The minimum wage then jumped to 6.80/hr. So when the store hired a new guy who I had to train, he was making what I was making even though I've been there a year. It was a slap in the face and then I never wanted to work min wage ever again.

Edited February 2, 2010 by Governator

[ckrb2007]

Born in '72, my first job was when I was 12 picking up stray golf balls at a driving range after hours for $5.00/night. I went through the typical stock boy, lawn cutting, delivery boy jobs as most kids do. I spent many summers up around Jack Lake in Apsley so I had jobs clearing land and installing septic systems for cottages....those were great jobs for a kid.....$9.00/hr..cash. When I was 17 yrs old I worked with the MNR in the junior ranger program out in Fort France (Cuttle Lake)......my best summer yet even though I only made $15/day. Since then I've worked in a few different jobs until I landed my present job which is a Utility Technician with Allstream. I work with fibre optics all around Ontario. I have 2 boys, 17 & 12, and they have big aspirations in their own rights. The oldest one has been working at a local ski resort since he was 14yrs old as a board/ski tech. and the youngest is itching to get out and make some money.......school comes first though in my home........if the grades fall, the jobs stop.

 

Cheers guys and this is a fun topic.....brings back lots of memories.

 

Colin

Edited February 3, 2010 by ckrb2007