Your first job, what and what pay?

[Husky44]

Somebody mentioned the paycheck amount. For some reason, I remember my MONTHLY base pay when I joined the Army in 1983: $495, before taxes. Got paid an extra $82 per month (I think that was the right amount) for jumping out of airplanes. Would have done it for free, but back then, jump pay was a significant bump over base pay.

[LaP]

After reading all the accounts of us working while 9, 10, 11 years old, It reminds me of why I will ALWAYS pay the kid down the block to shovel my driveway.
This kid comes out every single time it snows and walks door to door with a shovel (and he's always covered in layers of snow and sweat). He rings your doorbell and asks if you want your driveway & walkway shoveled. He says to pay him whatever is fair to you!!!! (That's a confident kid.)
I've never given him less than twenty bucks. I want to encourage that type of entrepreneurship in this young kid. If I were hiring for a company, this is the type of person I want working for me.

[Tinman507]

Agreed. A rare occurance to see a kid hustling these days. Most of them are too wrapped up in resume building (sports, band, clubs, etc) to learn how to make a buck.

Hell, I have kids in my scout troop who earn Eagle and have never held a job of any kind.

[Bronco302]

Clean up boy for a brick mason crew at 16. Payed under the table $3.00 an hour, been a construction worker ever since. Fifty-five now Third generation Pipe-fitter and Plumber.

Joe W.

[Bawanna]

Agreed. A rare occurance to see a kid hustling these days. Most of them are too wrapped up in resume building (sports, band, clubs, etc) to learn how to make a buck.

Hell, I have kids in my scout troop who earn Eagle and have never held a job of any kind.

That's an issue I had back in my scouting days. We'd get kids in that went fast track and make Eagle in a couple 3 years. Parents pushing for performance but the kid misses out on alot of whats learned by not doing the hikes and camp outs and the miserable soaking wet nights, and blistered feet. Maybe they were the smart ones after all.
I made Eagle but it took me several years. Was in Order of the Arrow (that was a fun initiation) Went on 3 50 mile hikes and countless weekend trips etc. Looking back it was good times, at the time there were some pretty miserable moments.

[Tinman507]

I didn't make Eagle and regret it to this day. Made it one of my missions to enable as many kids as I could to make it. Been doing the adult leader thing for coming on 20 years now. There's a huge difference between enabling or supporting and shoving a kid through the program.

I like to think the kids I've mentored (my son included) gained as much from the experiences as they did from the advancement. Parents today are so damned goal oriented, they just want their kids signed off, and get the rank.

We lament the kids who end up being "paper eagles" but it's the society we live in. It's all about the college resume for many parents.

Ok, Rant off, sorry to the OP for the hijack but thank you for letting me vent a little.

[Armybrat]

!962-1966, as a high school & college student I worked part time in the local public library. Started at .68 cents/hr, ended up making $1.55/hr after 4 1/2 years.

First full time job was as a high school teacher - started at $5,044/year in 1967.

[O'Dell]

That's an issue I had back in my scouting days. We'd get kids in that went fast track and make Eagle in a couple 3 years. Parents pushing for performance but the kid misses out on alot of whats learned by not doing the hikes and camp outs and the miserable soaking wet nights, and blistered feet. Maybe they were the smart ones after all.
I made Eagle but it took me several years. Was in Order of the Arrow (that was a fun initiation) Went on 3 50 mile hikes and countless weekend trips etc. Looking back it was good times, at the time there were some pretty miserable moments.

I made Eagle and also Gold in the Explorers, but I don't remember missing out on anything. I too, was in "Order of the Arrow". I was looking through a drawer a few months ago and came across my old red, white and blue Eagle neckerchief with the leather eagle on the back.

[dkmatthews]

My first part-time summer job was when I was 14 as a "helper" in the local lumber yard. Being the low guy on the totem pole, I did whatever anyone more senior than me (everyone) told me to do. I think I was getting paid $2.50/hour. Good honest work.

My first FT job was the US Navy; did that for seven years.

[Tinman507]

I made Eagle and also Gold in the Explorers, but I don't remember missing out on anything. I too, was in "Order of the Arrow". I was looking through a drawer a few months ago and came across my old red, white and blue Eagle neckerchief with the leather eagle on the back.

A REAL thread hijack but I can't resist.

http://www.scouting.org/alumni.aspx

They're looking for a few good old scouts.

[JFootin]

Its very strange, but I have always had a selective memory. I can remember an incident when I was just a few months old and couldn't walk, yet. I can remember gasoline as low as 17¢ a gallon. But the details of hourly rates and weekly earnings are something that I apparently never committed to long term memory. I can't even say $1.xx or $2.xx or $3.xx. I can remember I paid $75 for my first car (a really beat Plain Jane 4 door '57 Chevy) and got $250 trade in for it, but I can't remember what I paid for the '65 VW Beetle I traded it for. And I cannot remember what I paid for other cars way back then, nor even more recently except for my current car. Not a clue. So, to me it is amazing how all of you can remember such details!

[Scoundrel]

My memory has always been very selective too. I didn't remember being asked to clean out the cat litter box or take out the garbage, but I remembered when the ice cream truck was going to come by.

[Zippo Guy]

I had a job at the local drug store cleaning up the back room, mopping the floor after closing, and stocking shelves while in high school. I started at $.50 an hour and after two years got bumped up to $1.00 an hour and spent most of my time making home deliveries of the presciptions. This was back in the mid '60's.

[Anger]

Not counting the paper routes. A bicycle store, St. Clair Shores, MI. Early 80's. Min wage was $3.35/hour. The owner decides he wants to pay me under the table as I work off my huge $1200 bicycle purchase. He explains to me how social security deducts 7% and how he's going to subtract that from $3.35. So I end up working for $2.85/hour to pay off my $1200 bike purchase. Needless to say I went without a paycheck for many many months. Almost 9 months to a year as I recall. But the free beer the manager used to buy for after hours was worth it to a 15 yo. haha.

[TriggerMan]

Its very strange, but I have always had a selective memory. I can remember an incident when I was just a few months old and couldn't walk, yet. I can remember gasoline as low as 17¢ a gallon. But the details of hourly rates and weekly earnings are something that I apparently never committed to long term memory. I can't even say $1.xx or $2.xx or $3.xx. I can remember I paid $75 for my first car (a really beat Plain Jane 4 door '57 Chevy) and got $250 trade in for it, but I can't remember what I paid for the '65 VW Beetle I traded it for. And I cannot remember what I paid for other cars way back then, nor even more recently except for my current car. Not a clue. So, to me it is amazing how all of you can remember such details!

I paid $2720 for my first brand new car, less than a year out of college. My payment was $96 / mo. It was a 1973 Toyota Celica (before they came loaded with lots of std. options). I sold it 18 months later for $2250 and bought a 1974 Fiat X1/9 mid engine for $4425. Probably 5 months pay at the time. Been a lotta cars since.