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debm55

(25,606 posts) Sun Mar 3, 2024, 11:58 AM Mar 3

What was your first job as an adult? After 18 I worked 20-30 hours a- weeks in a work study at Penn State cleaning [View all]

Last edited Sun Mar 3, 2024, 02:07 PM - Edit history (2)

crap off of dishes for 2.40 per hour in the Dining Hall and went to school full time. After college. Worked in a city school in NW Philadelphia.

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What was your first job as an adult? After 18 I worked 20-30 hours a- weeks in a work study at Penn State cleaning [View all] debm55 Mar 3 OP

Claims Rep for Social Security CanonRay Mar 3 #1

Thank you CanonRay, debm55 Mar 3 #2

Photographer for a small daily newspaper, Dover Delaware. Walleye Mar 3 #3

Thank you, Walleye. debm55 Mar 3 #4

Copy reader for a newspaper. It sucked. Ocelot II Mar 3 #5

TY Ocelot II, glad you moved on. debm55 Mar 3 #9

I lasted only a few months; it was a terrible job. Ocelot II Mar 3 #20

Thank you Ocelot II Did you ever find a good job. I was too afraid to move on, and but up with the bullshit. debm55 Mar 3 #25

Yes. A couple of pretty good careers, actually. Ocelot II Mar 3 #27

At 18 or 21? 2naSalit Mar 3 #6

Thank you 2naSalit. You had a lot of varied jobs. debm55 Mar 3 #10

Sure did. 2naSalit Mar 3 #12

My first job was as a machinist in high school, after two years in tech school. House of Roberts Mar 3 #7

Ty House of Roberts. You were very good at the trade to have lasted that long. debm55 Mar 3 #11

Planned Parenthood Rebl2 Mar 3 #8

thank you Rebl2. did the job last long? debm55 Mar 3 #13

I started as Rebl2 Mar 3 #24

Thank you Rebl2. The stress could have added to your condition. debm55 Mar 3 #91

Probably so Rebl2 Mar 3 #98

US Air Force anciano Mar 3 #14

Thank you anciano and thank you for your service. debm55 Mar 3 #16

Architectural designer grumpyduck Mar 3 #15

Thank you grumpyduck. Was it a life long career? debm55 Mar 3 #17

Pretty much. grumpyduck Mar 3 #71

Grew up in Walpole..moved to Framingham MA I know Digital Equip Co.. asiliveandbreathe Mar 3 #66

Thank you, asiliveandbreathe. debm55 Mar 3 #92

Textile mill. Stripping bobbins. Started the Monday after hs graduation. keithbvadu2 Mar 3 #18

Thank you keithbvadu2 and thank you for serving our country. debm55 Mar 3 #21

Depends on what is considered "adult". As a youngster, some tutoring and this place: usonian Mar 3 #19

Thank you usonian and thank you for serving our country. debm55 Mar 3 #22

"Over 1 million served," lol. n/t malthaussen Mar 3 #34

Probably a claim some attorneys would like to make. n/t discntnt_irny_srcsm Mar 3 #80

hahaha debm55 Mar 3 #94

Teletype operator Basic LA Mar 3 #23

Wouldn't the military service count first? niyad Mar 3 #79

Now that you mention it. Basic LA Mar 3 #82

Thank you Basic LA debm55 Mar 3 #95

Thank you for the job and the service to our country. debm55 Mar 5 #122

Thank you, debm! Basic LA Mar 5 #123

First job out of high school Rastapopoulos Mar 3 #26

Thank you Rastapopoulos. debm55 Mar 3 #96

Worked in medical records at University Hospital while attending school. walkingman Mar 3 #28

Ty walkingman .did you go into the medical field. debm55 Mar 3 #43

No, I am an electrical engineer but after graduating I considered going to Med School walkingman Mar 3 #50

Me, too mnhtnbb Mar 3 #56

TY mntnbb debm55 Mar 3 #97

Key Punch and Card Sorter operator at 21. Multiple things prior to that. Worked in small privately owned sinkingfeeling Mar 3 #29

TY sinkingfeeling, That's a shame what happened to you when you were pregnant. Did you have a Union? Or was it done to debm55 Mar 3 #42

Perfectly legal in Ohio in 1969. sinkingfeeling Mar 3 #59

Yup, I wasn't even PG; Backseat Driver Mar 3 #81

TY Backseat Driver. Congratulations to you and your hubby. debm55 Mar 3 #100

US Army Sailingdiver Mar 3 #30

Ty Salingdiver. did you carry that over to a full time job? Thank you for your service. debm55 Mar 3 #40

