I am always interested in hearing about people's first
jobs. Usually they were when they were kids; they were never glamorous and
usually taught some type of life lesson that we still call upon year after
year. I am sure many of you have already
heard me speak about this in our State of the State meetings, but my first job was
as a waitress.
Jim's Country Diner is now closed but was located on Rt
130 in Windsor, NJ. It was a real diner, diner. You know the one with 200 items
on the menu and the typical soup rotation (Monday Yankee Bean, Tuesday Lentil,
Wednesday Chicken & Rice, etc).
For $1.09 an hour, the lessons I learned about customer
service and immediate feedback were significant. I also learned how to pay
attention to non-verbal cues.
For example, when people weren't eating their food and
you just knew something didn’t taste right, even if they didn’t tell you. Or how
much people appreciated when you remembered what they ordered the last time and
asked if they wanted it again (the "regulars" always left bigger tips
when their drinks were waiting for them when they came to sit down).
Serving people their food, much like delivering their
health care, is a very personal interaction. You learn a lot about people—when
they are happy, when they are sad, when they are not feeling well.
And just like with us, they became our family. When a
regular didn’t show up, we would be concerned and often find a route to make
sure they were ok.
Working at Jim's Country Diner taught me about how hard
it is to do manual labor into your 60's. The women who had spent their lives
waitressing were exhausted but could not do anything else because they didn’t
have a college degree or other skills to fall back on. It was very difficult
for them when their bodies gave out; there were also no health benefits and the
physical demands of the job always took a toll.
I am convinced that working at Jim's Diner is what pushed
me to get my Master's Degree right away. So many of the people who worked there
had intended to do this work as an interim before they went to college, but they
liked the cash too much and never could find a way to afford to go back.
In the end working as a waitress taught me about hard
work, anticipating the customer's needs, how little it would take to
"make" someone's day with an act of kindness, and how disrespectful
people could be when they treated you as if you weren't valued. Each lesson I
hold today and carry with me to try and be a better person and leader.
How about you? Is there a first job lesson that you would
like to share?
14 comments:
The first job that I can think of was actually a volunteer position at a State Hospital in NY. I was 17 and volunteering on a floor with autistic children. I was so frustrated at the way the children were treated. I often found ways to connect with them, yet the "experienced medical professionals" told me I was just being idealistic: There was no way "those children" could connect with anyone. Obviously, many years later I'm in a position in which I can actualize all that I intuitively knew, but I still often think about the children who were cruelly locked behind bars by a society that didn't understand them.
My first job was as a paperboy. This was in the late 1960’s. I had about 60 customers. The newspapers were delivered to my front porch. I had to roll them and put a rubber band around them. I then loaded them on into a bag that was attached to the handlebars on my bike. I became quite adept at throwing the papers onto the front porches as I rode by. This was back when the paperboys had to collect the money and on Saturdays had to go to the newspaper’s office and pay for the week’s papers. If I did not collect enough money, then I had to pay out of pocket to make up the difference. While most people paid on time, there were a few that were always a challenge to track down and when I did, they were sometimes irritated that they had to pay for several weeks. My first experience that customers come in many types. Oh by the way, I typically earned around $7.00 a week which may not seem a lot, but it was 47 years ago. Brad Ross
My first job was at Gino's Kentucky Fried Chicken in Raleigh, NC. High School kids would make the circuit between Gino's, Hardee's and the Big Boy, so it was pretty fun. Also taught importance of having a good work ethic and being responsible. Things went a little sour when a co-worker poured chicken fat over my old '67 Karmen Ghia.Try scrubbing that off.
I started babysitting for every family on my street when I was 12. I started my first real job at 15 1/2 working in the accessories department (jewelry, handbags, hosiery, etc.)of The Broadway, a large department store chain in CA that has since been bought by Macy's. I worked 30 hours a week (versus the normal part-time job of 20 hours a week) while I was in high school to pay for my first car, car insurance, and gas for the car. I missed many school football games and other social events since I worked so much. I learned that I had to work hard to get the things that I wanted. I learned that I wasn't entitled to get things like a car, insurance, and gas from my parents, unlike most of my friends. Hard work and dedication are needed to succeed.
