Dirty Jobs
May 27, 2009
I was driving around town this weekend with my son and we passed an antique shop where I worked when I was a kid. It brought back memories as I told him about what it was like working there. It got me thinking about all the different jobs I had growing up because my dad had us working from a young age. Here are some of the jobs I could think of:
- Door-to-door salesman – We sold all kinds of things door-to-door. The worst was light bulbs. Yes, light bulbs. No matter what it was we were peddling, my brother always had 10 times as many sales as I did.
- Mowing – Dad bought the equipment, we bought the gas.
- Snow cone stand – This may have been the best job ever. I still choose Tiger’s Blood.
- Newspaper delivery – I was too young to drive, so I rode my 10-speed bike around every morning before school. (Old Man Voice – “In my day, I got up early and worked before school!) Worst part about this job…NO DAYS OFF!
- Antique shop – This was child labor. Literally!!! I was 15 and I stood over a tank of acid, with rubber gloves up to my elbows, and scrubbed paint off of furniture.
- Cleaned office building – This was a nightly family project for a while. We cleaned a doctor’s office.
- Grocery store – I got this job the day I turned 16 and kept it until I graduated from college.
- Volleyball referee – This was my “beach bum” stage. I did this so I could stay at the courts all day and night.
- Photographer – I started taking PartyPics, but I was terrible. Moved to graduations which was cool because I got to travel a lot.
Looking back on it, I realize the importance of instilling a good work ethic in my children. They don’t have it now so maybe I need to get them out this summer selling light bulbs.
Did you work as a kid? What are some obscure jobs you have had?
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Mall candy store candy bin stocker; door-to-door leaflet distributor (fun stuff indeed); telemarketer for water purifiers (more fun stuff); Gymboree store in mall (didn’t last long); mass mailout sweatshop worker for Kenneth Copeland Ministries (lasted too long); several good jobs for your Dad.
Aww, I liked the mass mailout job. We could sit and watch t.v. at home while we did them (maybe i am thinking of a different mailout job than you, we had many back in the day).
There’s nothing like a little door to door sales to help you really feel a part of your community, YUCK!:O
As I remember Michael, that Homeland gig paid pretty good, maybe you should think about picking up a second job. You would probably still win the “fastest checker in the land” race:)
No. I was too young to really appreciate the dining room table jobs. I’m talking about one in the Copeland warehouse.
There were so many jobs. Some with you guys and some without. I remember when Mike and I used to do data entry and he would drink Coke’s and belch SO LOUD all night. That, and sing along with the radio at the top of his lungs.
I remember being a camp counselor with Tim. Tim was running around at night and while going down the hill, the sprinklers came on and scared the begeebees out of him. It literally knocked him off his feet. Quite a sight.
For myself, the worst job growing up was New China. This was the chinese food place in the mall. It was my turn to wash dishes. I started to fill the sinks and opened the box of dish soap to a gazillion cockroaches. They scattered so fast. Not a pretty sight. To this day it is still puzzling why they liked the soap more than the food.
Could not agree with you more Michael, one could argue that for most kids who worked growing up (myself included), money was the sole motivator but i don’t think this is such a negative factor, eventually you will find a job you actually appreciate and because of past experiences, you can eventually reach self actualization?
I just think its a shame that a lot of kids today don’t start their work careers until after their school careers, being “thrown” into the ring with a pro rather than working their way up?
– Me and my sister wanted to clean cars one summer (Age 14) “The Shining Car Wash, Co.” never registered, never really operated, we made sales calls to family friends to come over so we could get 5 bucks