First Job??

busing tables. taught me that i hated working indoors when it's nice out. i moved on quickly to ocean lifeguarding & never looked back.

i hope the "lazy teen" was meant to be ironic, b/c that's not going to endear you to anyone.

 

working on a fishing boat, great money, horrible hours. then the marine corps, horrible money and hours, now i am a bum.

 

Waiting on tables will teach you more about life than that dip**** public school you attend.

Or, what the hey, get a job onscreen in porn. Just remember to abide by the immortal creedo from 'American Gigolo'... 'you don't do faag & you don't do kink.'

 

14 years old. I worked on a construction site (probably super illegal) in the summers. They were building this complex of 55+ assisted living condos. I was the serf. Setting up work carts, carrying hardware, unloading material, getting coffee, sweeping lockup rooms. Did this from 14-18. School time I couldn't work, I was playing soccer every single day from age 5-20. Summer 6:30 - 2 was the best I could do. I can say I got in good shape doing it, you end up learning quite a bit from all the tradesmen. I was 16 and could hang drywall, frame a room, paint, lay carpet. Everyone helps out when they need it. Unfortunately I got passed around like a cold in kindergarden. I even got my own radio (which was a big deal for me). I technically worked for a door/frame/hardware company, but by age 16 I was every single companies official do-all.

If you ever get the opportunity, get on a site. You'll learn a lot about everything pertaining to construction. (Very handy in life), they'll work you like a dog, but you'll make more money than anyone your age and build a solid ethic for your older years.

 

If you know the game of golf at all, try and become a caddy. 4-5 hours in morning, carry two bags, quick 100 bucks cash

 

I was 12-13 and delivered newspapers on foot, door-to-door, through the neighborhood early in the morning before anyone got up. This was in the late 60s, and we lived in Ohio (Centerville - just south of Dayton) at the time. Those crisp late fall and winter mornings, snow on the ground, sun just coming up. Loved it. Was saving up for my first shotgun.

 

Good advice that I'll pass to my youngest son. Thanks.

 

certainly the best learning experience. I can't say that I miss hot days in a hard hat lugging boxes everywhere, but it was a rewarding experience. Get a kid on one of those sites, you grow up real quick. They expect the same standard, they don't treat you like a kid. For me, it was a big deal.

 

+1 on that

I worked for a general contractor in my teens and helped build houses from post-foundation to finish work. Being able to do anywhere from a little to a lot in all the trades involved has saved me a ridiculous amount of money since. There's not much better than building something with your bare hands and seeing the final product. The caste system and earning your keep, yes, is perhaps the most valuable.

 

Worked at a Channel hardware store with 6 of my high school friends backin the mid 90's. We were always getting into something had a blast and learned the difference between a carraige bolt and lag screw. I agree with getting a hands on first job, it'll either motivate you to go to college or go to trade school.

 

landscaping. hardly glamorous but the opportunity for decent bucks just out the front door….

 

Bagging groceries at the Red & White in Hatteras Village at 11 years old.

 

ski mountain

 

My son is 14 and works at a gocart track in ocmd. As for me I didn't start working until 18. Spent ever day before that hanging and surfing Sandy Hook - Belmar Nj. Ahh those were the days!

 

2nd (or 3rd) this...lots of good real-world skills to learned on a site. i worked a summer in college for my uncle who runs a construction/carpentry company here. spent most of it doing demo & clean up work, but like you said, i still was able to learn a lot by observing & helping when it was needed &/or asked/demanded of me. i also learned that that wasn't the place for me, job/career-wise.

 

Pumping gas then worked in a greenhouse. But my first real job was when I ended up on a lobster boat.

 

Painted houses with my dad. If you learn the basics on a few jobs with a pro, then you can try to find your own job and then make your own schedule. Make a flier and knock on people's doors to ask if they need their house painted. Factor materials into the price and then give them a flat rate, with half required up front and half when you finish the job. They will usually give you a good tip at the end of the job if they like you. You'll need a few items like ladders and buckets and brushes, but you can rent those for the first few jobs until you make some cash.

 

Steal whatever you can.

I worked at a motel in the mornings and evening making coffee and sweeping, job title was "sweeper"

I then moved on to ocean life guarding and it was the best, decent pay, surfing benefits, other stuff.

If you in the CNJ area message me I could hook you up with a job.

 

My first job was busing tables and washing dishes, but probably the coolest job I had during summers was working at the umbrella stand on the beach.