What is the best summer job you had when young

[Oss]

Inspiration for this post comes from Hubcap  Thanks Mike

For me it was a nite job I had at the route 303 drive in   Rockland County NY

5 nites (usually 3 during week and Sat and Sun) starting around 7pm  1st movie started at dusk

I could either just let my girl in (driving her car) or bring my girlfriend in and park my car in back row as could my friends who worked there.  The manager was like an old man of 25 lol and we sure partied after closing just lock the gate drive down to the field and have at it.
As the concession stand building was closing after the 1st movie, we could eat all the hamburgers, fries, soda, popcorn that would otherwise have to be thrown out  (made up for usually not getting to eat dinner after my day job and before going to nite job)
When we closed, either around 1am or if a marathon like the planet of the apes 5 movie madness, at dawn I would go home with the girlfriend or if she drove I would go home when we were able to drive.
My ($500.00) 57 Olds Super 88 was so damn big never needed to use the back seat unless just felt like it. One friend had a 57  chevy almost as big. Another had a mg gt  What was he thinking?
Then for years after I could get in free to any drive in (there were 3 in the county) as I knew everyone
Not worrying about some LEO sticking a flashlite in your window while spending some quality time with some nice young woman................priceless  

it paid 2 an hour, about what my day job on the loading dock paid in 1973-77

What was your favorite summer job

Not your 1st job.  I worked as asst janitor for the school district in HS after school several days a week. Boy that job sucked, same with the paper route in winter snow on a bike at 14

[hubcapsc]

"you can get a motorcycle if you pay for it"

... so I had jobs that weren't just summer jobs from the age of 12...

Greenville Piedmont paper route, then Winn Dixie bag boy, then Exxon Car Wash.

I got summer jobs when I was in college. I worked at bottling plants.

First Texize. They had their own plastic injection molding equipment, they made
everything. Except glass bottles. Man, was it ever loud when we were bottling
Pine Power in glass...



Then Morton-Norwich at the Pepto Bismol plant... some nights I stacked all
the boxes of Pepto Bismol made in the whole world... we bottled pepto
in glass, but it wasn't such a giant place, so not quite as loud.

Us summer-job college boys kind of raged at the pepto plant, so I guess
that was my favorite summer job.

-Mike

[Valkorado]

Great post.  

I was a pretty good competitive swimmer, the Stingrays were a summer club.  I spent countless hours in the pool, chlorine bleached hair and pruned skin.  Still found the time for summer employment, and had quite a few experiences.  Landed my first paying job with a local MD, doing office work, cleaning and running errands.  I'm thinking that was in the third or fourth grade.  I remember it had some fringe benefits like free ear wax flushing!  I worked pearl diving at Maro's Pizzeria, then later as a cook.  Actually hand tossed the dough!  Remember I had a buddy working at the KFC, and we would trade pizzas for buckets of the Colonel's best.  Ate a hell of a lot of pizza and chicken back then.  Did a few summers working on the college campus paint crew, rolling and cutting vacant dorm rooms.  Those were fun days for a young walking hormone.  Hanging out with the crew, blasting the boom box and ogling the sunbathing babes.

[The emperor has no clothes]

I never had a "summer" job. I started delivering newspapers at 5 am before school. Like Mike I wanted a motorcycle and my Dad said if I saved the money for it I could get one. So from the age of 12 to 14 I trudged thru snow, ice, rain, -30*, to save money. After 2 years I was up to $375 which was only half the price of a new Suzuki 90. My Dad took pity on my soul and kicked in the other $375. And the rest was history. It really wasn't a great job, but it instilled a work ethic and enabled me to have a lifelong passion of motorcycles.  
 Now, as to my worst job. In addition to my paper route one summer I got a job doing yard work at a mortuary. He also had me build caskets for indigent people's burials. Till one day he tricked me into looking at a dead person in their casket, after I told him I didn't want to see them. Never went back after that day, even to pick up my check.

