Thread: How old were you when you had your first Job

Originally Posted by redhaze

Back on the gubment tit doing logistics supporting the warfighter ...

Yeah, I'm still at it.

Retirement in the cards at some point? I imagine you have a pension plus SS headed your way here eventually...

Keep doing what I'm doing for a while. Not sure ... Maybe 3, 5, 7 or more years.

Will qualify for a small pension from this current job in 3 years. So thinking about jumping out to go to school to be a LPN. I wouldn't mind doing that in my 60s.

First real job, at 10 or 11, I reckon, afternoon newspaper delivery, Washington Evening Star, made the rounds after school on my bicycle. Did that for several years. Pretty fun job it was, especially when I got to ride around on the delivery truck.

Summer job? Worked on a farm doing baling and stuff when i was about 13-14. Not really a job, more like paid play.

I used to bunk off school a lot when I was in my teens and go to a nearby golf course. I'd then slither my way under and through prickly gorse bushes looking for lost golf balls. Then sell a bag full (about 20 balls) to a teacher for 50p (about 20baht) the next day.

Think that was my first real experience in marketing and sales.

Aged 13 was my first job, collecting the milk money on a Friday night with Mick the Mo, well thats what my brother called the camp old fokker. A pound note for 2 hours work, could buy quite a bit with that back then.

I cant believe we havent got any chimney sweeps in our midst on here, or rentboys, although NZ Dick hasnt posted yet

^^you didnt mention your age Gazza

were you teaching at the school at the time?

^^
Actually did a bit of chimney sweeping with my mate but only after I left school. I had a set of rods and brushes but no proper apron to cover fire places. Mostly we were just dislodging blockages in the chimney stacks and not so much sweeping out soot. British Gas Board regulations: They'd only fit gas fires in a home if the chimney was clear.

Although there was one time when a brick got dislodged, fell into a pile of soot at the bottom and pushed away the make shift apron covering the fire place.

We weren't expecting the brick, nor the amount of soot, nor the house-holder to have a light beige wall-to-wall carpet.

8 year old running bets for the local bookie.

12 or 13 started washing cars as the OP suggested for his son, then paper rounds.
15 Garden Centre and farm work mucking out chickens and collecting eggs.
16 Sainsbury's part time then full time for 2 years doing as much OT as possible. Still work on the farm, do labouring jobs, Flog Christmas trees or anything I can turn my hand to.
20 Started working for a large legal company in London.
21 Buy Flat with a 70k mortgage which I have to get my parents to guarantee as I don't earn enough. Continue to do as much OT as I can, bit of buying and selling at car boot sales or to mates. Buy shares and overpay mortgage with any spare cash.
30 Pay off mortgage. Continue as above
40 Having invested wisely (and or luckily!) can afford to retire with a couple of BTL flats and a modest share portfolio that see me by for 6 months in LoS, 6 months in Uk or traveling.

OP didn't say how old his son was but I'd be all for getting him a bucket and sponge this weekend to try his luck, maybe just start with friends / neighbours cars first if he's a bit young to be knocking on strangers doors. Get the entrepreneurial spirit lit young and you could have a Richard Branson on your hands, listen to your misses and he could be on benefits, living with you till you die and leave him the house!

Speedaboy He's 13yrs and I said if he is serious about it I'll buy him a Jet wash and he could then do other work as well.

Speedo boy would have others doing the jet washing and he'd be setting up another car wash franchise then floating the company on the stock exchange in 6 months.

First official job was at 14 working in a local nursery - I made $2 an hour - being agricultural they didn't need to pay minimum wage. I did a variety of chores for them, from loading seed trays with sterilized durt, loading plants onto trucks for delivery, watering, etc. The best part was although I was pretty young, I knew how to drive a tractor so that was part of my job - at least until they caught me popping wheelies with it and racing around the back fields :-) .
At 15 I got a job at the local elementary school cleaning it in the afternoon (again, as a government job it didn't pay minimum wage!). Worked 2 hours every afternoon, and then on school vacation worked 40 hours a week (when we usually painted or did other maintenance chores). There were 3 of us for the first 2 years, and after that one guy left and they had the 2 of us remaining work an extra hour - but we could leave once the work was done - which we usually did 30 min early. Biggest PITA for that (other than cleaning toilets) was trying to kick the teachers out since we (as 15-17 year olds) were responsible to lock the building and couldn't leave them inside!

Did a lot of other things throughout my high school years - was a volunteer fireman, helped neighbors haying, etc. - but none for pay (other than beer :-))

@ 8 years old (brother was 10) we set up a lemonade stand by the road and made out.

By 10 or 11, I'd either hoe weeds or throw rocks out of the rows in nearby corn or wheat fields for cash.
I remember around the same time - using a shovel or a rake to spread soybeans as they shot out of a chute on a loader, so they'd funnel down easily and not get caught up.
Must have started mowing lawns then, too. Mostly for old(ish), widowed or divorced ladies that my mom referred us to.
Once we spied a lonely old gal through the back screen door into the kitchen letting her shepherd have his way with her. Never been able to erase that sight.

Didn't work properly 'for Uncle Sam,' till 16 at a grocery store as a shelf-stacker, bagger, cashier hunter. Used to swipe booze off the shelves and place them out back in the dumpster, then sneak back at night to load the car up and call the animals. Had to go incognito as the manager lived above the place. Fuckin' drunken thieves, we were.

Originally Posted by hick

8 years old (brother was 10) we set up a lemonade stand by the road and made out.

I hope you meant "like a bandit"...

I was a paperboy I believe I was 11 or 12.

Chopping wood at the local park for free...Bobbie caught me after a brief chase and brought me and the axe home...

3 years old...Edinburgh...

Originally Posted by BaitongBoy

Originally Posted by hick

8 years old (brother was 10) we set up a lemonade stand by the road and made out.

I hope you meant "like a bandit"...

I did,....I did at that.