Did you work as a child?

[Remodeling Maidiac]

Was it a character building experience for you?

 

[fncceo]

It ruined my taste for fast food.

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

My first job was at 9. I worked on a farm. Baled hay and branded cattle. It was a family farm and I wasn't paid beyond my allowance and I have no problem with that. My first job job was running the bumper cars at an amusement park at 14.

 

[Billy_Kinetta]

My first job was at age 16 as the lead singer for a local rock band. We ended up booked solid every weekend. Made real decent money for a kid. Way more than a fast food job.

Character building? Nah. It was a rock band.

 

[lg325]

Elementary school age in the fields of near by farm picking beans , ,with my family to earn extra money. 12years and older working on construction sites . Yes it did build character they worked me like a man paid and treated me that way . Bad side joint pains later in life.

 

[themirrorthief]

My first job was at age 16 as the lead singer for a local rock band. We ended up booked solid every weekend. Made real decent money for a kid. Way more than a fast food job.

Character building? Nah. It was a rock band.

I worked as a kid mowing lawns, it was hell but kept me in soft drinks and comic books I picked cotton too...a very shitty job and low paying

 

[Anathema]

I worked my ass off as a child. My father had constant projects around the house, outside in the yard, and as a carpenter for other people that he would drag me and/or my brother along to help with. My father didn’t hire anyone to do things for him unless it was something he truly couldn’t do himself. He’ll, we built a 2300 sq ft McMansion from 3.5 acres of woods to completed house with only two non-family tradesmen (electrician and mason).

What it taught me was that I never wanted to own my own home or property because I hate doing maintenance and lawn care.

 

[Dogmaphobe]

Early on, paper rout and lawn mowing. At 16, I was fighting fires for the state of California and living in a remote fire-fighting station in the summer.

It was my Father's way of trying to keep my girlfriend from getting pregnant.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Yes, starting about 12. First actual pay stub I saw (around 14 or 15) built my disgust with the government.

 

[Dadoalex]

Was it a character building experience for you?

First job busing tables at 13. Lied about my age.

Character building?
Do you mean like more honest, more respectful, more religious...

NO.
The jobs you have as a child do little if anything for your character.
It's the jobs you have when you pay your own rent, Buy your own food, when others depend on you that build real character.
Till then it's really a free ride.

 

[lg325]

Yes, starting about 12. First actual pay stub I saw (around 14 or 15) built my disgust with the government.

Same here .I was looking forward to that first big paycheck of my own. I enjoy seeing my nephews having the same reaction. Most of my money went to mom and dad. Just kept some pocket money for my self about ten bucks.

 

[Moonglow]

Was it a character building experience for you?

Fuck no it was called lost youth.

 

[EvilCat Breath]

I was 14. I worked as a waitress in a diner in San Francisco. It was a beautiful city.

 

[Michelle420]

I only did babysitting, house sitting, and pet sitting as a child.

 

[Disir]

If by character you mean something like starring in my own comic strip, then yes.

I worked at a trap and skeet at 12. I also worked for a guy that sold baseball cards (and comics) at 15. So we would meet people at 8 or 9 pm at Denny's and either buy or sell whatever cards. There is a book value and then it decreases depending on the shape of the card. I would go to the shows and have a booth set up and then run the shop on the weekends. He wanted me to put lotion on his back. He was so weird. I kept trying to explain that I didn't like that and I didn't want to do that. He wasn't listening. I finally quit.

I worked at Waffle House. There was a lady that could only work so many hours and she was on State aid. I would ditch my sixth hour at school so that I could work there and she could leave. If someone did not show up for the overnight shift then I would have to stay and that was even if there was school the next day. Now people keep a close eye on kids working those kinds of hours but back then it wasn't watched.

I did a very short stint at a bar.

 

[gtopa1]

My first job was at 9. I worked on a farm. Baled hay and branded cattle. It was a family farm and I wasn't paid beyond my allowance and I have no problem with that. My first job job was running the bumper cars at an amusement park at 14.

Who got an allowance??

Greg

 

[BULLDOG]

At 14 I worked in an upholstery shop, and as soon as I got my license at 16, I started driving a truck and delivering furniture for 2.50 an hour after school and on weekends. From that point on, I paid for my clothes, school supplies, car, gas, lunch money, and any other personal expenses I had. Parents took care of my home expenses, but everything else was mine to deal with.

 

[pknopp]

Delivered papers around 12-13. Kids can't even do this any longer. It was something to do.

Chased carts at the local country club in the summer. I really wasn't big enough to be a full fledged caddy. If lucky you might get $1 an hour but it was something to do.

 

[candycorn]

Delivered phone books to apartment complexes and office buildings in my teens.

Can you imagine suggesting today that we publish everyone's phone number and home address in a book we give away for free?

 

[norwegen]

I delivered newspapers (the Sioux City Journal), babysat, and walked beans, all before I was 14.

At 14 and 15, I detasseled corn for two summers.

I sucked at Little League.