[Jess from VA]

Working part time evenings as a bartender at my local watering hole (there were only two on the island) where I was likely to be many evenings anyway, shooting pool, eating good pizza and having a few beers.  All my friends hung there... so why not get paid (like $2.50 an hour and maybe a dollar tip if I was lucky).
My summer day job was always in the steel mill.

This did not last long.  The owner was a mostly nice guy who had played tackle for the MI State Spartans (BIG guy), and he was beginning to be an alcoholic.  One night he got in a loud argument with an old man regular and I thought he was about to do him violence, so I did what I always did and tried to defuse it (called him in the back and quietly told him he was looking really bad being abusive to an old man he could break in two with one arm).  Of course, I was fired.  

Alcoholics rarely like good advice.  As a general rule, alcoholics should not own bars either.

I was a good bartender (unless you ordered some girly drink that took five ingredients).   We don't sell those.
 

[Alpha Dog]

I started making money at 8 mowing lawns.  2 years later added a paper route, baby sitting, lawn care, and I always had money.  I did not work in high school, expect as I was already doing,  to busy with baseball, basketball and football.  That summer Dow Chemical in Midland, MI  had a long strike, my Father was included.  Dow gave me a job in security.  My Dad said go for it, he did not like the strike.  The duty was to drive brand  new Suburbans throughout Midland and Saginaw Counties to patrol the Brinewells, that were out in the farm townships,  about 200 miles in a 12 hour shift.  Sit and park at them for a while and move on.  Always at night.  Got to see the Aurora Borealis a couple of magnificent times, fish in ponds, I just loved it as I am an outdoor person.   Made $4.60 per hour with 20 hours overtime every week, darn good money at that time.  Added bonus was Dow had tubs of snack foods including my favorite, jerky and pop that they did not care how much you took.  You also got free dinner in Cafeteria.   After 4 months strike was over and they offered me full time position.  I declined as starting college in late November.   But I made enough money to buy a brand new Chevy Vega for college - Yah baby a high powered Vega.    $2700 out the door.  My Dad actually kicked in half.

[Bugslayer]

When I was 16, I was working at a horse ranch. Green Acres Arabian Stables. The horses they raised were 1/2 Arabian / 1/2 Quarter Horse. I spent most of my time cleaning out the stall's and runs, washing and exercising horses, and running the tractor. But my favorite time was when the cute girls would come out to take English riding lessons. We thought we were some bad ass ranch hands. At lunch, we'd saddle up a couple horses and ride to the country Allsups for their famous fried burritos....... Good times! 

[pais]

 I echo Valkorado's sentiments, great post! 
 Brings back great memories.
  I've been working since I was 14yo. Started detailing cars after school, at a rate I think was $1.90/hr.
  I bowled in a KofC league where I met and bowled with the manager of maintenance at Kent State University. He hired me one Summer to paint dormitory rooms. It really sucked but I was making $7.50/hr. Following Summer he hired me back and had me running a crew of 4, 3 girls and 1 guy. Painting chain link fence outside everyday. Bad weather we were inside. We the 5 of us had a great time for a number of reasons   . I'll leave it at that.
  Of that 4 person crew I am lifelong friends with the guy and his wife (1 of the girls). Also one of the other ladies is good friends with my wife and I.
   I did that for 1 more Summer but, stupidly I dropped out of school and joined the real workforce. The Summer of 1982 was a blast from start to finish!
 

[solo1]

What's a summer job?  I had no favorites.  By necessity I had to help support our family.
In 1945 I was going to high school and also working four hours after school in the GE defense plant, 8 hours on Saturday. Before that, at age 8 I was mowing yards, paper route at 12,, etc, year around work, no college, family couldn't afford it.

Much later, my favorite job, after I paid for my own education, was as an Associate  Environmental test engineer.  I got paid money to break things.

