I would be curious to know what forum members first jobs were and the hourly pay (obviously optional). I'll start out. When I was 16 I started working in a pizza place (kind of like a Shakey's) for $1.40/hour! Of course, that was a while ago (1972).

other than odd jobs mine 1st real job was at wendys 4.75/hr. then a sub shop doing deliveries in a 74 cherry red nova & then a life gaurd.

1974 - Grocery store bagger. 1.60/hr (I think) + tips.

Baling hay for 50 cents an hour, plus all the food I could hold at dinner. That's the noon meal, its not lunch when you pack in 3,000 calories.
This was in 1966.

I worked as a electricians helper the summer between my jr & sr years in high school(1975). I made $2.00 an hr. I saved everthing and bought my first car, a 1966 Mustang coupe. It had a 289 with a 4 bbl carb.It cost me $600.00.

I started work at a craft store when I was 17 back in my old small town. I used to refer to it as the "wickerboard" LOL Not a bad job, made minimum wage, and it was never too busy, just a bunch of old ladies wandering around the store. They had an old amiga 500 in the back of the store too that I could play around with when it wasn't busy.

Like I mentioned in the other thread, my first and pretty much only job has been as a mechanic at Bennett's Cycle. 4 years and counting. started at $6/hr

If you don’t count the paper route, then one summer during high school (1966) I worked for a sailboat manufacture. My hourly rate was minimum, $1.25. They were making 10’ boats with decks, i.e. not a dingy, and my job was to mix the resin, sand the wooden parts and pop rivet the deck to the hull. They only had a hand operated pop rivet tool, so my hands got VERY strong that summer. The first time I mixed the resin I did something wrong with the formula and made a batch (5 gallons) so hot it set up while I was stirring it. I think I put in “cups” rather than “ounces” of catalyst. Boss wasn’t too happy.

Worked in Kroger for a few weeks, as a bagger (and general "Sh!t Magnet") for a few weeks. Quit when I figured out that I was being ripped off. (This was before I figured out that there was a Fair Labor Board in GA.) Trained as a locksmith for a few weeks. Interesting work, but there wasn't enough to keep me busy. First job I had that was worth keeping was doing part time janitorial work in a big office park. The money was decent. Had enough to buy go-fast goodies for the 68 Fairlane (which my G/F affectionately referred to as "Doomsday". Don't ask.). Kept that one (the job) until I got out of high school.

Friends,

I worked for a Golf Course cleaning clubs, storing and loading bags, maintaining the carts (washing, charging.. not repairing) and other miscellaneous odd jobs. I don't remember my wages... but think they were in the range of $3.00/hour plus free lunch and golf. I was around 13 at the time so any $ was good $.

William T. Thorn, III

My first "real" job after high school and after a year of training was a potential mass murderer ...

i.e. Titan II Combat Crew Member - Ballistic Missile Analyst Technician.

Yes, I sat in a hole in the ground wondering if I was going to kill millions of people that day ... We won that war!!! Not too many were killed and the ones we did kill were our own.

Paul Herder, MSgt, USAF, Retired

Not counting the paper route I had previously, when I turned 14 years old I worked part time at a full service gas station on the weekends and during a couple summers. A neighbor up the street owned the DX station and paid me cash under the table at a whopping $0.50 per hour. The customers had you cleaning the windows and checking the oil while you pumped their gas.

I worked with my dad for a few summers hanging residential gutters. Then got a real job working at a local drug store. That really stunk! I hated the manager, the hours, the pay, the location the co-workers and the store chain! I got accused of some major audio/visual equipment walking out the front door. Turns out that the equipment was missing a few days before I got hired, but they never apoligized so I quit. Did I mention that I hated that job?

My first job was a Petroleum Dispenser Engineer. AKA Gas Attendant. I worked at Crown Gas station pumping gas for Full Service customers. I believe it payed $5/hr.

I worked at a summer camp for $110/week plus room and board. I helped build cabins and other construction work. I worked there for a month and made just enough money to buy a set of BF Goodrich Radial T/A's for my 65 Pontiac. It was great!!!

When I was 13, I got a job?? working in the fields for a local farmer (actually the field was right behind my home). We "topped" onions (ie..chopped tops off with large sharp knives). The real reason I did this was because I had the hots for one of the seasonal workers daughters.
It only paid a few dollars for a row of onions (the entire length of the field!), but
I did pick up a little bit of the Spanish language while I was at it. Not much money, but I sure did have fun!!

Jr. year in high school (1991) I was a bagboy/grocery cart rounder-upper for Pic-N-Save. It paid 4.25 and I got a discount in the green room cafeteria. (WooHoo!)

My first job was in the summer of 1971 rebuilding electric lawnmower engines for Sunbeam Appliances. The pay was $1.65(Cdn) an hour. I don't know what the exchange rate was then, but it works out to about $1.10(US) now. I was 15 years old, but I had lied about my age because they required someone 16 years of age or older. The job lasted about three weeks before the payroll department discovered I was underage. That was the only job I was ever asked to leave. However, over the years I chose to leave quite a few...

Not counting the paper route, and the Electrician's helper (Where I usually lost pay making bets with my dad, such as, "It'll take half an hour to fish the wire through this wall. I'd bet my day's pay, double or nothing....")

Bagger at Shaw's (Supermarket) in 1983. $3.35/hr. Wore a nametag that said "Pack Man."

HA! I got you all beat. I worked as an aprentice mechanic for volkswagon and I really made a lot of money. A whole $5.00 a week. Or 20francs a week which back in those years the exchange rate was four francs to a dollar in Rabat, Morrocco. I lved there for three and a half years. The funny part was my stepfather was a general manager for a weapons factory. The years were from 1961 to 1963. Lwas 16 at the time. I had graduated from highscholl and did not want to go to college back then. But that's another story.

Pack Man ??!!!

You never told Mom or me about this!

Well my first job was when i was 14. In cleveland there is a open air market (westside market). I used to unload semi trucks 10 hours a day (friday, staurday. and sunday) for a whopping total of $25. Worked there until my military experiance.... 101st Air-Borne "SCREAMING EAGLES"

lennyb4,

I lived in Clarksville, TN from 85-88. Did you fly one of those Shinooks (sp?) that shook my whole apartment every time 10 or so flew over together???

David.