OT: What was your first job as a teenager?

[huskiesNhoos]

Reffed soccer for a bunch of years and then in high school also worked for a contractor painting and repairing dorms and on/off campus housing at Wesleyan

 

[Chin Diesel]

Dairy Queen, Manchester, CT. We were a "Brazier" so had food. Chili dogs, burgers, fries. The manager gave the easy job to girls (taking orders, making ice cream). We guys mostly did the custodial or worked the grill, scrubbed the fry pan, cleaned the ice cream machine at close. Wore an ugly uniform with brown pants and I always smelled terrible when I got home. Seems it is gone now. Pretty sure it was on Broad St.

Peanut Buster Parfait was my go to back in the day.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Paperboy for the Stamford Advocate for several years from around 9-13, after which I caddied, mostly at CC Darien, sometimes Woodway. First W-2 job was at Friendly's. I started as a busser/dishwasher and had to redo dishes left by the earlier guy, who in today's terms had an "intellectual development disorder". I was eventually promoted to the front, where I scooped cones. And I was fired because I repeatedly put too much ice cream in them (didn't use that scoop edge method that made the cones mostly air).

I have a sister who for 20 years reminded us she was an employee of the month at a Friendly's. The plaque on the wall was actually there for about 10 of those years.

This was the same Friendly's the I would sneak out to as an altar boy if there was a funeral in the middle of school day and we got some tips from the grieving family- Grilled cheese, crinkle fries and a sundae. Then back to school.

If you were liberal with the scoops in the Reese's Pieces sundae, I salute you.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Paperboy New Britain Herald. They still owe me money.

Kind of should have seen writing on the wall. When I was a kid that's all I ever wanted to do be a sportswriter. lol

 

[slepers]

There is one on Hartford Road. I worked at a different one over near the Parkade. I'm not sure there was one on Hartford Road back then.

There definitely awash one on Hartford road, used to tide my bike there and got my baseball glove ripped of my bike. There, not that I hold grudges!

 

[husky429]

Reffed soccer for a bunch of years and then in high school also worked for a contractor painting and repairing dorms and on/off campus housing at Wesleyan

To this day I still kick myself for going to try to play D2 instead of going to Wesleyan and getting a killer degree. I was 4 inches shorter than the next closest guard and can't jump

 

[Stinger92860]

I swept the floors of Top Hat Cleaners on Madison Ave in Bridgeport when I was 14.

 

[jleves]

Stuff that would never happen today. When I was 13 my dad hired me to work in back of his electrical company during the summer break. Loading trucks in the morning, sorting and organizing parts in the warehouse all day, sweeping, cleaning, unloading trucks when they came back in the afternoon. 40 hours a week from the Monday after school ended until the Friday before school started.

Within a few weeks I was being sent out as a helper on job sites - carrying wire, nailing up electrical boxes, cleaning up the job site, etc.

When the summer of 14 years old rolled around, I was doing full journeyman stuff - pulling wire, tying in outlets, hanging recessed cans, installing plugs and switches.

I did that for the next 5 years. Taught me some great skills, but there's no way that could happen today. Inspectors would have shut the site down and fined my dad and the builders plenty.

 

[husky429]

Stuff that would never happen today. When I was 13 my dad hired me to work in back of his electrical company during the summer break. Loading trucks in the morning, sorting and organizing parts in the warehouse all day, sweeping, cleaning, unloading trucks when they came back in the afternoon. 40 hours a week from the Monday after school ended until the Friday before school started.

Within a few weeks I was being sent out as a helper on job sites - carrying wire, nailing up electrical boxes, cleaning up the job site, etc.

When the summer of 14 years old rolled around, I was doing full journeyman stuff - pulling wire, tying in outlets, hanging recessed cans, installing plugs and switches.

I did that for the next 5 years. Taught me some great skills, but there's no way that could happen today. Inspectors would have shut the site down and fined my dad and the builders plenty.

My role was pretty similar. My uncle was a carpenter and would hire out his trades and helpers depending on the size of the job. All residential.

I started with a lot of demo (best part), cleaning, hauling tile and wood, and getting the guys lunch. By the end I could do most anything outside of framing that would require an engineer or electrical that would kill me if I got zapped.

It's great skills to have. I've got my hands on almost every room in the house we bought last year. Redid a bathroom myself with a heated floor tile, bunch of windows, new electrical and drywall in 3 rooms, new railing and treads on the main staircase, retrimmed the entire main floor.

 

[eastmill]

Tobacco Picker

Me to
Working for Kendricks

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

My first job was at KMart.

 

[Flipside]

pre-teens, hustling fertilizer and grass seed for the Cub Scouts

 

[superjohn]

Pawcatuck, CT Dairy Queen for me. Ages 16-20. Best job I’ve had in my life by far. The guy who owned it had the ideal life (basically worked 01Apr-31Oct). He was an awesome dude.

For food We only had hotdogs that we cooked in the microwave and chili.

We opened at 11 and closed at 10 so I could party all night just off my tips, sleep in, and still work the next day. ate my first meal of the day there as well as my last.