[Moonshot_1]

Junior year in high school started at a local Locker plant. Worked the freezer, then began meat cutting. The summer saw me begin slaughter operations. Small plant. Local farmer animals. Senior year pretty much meat cutting and slaughter operations. Got to go on some "emergencies" where we had to field shoot cattle. Sometimes multiple ones. Did cattle, pigs, sheep and goats. We cut up deer and elk during the season too.

Won't go into much detail except to say there was a lot of morbid humor. Some really odd tales.

[ptgb]

Job 1 - Age 14 - working for my mother's boss who owned Christmas decorations/gift stores. I sanded wooden Christmas ornaments to be hand painted later..... thousands of them.

Job 2 - Age 16 - pot washer at local country club. An oldtimer showed me how to clean the meat slicer while it was running. Almost lost the top of my thumb... they told me not to come back.

Job 3 - Age 16 - local restaurant. First day... mother's day. They told me to stand at the grill and make home fries..... for hours.... and hours.... and hours.... never worked in food service again.

Job 4 - Age 18 - Grandmother's boyfriend started a stump removal service. Used big grinding machines to get them out of the ground. Paid under the table a percentage of the work we did for the day.... BIG $$$$ for an 18 year old.... bout $100 a day cash.

Job 5 - Age 18 - UPS loading trucks from 3am to 9am.... paid huge money $12.75 an hour, benefits, etc. (minimum wage was about $4.85 then), paid every Friday.... had more money than I knew what to do with.


I will never work food service as long as I live... will live on the street first.

[Grumpy]

When I was in High school ( a long long time ago )  had a part time job at Finkie Monument company in Wentzville, MO. Mostly did cleanup for a few months, then the owner showed me how to use rubber stensils to shield the granite and cut the lettering with a sand blaster. Did that part time for several years, interesting job, plus the money was pretty good pay back in the 50's.

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

I will never work food service as long as I live... will live on the street first.

That my friend is my philosophy on ever getting in a tractor - trailer and going over the road ... Never Again .  I drive now 99 % in 8 southern states and I get per diem so I never sleep in a shakin' ass truck .... I'll sell weed before I get in a truck with chains hangin' on it for the Yankee states ... If it has chains and a bed in the back that's not for me .

[Oldfishguy]

Working on our small family farm; best 1st job ever!

[firemedic309]

working the summer on a mayonnaise farm.
 

[Sorcerer]

The summer going into 7th grade I got the evening/ Sunday paper route. The summer going into 10th grade I got what I believe was the best summer job. Swimming pool crossing guard. Lots of good looking girls in bikinis.

[Oss]

I tried to google swimming pool crossing guard and got no hits

Yeah I get the bikini part but where do you stand, in the pool?

Must be a Minnesota thing but it sounds like something California would do as they ticket jaywalking

[..]

As a late teenager I started by stacking hay bales in the field as they came off the combine and then heaving them up with a pitch fork onto the trailer that took them to the barn.

Used to wear gloves at the beginning of summer break and by the end of summer break it was bare handed and a bale in each hand. Tanned and ripped. (Where oh where was Mrs. Robinson  ). 7 days a week at the height of harvest.

Progressed to driving a tractor and trailer next to the combine to catch the corn to take to the barn/hopper.

Also spent some time in the barn shoveling corn into the screw that delivered the corn into the hopper.

If I wasn't doing farm work I worked at the local R.A.F. airfield driving in wood stakes by hand and stringing rope for crowd control for the annual air show.

Then I also worked; when I had the time; for a contractor who had the job of cutting the grass at the same airfield. The grass along the runways. The grass on top of the bomb stores. The grass around the married quarters etc.

One of the powered walk behind mowing machines I used was so big that I could set the speed at the far end of the runway. Run along side it and jump into the grass bucket and steer it by using my body weight. It was heavy enough that if you hit a concrete curb straight on on it would break the curb. You had to approach the curb at a very shallow angle and ease the machine up on to the curb.

[Jess from VA]

I listed my best summer job, not all my earliest jobs from 11-12 on.

