What was your first job with a taxes-reduced paycheck?

[Bertha Venation]

Not really looking for mowing the neighbors' lawns or babysitting. What was the first one where you had a real paycheck, with taxes taken out, where you had to punch a time clock, wear a uniform, etc.

Mine was at Del Taco, store # 69, at Magnolia & Atlanta in Huntington Beach, CA.

How about yours?

edited per Jack's suggestion :hi:

[Jack_Dawson]

1. You should rephrase it to "Paper Route"

I almost missed it.

[LynneSin]

2. Farm Family Restaurant on Front Street in Harrisburg

We were kinda a KFC Chicken fastfood place that on Tuesdays and Thursdays had "All you can eat Fried Chicken" nights.

[Momgonepostal]

3. I was a clerk in a candy store...

It wasn't really a grocery store or fast food, so I went with "other." I thought I was seriously "movin' on up" when I started making $3.35 an hour. Woo hoo!

[THUNDER HANDS]

4. I cleaned the mens locker room at a public pool

I hope I never see another naked 80-year-old again in my life. :scared:

[demnan]

5. How could you leave off babysitting?

Every preteen girl's first job.

[Bertha Venation]

8. re-read original post

;)

[Superfly]

6. I groomed baseball fields...

all by myself. The best job I ever had. I really took pride in how my fields looked when I was done with them. I was 13 years old.

[Superfly]

17. And I paid taxes on those wages...

[Armand]

7. Janitorial assistant when I was 16.

Horrible job...

[HEyHEY]

9. Dishpig

At a very nice restaurant. Loved it.

[Burma Jones]

10. Amusement Park, Astroworld, but I did do Fast Food

Worked at Corny Dog Corner, frying up Corn Dogs and scooping Ice Cream at the Old Timey Ice Cream Parlor.

You haven't lived until you work in Houston, in a booth, not air conditioned, with two vats of boiling oil, in the Summer, in a polyester uniform.

Of course, I loved working there because I could ride all the rides I wanted AND they had great Chicken Fried Steak at the Canteen AND they had a weekly employee party where they opened up a section of the park, rides and all, had beer and wine and food, and it went from midnight until three am.

[TlalocW]

11. Paper Route Baby!

Great job even though I had to get up at around 3 in the morning every single day and in all kinds of weather. It paid well, and I was always back to bed by 4 am so I still got plenty of sleep and then had all the time I wanted for after-school activities and studying. I did it from 8th grade through senior year. I came from a small farming community, and the cops on duty at that time didn't care that I was driving a mo-ped without a liscense in 8th grade because they knew my brother and me were "good kids."

On edit: Another great perk was around Christmas time, all the sweet elderly ladies showed their appreciation for putting the paper on their porch by giving me baked goods! I got monetary tips too of course, but the cookies were the best!

Only negative things about it were that because I always threw with my left, my left arm is bigger than my right - even now after years and years of weight lifting, and my first semester of college, I would awaken and sit straight up at 3:30 in the morning thinking I needed to go throw papers before realizing where I was and going back to sleep again. :)

TlalocW

[grannylib]

12. Waitress at a little greasy spoon, mostly regulars, no tips, $1.50/hour

[underpants]

13. Bagging groceries at a Winn-Dixie

Turns out the general manager was robbing the place blind.

[IronLionZion]

14. Washing dishes at a Republican-owned restaurant

The owner was the County Commissioner so he got away with paying below minimum wage.

[arwalden]

15. Mowing Lawns / Baby Sitting

[no_hypocrisy]

16. Went to work for my father at his doctor's office at age 16 as a file

clerk. Had to file massive amounts of medical files, x-ray reports, lab reports, correspondence. Had to keep EVERY FILE in alphabetical order (I can still recite the alphabet backwards quickly).

The worst part of the job, aside from having to work for my father and dodge being labeled the "boss' daughter" by my co-workers, was when a document was missing, I had to search in every file (no exaggeration), starting with "A" until it was found. There were times that something with a patient's last name that started with a "G" would be found in a file starting with "O".

I worked on and off at the office for 15 years, until I went to law school. In the interim, I learned how to take blood pressures, develop x-rays, type medical terminology, and do cardiograms.

[greendog]

18. Detasseling corn....

My first summer job....age 12.

[eyesroll]

19. I worked at as a junior counselor at a day camp

But I'm not sure if that counts, because I made an "honorarium" at the end of the summer, rather than actual wages. (JCs were too young to get regular jobs.)

My first wage-earning, time-clock punching, smock-wearing job was at Kids R Us, working the sales floor and cashiering.

[VelmaD]

20. I worked at the local hospital...

copying 5 years worth of pharmacy files for an audit. I went in late at night and copied for hours and hours while no one else needed the copier. It was boring as hell but on the bright side I did learn basic Xerox repair...always a handy job skill. :)

[Nite Owl]

21. Worked on Wall St.

as a messenger, bringing papers and stuff to different offices.

[Qanisqineq]

22. nursing home

n/t

[Bertha Venation]

23. kick -- I want to know

who was born w/ the silver spoon. :7

[adriennel]

26. well,

I was :-) still starting working at age 16 (not counting baby-sitting)I think my biggest advantage was not having to drown in student loans after college.

[adriennel]

24. hostess, then waitress

at a faux greek restaurant chain. this was my first "real job" and I remember it because when waiting tables I made $2.72 an hour, which was nothing, but man it was great to have cash in your pocket at the end of every day.

[bif]

25. Small, independent bookstore. I was 14 or 15

n/t

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

27. Other -- Military (nt)

[Loonman]

28. Porter at Dunkin' Donuts

Great job.

I made $3.35hr, tax exempt.

[Nikia]

29. Paid taxes as a grocery store clerk but carried papers

I had a paper route when I was younger though. We paid for the papers and pocketed the payments. I don't think this is really appropriate for younger carriers as some people refused to pay. I could cancel their paper but I still lost the month's payment. A thirteen year old girl isn't all that intimidating in a bad neighborhood. I usually only made about half what I was supposed to make.

[geniph]

30. I don't even want to admit this, but

I was a telephone solicitor in high school. Yup, I called people during dinner and tried to talk them into buying Time-Life Books. I'm so ashamed!

I only lasted three weeks. My severe phone phobia and inability to not take no for an answer may have played roles.

[LastKnight]

31. Sales

not your typical teenager first job type of thing but i work at a music store for minimum wage plus a small crappy commition.

-LK

[Snow]

32. When I was in college, I was a lifeguard at a city pool.

to show you how times have changed, my lifeguard salary was enough to pay a semester's tuition at my college, Butler University, a private school, mind you. Something is out of step, now, because you can't do that anymore.

Yes, I did save people's lives - the first year numerous times. When you get better at it, you can spot the non-swimmers & tell them to not jump into the deep end.