I was born and raised in Newark, NJ. In the late 70's when I was old enough to work, I heard that Councilman Anthony Carrino of the North Ward in Newark, NJ was hiring for his upcoming election campaign. I remember having to write a letter answering the question "Why do you feel you would be a good candidate for this job"?. I can't remember what I wrote but apparantly it was enough to get me hired on the spot. I remember waiting on line with at least 100 or more candidates for the job and we had to present working papers, which we handed in along with our letter ansering the question that was asked. Then there was a brief interview. They asked me a few questions, read my letter and commented that it was good, then said "You're hired"! They told me where to go to fill out an application. I was shocked! Hired on the spot at age 13!
The job I had was stuffing envelopes for the election campaign. There were many of us working together as a team in a production line. One of us would copy and collate the papers, while another would tri-fold and pass them along for another to stuff the envelope and another to seal, stamp, address and mail out. So I learned early on that teamwork was key to getting the job done in the most efficient manner. I made minimum wage, which at the time was about $3 and hr.
While art was always an interest of mine, I never pursued a degree in art. Although I regret this at times, I look at my talent for art as a gift and share that gift with others whenever I find the time.
I find that my focus changes from time to time, since I struggle with what path will lead to success. What I do know is the life skills I have learned along the way have given me the tools to succeed no matter what path I choose to go. Maybe I can apply those skills and earn the degree that leads to success!
I worked at an old-time luncheonette, the kind with a lunch counter and soda fountain. Worked there for 2 years, starting at the ripe old age of 14. My duties included waiting on customers, short-order cooking, making sundaes and fountain drinks, serving as cashier, replenishing the candy shelves and magazine racks, and general cleaning up. It was a lot of work for $1.10 an hour (plus some pretty meager tips) but I had a blast because all my friends hung out there...and I was the only one getting paid! Plus, I got to eat whatever I wanted for free during my shifts. Teenage heaven!
My first job when i was 13, was helping out at my step-dad's law firm. He had me "shredding" old files with a paper cutter. Lesson here - there is ALWAYS a better way to do things!
My first job was during the summer after 6th grade, when I was 12 years old. I was an umpire for 7-10 year old baseball and softball.
My first job was at 13, working for Towncrier at $1.25 an hour, rolling circulars and putting rubberbands around them. My shift was at 6 a.m. and I worked Saturdays and before school. We had to wear gloves with fingers cut out of them as there was no heat in the warehouse, we couldn't talk and we had to stand while we worked. Sounds awful, but I was thrilled and grateful that I had an income. My lessons learned... if you take a job, give it your all and getting your hands dirty (and a little cut up) is invaluable. Wishing my children had this experience!
My first job was in the 6th grade delivering newspapers. From there through high school I was also a babysitter, mowed lawns, painted houses and was a valet - plus a few other jobs in between. My main lesson learned was that I am responsible for my success. The harder I worked, the more I hustled, and the better I was at making my customers happy - the better I would do.
I had my first job at the age of 14y. It was called JTPA (Job Training Partnership Act). I was getting paid $321 every two weeks tax free :-) that’s was a lot for 14 year old back then. JTPA gave me extra training and experience in the Business & Medical Office Training Program and I’m so grateful for that. I wouldn't be the secretary I am today it was for them.
My first job was helping a female antique store owner whom my mother met in Long Valley. She had developed severe arthritis and had a hard time doing some heavy cleaning. I would get dropped off and spend a few hours each week at her store cleaning, vaccuming, dusting, and making hand-made price labels with embossing powder! I recall being pretty young-maybe in middle school. This first job may be the reason why I still, to this day dust and clean so meticulously... but I learned a lot about antiques, listening, patience, and never once complained about the type of work I was doing because I realized I was helping out someone who couldn't do it herself. The next job after that was working at a small stable cleaning horse paddocks and stalls! I apparently never have a hard time rolling up my sleeves and getting dirty! Thanks for asking us to share :)
Sharon Burke
My first job at age 16 was a life guard at the local municipal pool. I also became a water safety instructor and taught babies, senior citizens and children with disabilities how to swim.I did both jobs for the next 5 years.It was alot of fun, I always had a beautiul tan and I was in great shape! But on a more serious note I learned about responsibility and focus. I actually saved two children from a near drowning. Aside from being a doctor, it is the only other job I have ever had-
I was a gift wrapping girl at Bonwit Teller in Shorts Hills and NYC. Customers would come back to me for wrapping because I was known for the best bows (which established friendly competition among the wrappers).Gift wrapping is an art! It was fun making people happy and speaking with the customers. it was a great job!
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