But I had them, whatever people would pay me for, I would do.  Mow, cut wood, weed, landscape, dig holes, wash windows (millions of them), wash cars, clean gutters, and baby sit some of the rottenest kids.  Plus whatever dad or mom asked me to do (which was always included in my 50 cent a week allowance).

But for the last 25 years, I have not seen one single youngster doing one single job, anywhere.   Not a lawn mown, a leaf raked and bagged, not a bag of trash taken out.  I suppose it must happen somewhere, but I never see it.

I can't figure out if they are all that spoiled and lazy (and get free money), or if their parents have decided their children's work is so lousy in quality that it's better to never ask them to do anything besides, clean your room, go to school and get decent marks, and stay out of trouble.  I had to do those TOO.

When I was a kid, our bus stop had about 20 kids daily, and we fought and undercut each other's prices to get every bit of paying work that could be found.  And we had a bunch of folks who would not trust kids to do any work around their houses (or were afraid they'd get hurt).

This childhood entry into the market economy system, learning pride of hard and good quality work, pride in earning and saving money to spend for the most important things to you, learning the value of a dollar (an hour) was an important part of growing up and becoming a good, right-thinking human unit (along with the loving parents, church, boy scouts and school).

I was never made or even particularly encouraged to work outside the home for money.  I was told that I was given good food and clothing and care for free, and would get 50 cents a week IF I did my chores (and occasionally withheld if I didn't), but there was not extra money for my use available, and if I wanted it, I'd have to go earn it somewhere else.  I could have sat home and played all day if I wanted to (and my chores were not usually hard or time consuming, with exceptions).

The first W-4 withholding job was as pump jockey at a Mobil station at 15 (at $1.25hr), and I had to thumb 7 miles each way to get there until the day I hit 16 and got my license and first car.  I walked into the bank alone and got a loan for $600 to buy the car (my account there maybe had $70 in it).  I told the bank man I wanted a 90-day note for the $600, so my interest would be as low as possible (I could only work full time untill school started anyway).  He was amazed I knew what a 90-day note was.  Of course he made me get my dad to cosign so the bank had no risk (only my dad).  Dad knew I would do my part, and the car was paid in full with like $38.50 in interest in exactly 90 days.  He cut me some slack and added my car to his insurance and paid it for about 18 months, until I started getting performance awards, then he kicked me off and I had to go buy my own insurance.

Decades ago, dad drove me downtown in his small WVa hometown one time (we were visiting family), and showed me an old brick machine shop about 110 feet long.  He told me he dug the foundation out for that building with a shovel during high school, almost entirely by himself.  He was not prone to bragging..... he was teaching.  

Sorry for rambling.   So what is my point?   I guess it's kids who don't work (outside of school, if that actually requires work anymore) and lay around helps explain why so many young people think the democratic party is the right path for them, and our country (but mostly for them).  

[Michvalk]

I started out farm help at 12, hauling hay, and cleaning barns. First real steady job at 16 at a country store/ gas station. Pumped gas station attendant, candled eggs, stocked shelves. Went from there to a regular grocery store, and bagged groceries, stocked shelves, hauled trash. 4 years in service, etcetera, etcetera.....Have never been without a job of some kind from 12 on, and I think the Democratic party is the better of the choices.

[Robert]

Mowed lawns at 8 and did yard work, and shoveled snow in the winter. Allowance was to inconsistent to be counted on and I needed money to go out in the boat. Parents wouldn't let me use their lawn mower till that time, thought I wasn't old enough. Always had a some way to make money from that point on. Repaired appliances, worked in a bike shop, repaired outboards and boats, did dock work, worked around the boat yard, pumped gas during the gas crisis and hauled gas at night to favorite customers. Worked in a glass factory kind of interesting but not for me. The kiln they used to heat the glass and bend it was hot. At 16 got a job in a foreign car repair shop with a English Jamaican and red neck as a second in command. The 151 and Jamaican patties would be hauled out occasionally, I could not really do either but with the conversation and camaraderie it would make you forget the snow that would blow in under the doors of the shop. Made more money than ones just graduating college. Went to college nights but it was not for me so after a few years quit. I didn't stay where I didn't want to and each job looking back had its plus and minuses.