I started at 5.25, 10 cents more than min wage which felt like a big deal at the time.
I lived off the cash tips and didn’t even really need my paycheck. Ah to be young.

Only part that sucked was emptying all the trash cans at close. They were gross smelled and leaked all over you.

I don't know where all the money went. I was making the equivalent of $22 per hour under the table in today money, had nothing to pay for and I don't really remember buying anything yet I somehow spent everything. I didn't even open a checking account until after college.

 

[History Geek]

Was it the Bridgeport Flyer perhaps? I'm gonna miss that diner, never had a bad meal there, and it sobered us up on many a nights.

First steady paying job was working at an audio/video chain store that has long been defunct. We'd have a sale, some dipwad would buy a big TV, then pull up with a small car:
Me: Sir, the box is not going to fit in that car.
Them: Sure it will.
Me: No it won't, not in the box, not in the trunk or backseat
Them: Yes it will, try it
Me: grumble grumble mutter...Yep, told you, gotta take it out of the box
Every. Single. Time.

Gold Colony Diner, on the exit 55 off ramp on the Wilbur Cross southbound.

 

[gtcam]

Thought it was on Hartford Road? We used to go there all the time. Was there another one in Manchester? The good old days when Dairy Queen was everywhere.

yep there was one on Broad St
as a Burger King on Main St

 

[Phorcys]

I was a minimum-wage laboratory test subject participating in a massive, global acne experiment ... in other words I worked the fryers at a McDonald’s.

 

[HooperScooper]

There is one on Hartford Road. I worked at a different one over near the Parkade. I'm not sure there was one on Hartford Road back then.

The Hartford Road one was there all during my time living in CT. Between late 1960s and 1996. I think it's still there. I can't remember going to the one near the Parkade but we must have since I was definitely around that area a lot as a kid. I'll have to ask my parents.

 

[bendm]

Custodial services

 

[storrsroars]

If you were liberal with the scoops in the Reese's Pieces sundae, I salute you.

I was there six years before Reese's Pieces were even invented.

Sad thing about that job is that it was a pay cut from caddying on weekends. I think minimum wage was $1.60 back in 1972.

 

[SoFla Steve]

Early on, New Britain Herald and Sunday Hartford Times (remember them?) routes.

In high school, I worked weekends at a seafood restaurant which killed my social life. I lived in a town of predominantly Catholics so Friday was fish day. Even if I got out of work early, I smelled like fish. It was like wearing "cute girl repellant".

Later, I gave up football to deliver TVs and big appliances like washers, dryers, ranges and refrigerators. At least the football weightlifting made some money for me . . . even if it was for minimum wage.

 

[M.S.G.]

I took / printed license pictures at the Norwich DMV the summer of ‘96, cool experience.

I left a drawer open and a woman, in my defense she was pushing 4 bills, like turned into it and wrenched her back, workers comp out for 6 months. My bad.

 

[UConnRock]

Working nights stocking shelves and doing night work at an A&P grocery store. Made $4.25 and hour, learned how to properly mop floors.

 

[boog204]

Hallmarks Ice Cream in Old Lyme. Probably the most fun and miserable job I’ve ever had.

 

[jimva]

I was an indentured servant for my dad’s plumbing company. But for real first job it was picking tobacco.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I forgot I also did a stint at Roy Rogers while in HS.

I was great at making biscuits and eventually worked my way up to the sandwich line.

 

[Peacefrog]

Babysitting in middle school and spanning into high school refereed soccer in the town league. Turned 16, got a driver’s license and delivered Domino’s.

 

[zymurg]

caddy at manchester country club starting the summer after sixth grade. I caddied in what was the ICO, Insurance City Open, several times. I continued to caddy through high school. I worked in custodial services at Manchester Memorial Hospital, later I assisted in the lab. I'm surprised at how many yarders began their work experiences as caddies.
Recently Ihad an extensive discussion with my sister just abut this issue. We worry that it is much harder for kids to find jobs these days.

 

[TerryBoyz]

Bristol Community Organization summer job. Cleaned one of the schools to get ready for the coming year. I graduated to working at the Forestville Boys Club. Basically summer day care. Kept everyone busy with activities like softball and archery and such. Malcolm Huckabee (BCU guard) was about 7 then. Really good kid. His older brother was more of a handful.

Radar O’Riley’s stomping grounds. Spent a lot of time there as well and played baseball with Malcolm. Carey Edwards, who also played at Manhattan and I went to the same grammar school. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

 

[TerryBoyz]

Spent a few summers working at Lake Compounce during the Hershey ownership. Specifically the skill games.
Had to explain hundred of times that the bottles need to be knocked down AND off the platform.
Good times though.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Peanut Buster Parfait was my go to back in the day.

That was my favorite thing to make, along with chili dogs.

yep there was one on Broad St
as a Burger King on Main St

I can't remember the address but I think it was roughly where the Wendy's is now, looking at Google Maps. We used to go to the Burger King on Main for lunch when in HS. Open campus and several free periods next to lunch.