What was your first job?

[VanKalkerFarms]

More of an icebreaker question this time, reminiscing can be fun, so what was your first job?

Bonus, did that job have any influence on your business or personality?

[VanKalkerFarms]

My first "real" job not working for my parents was when I was 19 as an AutoCAD engineer for an engineering company that was subcontracted with MIT, NASA, JPL, FSU, and many more.  One of the first projects I worked on there was Project Stardust which was a mission to take samples of cosmic dust from the comet Wild 2.  Quite the first big project for a hillbilly farm boy.

The impact that job had on me was right away that nothing is really impossible when you can set your goals higher than I ever thought were possible.  I also learned how not to act as a boss.  There were 2 owners there and one was fine and one was the type to blame everyone and still lived in the 60s where racism and sexism were fine.  I will always remember being in a meeting with the 6 managers and 2 owners and me being there less than 2 months getting yelled at for loosing 300k on a 3 million dollar bid.  I knew with my quote that was not possible, and it was because the boss had decided we had to get the job so he bid 600k than my bid and I found that out,  I was too dumb/new in corporate to know not to bring up the fact he lost us $300k, not me, in the next meeting, so I got myself a 1 week not paid timeout.

[Doran]

I was a greeter at the 2000's US Open in Pebble Beach, CA.  It was super fun and I met a ton of celebrities and just people from all over the world.  Got paid a whopping $350 for 10 days worth of work and spend it all on a pair of boots that I just donated to Goodwill a few weeks ago!!!

[maxpete]

I used to volunteer at this event every year when I was in high school!

[JUYBoutique20]

The US Open, how cool!

[maxpete]

I was a bus boy in an Italian restaurant and got paid under the table because I was 14 and not legally able to work yet 😂

Getting $20 in tips and feeling so rich, what a time!

[nika]

LOL same max! I was a bus girl at the pizza joint my mom served at when I was 15 years old. She would make me go to work with her and bus tables whenever I was grounded (so... I bussed a lot 🙈)

She told the servers not to tip me because it was my punishment being there but I was so good at it that they all ended up paying me anyway. 😏

[Lovewell]

THIS! 

[VanKalkerFarms]

having a $20 when you were a kid was the same as having $200, the possibilities were endless.

[ryanwanner]

My first paid gig was helping a guy mow lawns, but I was a youngin' and was paid cash weekly. My first real job was washing dishes in a little mexican restaurant that was walking distance from my home. Worst part about that job was that the kitchen manager had a rule that all back of house staff had to leave at the same time. The kitchen guys would wait until the last minute to bring the pot of refried beans that was simmering all day then sit around the dish pit yelling at me to hurry up so they could go home. Learned plenty of Spanish curse words there, still proudly use them today.

[AdamB]

My first job was as a janitor at my high school for my junior and senior years. After sitting in class with them, cleaning up after everyone else was an interesting experience. 🤐

[Lovewell]

LOVE this question. 
First job (for Emily) was a coffee shop (for tips at 16) obviously that had a huge impact. I always said I wanted to be a barista when I got “older”

THEN first paying job was Chick Fil A. That had a HUGE impact on how we do customer service & hospitality. It is a huge part of their ethos. 

Andrea’s first job was in a restaurant! Also had a huge impact on how we serve people. 

[VanKalkerFarms]

getting trained at Chic-fil-A sets you on the right path to be a successful retail employee for sure.  They have it down to teach the ways of customer service and quality, kind, accuracy, and speed.

[CareyJo]

My first job was in retail.  I was a sales clerk in a fabric store... for those of us in the Community who are 50+, you may remember House of Fabrics or So-Fro Fabrics.  I've been a seamstress since the age of seven.  Yes, seven.  I made my first outfit at that age.  I've been sewing professionally since 19.

I definitely think that having a great first boss helped me in the workforce and I gained experience that I couldn't get anywhere else.  I learned how to count and sort bills quickly because of her, I got better at fractions because of working in the store and I learned what clean and organized should really look like.  I've carried all of that with me through life.

[DinaLRosenberg]

This is such a random one- but I worked at the local fried chicken spot for 4 hours and got fired LOLOL.

My next job was soliciting phone donations for Long Island Citizen's Campaign for Environment for their clean water fund. They're actually still in business and doing great work as it relates to ground water.

For me, those early cold calling sales skills were the foundation for my current sales skills 🙂 thankfully I don't have to cold call anymore

[BofBArtStudio]

My first job was at an Italian Beef shack in Chicago.  Duke's Italian Beef.  It was the type of place that every weekend people would come and bring their old cars like 57 Chevys and such And they'd all be lined up in the parking lot with their hoods open to show their engines.  There was an old jukebox out there that music would be playing from. We had a lot of fun but it was a lot of work. I learned quickly how the dynamics of work happen and at a small place like that when there's only maybe 10 employees, you have to make sure that you put in your time off requests early if you want time off. And sometimes you have to stay for hours after closing to clean the grill and the pans. But we always were able to eat the soft serve ice cream that came out of the machine before we cleaned it out and we could eat some of the leftover beef with red sauce and mozzarella before we cleaned all the pans. I was 16 years old and I worked there for 2 years and it is probably the foundation for my work ethic for the rest of my life since then.   Work hard, look out for each other, do a great job, provide excellent customer service, etc.

[VanKalkerFarms]

That's awesome, what Duke's, there's a few in the area? Mokena has one but it relocated from brigeview, I think, and they are huge into cruise nights.  Working at a place like that definitely gave you a good foundation in the speed and stress of food service.  I never did but had friends that worked at Andy's and Portillos in and after high school.

[BofBArtStudio]

It is cool that you know of it!

I worked at the one that used to be in Bridgeview.  

I started there back in 1986 when I was 16. I lived 3 mi away in Burbank and used to think nothing of it that I had to walk that 3 mi to get to work. 

I definitely learned about the speed and stress of food service. 

I am always very nostalgic and proud of that experience.

[Donnie-M]

McDonald's.  Great first place to start out, structured training, food was still good.

What I realized is that if you show up to work every day and stick with something, and just smile, you can go farther than good intentions and intelligence will take you any day.

[Minion]

I first started out maybe 14, as a dishwasher to a local bar/restaurant. Mainly seasonal, for snowmobiles.  Pumped gas in the sleds, prepped french fries , did dishes etc.  I drove my little 3 wheeler (yeah the dangerous things)  about 15 miles on back roads to get there.  

Ironically enough, 4 years after that job, the same cook who was there hired me at a new restaurant he was working out.  Started with Dishes, moved up to prep cook, and then 6 years into it ended with Sous Chef.  

One day I was just tired of the deadend-ness (?) and overworking with people who didn't "work".  Tossed up them deuces and ventured out. 

At times, I do miss the daily grind of restaaurnat business, not going to lie there.  The rushes, the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction when you get through some hectic times.   

All in all, It taught me how to prioritize my time throughout a day. 

[Bronze_Palms]

My first job was as a event staff member for little girls spa birthday parties. It was very fun, engaging and high energy.