[cookiedough]

age 15-17ish or so working on a farm for a couple of summers.  Bad thing about that was helping him hookup a very old combine harvester and getting stung by several dozen yellow jackets.  Other than that,  really no boss besides the old farmer was mowing/chopping/bailing hay mostly and other basic farm stuff. Never milked a cow or planted crops though.  Only paid like 3 bucks per hour in the 80s below mininum wage but got me out of the house on summer break was fine with me.  He could not find any other hired hand to work for that low of pay after I left for college but for mostly driving tractor and running errands with old farm truck,  I thought that was plenty. 

working any factory job on the assembly line standing in only one spot for hours on end for minimum wage though sucks. 

[0leman]

Started mowing lawns at 10,  had three lawns that I took care of.  One was close to 3 acres.  Got paid by job and could mow when I wanted to, usually early in the mornings.   No riding mower, just a good self-propelled mower.  Also did weeding plus trimmed bushes and trees, got paid extra for that. 

When  I was 11, I made a deal with the manager of one of the city pools to clean up around the outside if pool each morning if I they would let my family swim for free.   Would leave the house at 5:30 in the morning, took about a hour to clean up. Got to keep all the towels I could bring home.  Found that I could swim faster than most.

Started lifeguarding the summer I turn 16.  Wasn't good pay for the long hours in the sun.  Yeah, my hair was bleached blonde (paying for hours in the sun now).  BUT the visual stimulation was great.  did this for 3 summer till I could get a real summer job.  Found out that I was good enough swimming to get a scholarship for it to attend college.

Worked summers while I was in college, three jobs.   One was working as a surveyor for the local gas company the first summer.  Second was as a swamper on a field crew installing anodes in the ground to prevent electolysis erosion on pipelines.  This job was to make enough money to support me one year at school in 6 weeks of work (had to take a summer classes only provided during summer).  Worked from sun up to sundown 7 days a week.  Not the most fun job I ever had.  Cleared almost a $1000 after paying for room and board at $3/hour.

Last two summer jobs were working for USFS on a timber cruising team.  Also got to spend time as forest fire fighter (only time I got to make overtime pay).

Good memories growing up.  Saved most of the money I made during the summers for college, no motorcycles as Dad said when I was old enough to buy, register, and pay insurance on a motorcycle I could have one.  He also said not under my roof. 

[RDAbull]

I started working at 12, normal kid stuff.
But the BEST:  The summer I turned 18 I had the opportunity to work security for the bands at Indiana Beach in Monticello, IN.  After working on the farm all day, shower and drive the 35 miles over and take the slot that was assigned for the night.  Could be on the boardwalk, the parking lot on in the bandstand ballroom.  The ballroom was usually the assignment because I was a pretty good sized guy in pretty good shape back then.  Provided security for the Airplane, Fleetwood Mac, Turtles, Sonny & Cher,  McCoy's, Kink's, Paul Revere & the Raiders, and some of the groups out of Chicago and Mo-Town that were traveling through while on tour.  It was fun except for the weekend that the Chicago Outlaws decided to come into town, not a fun experience at all.  The pay was only decent but only about half of the booze confiscated in the parking lots got turned in, provided plenty of refreshments for the after work parties.  Ah to be 18 again.

[old2soon]

Helping around the house came FIRST. Then I could find work. Cut grass trimmed hedges and bushes and trees. Shoveled snow in the winter and shoveled gravel at spring thaw. Dad was a junk man in his spare time-weekends. I enjoyed being a junkman. Not Everything was junk-found repairable items and fixed and resold for profit. Had a Big paper route and Dad took me around Sundays cuz the Sunday editions were so cursed Large! For awhile there had about half my customers saving the papers we would then pick up as scrap once a month. I cleaned out garages for the scrap metal and the deposit bottles 12 oz bottles got 2 cents each and quart bottles got a nickel. Learned the value of money and a good work ethic at an early age. First motorized 2 wheeler I flogged was my friends Whizzer!  Growing up I generally had money in my pocket from my labor. I also remember those icy cold R C colas and putting a bag of salted peanuts into the bottle after drinking about a third of it. There's a snack I hadn't thought about in more years than I care to recollect!  RIDE SAFE.

[shortleg]

  I worked at a stable, where I was given a horse to take care of including his stall.
It was great I got there at 6 am cleaned and saddled my horse. Then had to ride the miles of trails
to keep them clear. Now that I think about it, it was like going for a ride now, even had a cool set of saddle bags
to keep all my tools to clear the trails with.
  As any horse person knows I remember going through maybe 2 or 3 pairs of boot a summer because they would rot
off your feet from all the STUFF in the stalls.
     Great job

[cookiedough]

Started mowing lawns at 10,  had three lawns that I took care of.  One was close to 3 acres.  Got paid by job and could mow when I wanted to, usually early in the mornings.   No riding mower, just a good self-propelled mower.  Also did weeding plus trimmed bushes and trees, got paid extra for that.  

When  I was 11, I made a deal with the manager of one of the city pools to clean up around the outside if pool each morning if I they would let my family swim for free.   Would leave the house at 5:30 in the morning, took about a hour to clean up. Got to keep all the towels I could bring home.  Found that I could swim faster than most.

Started lifeguarding the summer I turn 16.  Wasn't good pay for the long hours in the sun.  Yeah, my hair was bleached blonde (paying for hours in the sun now).  BUT the visual stimulation was great.  did this for 3 summer till I could get a real summer job.  Found out that I was good enough swimming to get a scholarship for it to attend college.

Worked summers while I was in college, three jobs.   One was working as a surveyor for the local gas company the first summer.  Second was as a swamper on a field crew installing anodes in the ground to prevent electolysis erosion on pipelines.  This job was to make enough money to support me one year at school in 6 weeks of work (had to take a summer classes only provided during summer).  Worked from sun up to sundown 7 days a week.  Not the most fun job I ever had.  Cleared almost a $1000 after paying for room and board at $3/hour.

Last two summer jobs were working for USFS on a timber cruising team.  Also got to spend time as forest fire fighter (only time I got to make overtime pay).

Good memories growing up.  Saved most of the money I made during the summers for college, no motorcycles as Dad said when I was old enough to buy, register, and pay insurance on a motorcycle I could have one.  He also said not under my roof.  

wow age 10-11 mowing 3 acres with a push mower NO riding mower even if self propelled is a TON of walking for anyone especially age 10 being so young.  Am impressed.

and hear I thought I had it rough age 13 or so doing a paper route for my entire town of 1000 people delivering papers daily M-Sunday for 2-3 hours after school ONLY earning about 30 bucks per week plus having to do collections weekly which totally sucked getting anyone at home before 5 p.m. back then. 

I told my kid to get a paper route saw needing one,  just from now until he starts his junior year in high school is all riding a bicycle pays NO joke about 12 bucks per hour for ONLY 3-4 hours one day per week delivering papers though to about 150 residents in town which is a lot of papers, but NO collections and it pays roughly 12 bucks per hour, not to shabby for 4 hours per week work, gas money at least.  about I think 120 bucks every 2 weeks of pay for only 8+ hours of work is better than nothing.  Kids nowadays though think money grows on trees and he said he will try to get a REAL job helping the school out this summer mowing grass/painting. 

[art]

Not me but my Grand daughter. She is going on 17 this year and working doing cash register for a local store that is mostly fresh organic meats. A few times a week they set up outside for sub sandwiches. Her dad got her a Toyota pickup for free and fixed it up so she could go to school and work. She pays for Ins. and up keep. He liked the truck so much that he got her a used car from a dealer and drives the truck for himself. She works and makes payments on the car,ins, and has enough for herself. Proud of her for doing just what is right and good for herself. She is also a good shot with a rifle and pistol.

[BF]

I started working at 12 at my dad's warehouse  (moving and storage).   Learned to drive a tuck (tractor and trailer) around the lot and sweat alot moving furniture.  Got to drive truck a little bit at 15...as long as my older brother was along.

That bought my first three bikes.  All three of them itialian Harleys, 50cc, 125cc and a 250cc Sprint.

Then my dad died.

Got my first job myself working for the local small city.  Did everything from wacking weeds by hand with a sling blade for weeks on end to riding on the back of a garbage truck.  I got humbled that summer.

That job bought me my 1964 Chevelle Malibu.  

Next summer job was a pump jockey at a 24/7 gas station...the only one in town at that time back then.  Worked the midnight shift.  That job bought wheels and tires and a few other goodies for the Chevelle.

Last "summer" job I ever had was working at a local franchise called Chandler's Hamburgers.  Meet alot of girls there, but like others, that place taught me that food service was something for others and not for me.

I don't think that any of them were best by any means....they all taught me something.  If I had to chose I guess it would be the gas station job.  I kinda liked that job a little.

[Mr.BubblesVRCCDS0008]

I cut rice on a farm in a small texas town. We were about 6 miles from any town. the farmer had two beautiful daughters and they also helped cut rice.The farmer down the road also had four daughters and another had two. The freinds of all the girls also came out to the farm from town all summer long. I got paid 10 dollars a day with meals. We worked 7 days week until the crop was in the dryers. Hell I should have paid the farmer just to work there.

[G-Man]

Shorehaven Beach Club.  Flipping burgers.  I was 17 and the neglected, rich MILFs were plenty.    

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

I had some pretty crappy jobs and one good one as a teenager who had to buy his own motorcycles (and booze:-) ). I started mowing yards at 9 or so. I helped an old man with a TV repair shop sometimes just cleaning things up for him, he was a good guy and paid me more than I deserved. I de-tasseled corn during season and trimmed Christmas trees during that season in a "hardcore PoDunk" area where many of the homes still had dirt floors. There were some pretty sketchy characters working on that crew, I was probably 12 then and a couple of brothers in particular made the deliverance people seem like "just regular folks". One of those brothers only had 9 fingers because while working on a county road crew they found out that losing a finger paid $1000. One brother put his finger on a stump,  the other brother chopped it off and they went home to wait on their money. And that my friends is a true story. It paid $1.25 an hour and there was a $0.75 per hour retroactive bonus if you lasted the entire season. I worked there several seasons.

Best job was when I was 13 and got on as a lifeguard at a private lake. I had to cut my ponytail off and it was an 8 mile bicycle ride each way but... There were girls there . Anytime there were less than 8 swimmers in the water I was allowed to swim. My meals were free in the lake restaurant. There was good (and free for me) fishing there. And, there were girls! Didn't pay much but I was paid to watch over girls in bathing suits. I'm sure there were guys there too, but I can't remember em, must not have been very noticeable.

[boss hoss bill]

When I was 13, I worked at Comiskey Park (White Sox) in Chicago. Pepsi get your ice cold Pepsi here!
Paid pretty good for those days (1959).

Then at 15, I landed a job working on the grounds crew for the Cubs at Wrigley field. Had to join the janitors union as I got the job thru a neighbor who worked for the union. Paid 165 per week back in 1961.
Saved my money to buy my first car ay age 16, a 55 Chevy with a 348 tri- power motor.

Worst job was the next year cleaning out boilers in large apartment buildings. Paid real well but was dirty, backbreaking work. Some of these furnaces were part of the boiler and were over 6 feet deep. Hand shoveled them out. But, I was young and strong and wanted a Corvette. Got my first one, a 1962 that I wish I had today!

My parents instilled the work ethic in me and while I would have liked to have had the summer off and chased girls all summer at the beach, I had to just chase 'em in my off times on the weekends!
But I got my cars and spending money for gas and cigarettes, which were both about .25 apiece!

[art]

I had some pretty crappy jobs and one good one as a teenager who had to buy his own motorcycles (and booze:-) ). I started mowing yards at 9 or so. I helped an old man with a TV repair shop sometimes just cleaning things up for him, he was a good guy and paid me more than I deserved. I de-tasseled corn during season and trimmed Christmas trees during that season in a "hardcore PoDunk" area where many of the homes still had dirt floors. There were some pretty sketchy characters working on that crew, I was probably 12 then and a couple of brothers in particular made the deliverance people seem like "just regular folks". One of those brothers only had 9 fingers because while working on a county road crew they found out that losing a finger paid $1000. One brother put his finger on a stump,  the other brother chopped it off and they went home to wait on their money. And that my friends is a true story. It paid $1.25 an hour and there was a $0.75 per hour retroactive bonus if you lasted the entire season. I worked there several seasons.

Best job was when I was 13 and got on as a lifeguard at a private lake. I had to cut my ponytail off and it was an 8 mile bicycle ride each way but... There were girls there . Anytime there were less than 8 swimmers in the water I was allowed to swim. My meals were free in the lake restaurant. There was good (and free for me) fishing there. And, there were girls! Didn't pay much but I was paid to watch over girls in bathing suits. I'm sure there were guys there too, but I can't remember em, must not have been very noticeable.

          That finger thing made me think of a friend I had when I was about 17. He worked in a shoe factory and was running a leather cutting shear.when somehow he got his hands in the machine. It chopped I'm assuming shoe leather size pieces of his hands and arms all the way up to his shoulders when some one shut the machine down. When I last seen him he had mechanical arms. Back in the early 60s they didn't work too well. Damn shame at that age to lose your arms.

[J.Mencalice]

Canada Dry for four years. Warehouseman, Helper, and eventually Driver.  Teamster.  Great wages for an 18 year old kid; money in my pocket and saving for next year's college tuition, room & board.        Loading trucks and heading home at midnight on my 1967 CL450 to empty streets in 1969 or taking a cruise down to the beach to check out the surf with buddies in tow.  Rhody summers.

[JimC]

Not sure which one was the best, but I had some great summer jobs as a kid.

From the time I was 10-12 I worked at the Kean gas station two doors away (88th and Halsted) pumping gas and checking oil at the island. After I started HS I started working after school at Montgomery Wards, mounting tires.
Summer after 8th grade I worked for a neighbor as a locksmith apprentice.
Summer after Freshman year I worked for Electro Motive, a division of GM that made their trains and engines.
Summer after Sophomore and Jr years I worked as a garbage man for the City of Chicago. (large rats, but good pay)
Summer after Sr. year, I worked for the City of Chicago again this time on the asphalt gang patching streets. (hot stinky wortk but great pay)

Then off to college and marriage and working to support a family and not just the next party.

Jim

[Gryphon Rider]

Between my two years at tech school, I and two others worked for the GC site supervisor on an office renovation project doing the work that wasn't part of the scopes of the sub-trades.  The worst part of the job was smashing and removing mirrors that were glued to walls; glass slivers are not pleasant.  The best part was that the job was the executive offices on the top two floors of a 32-storey office building in downtown Calgary.  We had a terrific 360° view of the city and it was really interesting to watch the weather as it moved over the landscape.  On sunny days we would head down to the street for lunch, this particular street being only for pedestrians, and at lunch time was filled with dressed-to-impressed young women.  Like Frye and his lifeguard job, I am sure that there were men on the street as well, but they didn't make quite the same impression on me.  The work-related thing that I remember is when we had a double-door steel doorframe that we had to bring up that wouldn't fit in the elevator, so two of us had to ride with it on top of the elevator car, moving slowly up all 31 or 32 floors.

The building where I worked is directly above the woman in the orange shirt in this photo.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Canadians sure will go to some extremes to save on the cost of a gym membership.