Vaccinating chickens at Decoster egg farms in Maine jpak Mar 3 #31

Wow, did you have any time for you? TY jpak. debm55 Mar 3 #37

Nope only whatever sleep we couldn't get jpak Mar 3 #44

I guess you'd have to define "adult." malthaussen Mar 3 #32

Thank you Mal. Did you pix the paints? Yes, anything over 18 would be an adult. debm55 Mar 3 #36

Yeah, among other things. There was a large binder with all the recipies... malthaussen Mar 3 #46

In my younger years, True Dough Mar 3 #33

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHa, Ty True Dough, debm55 Mar 3 #35

Oh my coffee! Niagara Mar 3 #67

I won't quit True Dough Mar 3 #73

Hahaha! Niagara Mar 3 #74

Self-delete. Duplicate post. Niagara Mar 3 #75

A somewhat primitive version of the same job I have now DFW Mar 3 #38

Congratulations to you DFW, To last at a job for 49 years is great. debm55 Mar 3 #48

Not a typical situation, I'm well aware DFW Mar 3 #53

Congratulations to you and the wife. debm55 Mar 3 #99

Congratulations especially to me DFW Mar 4 #115

First after high school, DoD office staff. First after college, legal editor niyad Mar 3 #39

Thank you niyad your jobs sound very outstanding. debm55 Mar 3 #49

Those were not even the really interesting ones! niyad Mar 3 #78

Long distance Operator for AT&T. Had other jobs but stayed with AT&T for 30+ years Deuxcents Mar 3 #41

Ty you Deuxcents. Thirty years with AT & T is a long time. I taught for 42 years. Many times wanted to quit , Mostly debm55 Mar 3 #51

bank teller in Cambridge MA yellowdogintexas Mar 3 #45

Ty, yellowdogintexas. Have you looked for a different job? debm55 Mar 5 #138

That was in 1969-71!! I ended up in the medical insurance business, as a claims analyst yellowdogintexas Mar 7 #144

Thank you, yellowdogintexas, debm55 Mar 7 #146

A&R executive at a music firm PJMcK Mar 3 #47

TY, PJMcK. What a great post. debm55 Mar 7 #153

deb, you pose such interesting queries! (N/t) PJMcK Mar 7 #163

Thank you. PJMcK. debm55 Mar 7 #168

Edie's enid602 Mar 3 #52

Thank you, enid602 debm55 Mar 7 #147

Program director at university in health education, WheelWalker Mar 3 #54

WheelWalker, Ty debm55 Mar 7 #148

Worked at a brand new department store TexasBushwhacker Mar 3 #55

Ty TexasBushwhacker. That's a shame that that happened to you. debm55 Mar 7 #150

It all worked out for the best TexasBushwhacker Mar 7 #164

My first full time job would have been as a disc jockey and music director at a top 40 FM station. rsdsharp Mar 3 #57

Thank you rsdsharp. What a change of career. debm55 Mar 7 #154

Well, after that I sold jewelry, then went to law school, and practiced law for 33 years. rsdsharp Mar 8 #173

Accounting Clerk at Fairchild Aerial Surveys for $1.65 per hour. LoisB Mar 3 #58

Thank you , LoisB, How long did you last. I thought mine was bad at 2,40 debm55 Mar 3 #61

I lasted a year. For me at that time, $1.65 was like a gift from heaven. I think that was minimum wage. LoisB Mar 3 #63

Seems a crime they got away with paying people so little back then. brush Mar 3 #70

True however, LoisB Mar 3 #84

The summer after I graduated high school mnhtnbb Mar 3 #60

TY mnhtnbb. That was alot to expect from someone your age. You must have been very good at your job. debm55 Mar 3 #62

I had a record number of volunteer hours mnhtnbb Mar 4 #111

Congratu;ations. mnhtnbb. debm55 Mar 4 #113

After high school, Bayard Mar 3 #64

Ty Bayard. At the time, we thought it as alot , but we worked alot for that 2.50 an hour. debm55 Mar 7 #157

My senior year in HS..started as telephone operator, New England Telco.. asiliveandbreathe Mar 3 #65

TY asiliveand breathe. You had alot of varied jobs. debm55 Mar 7 #161

determined the sex of (dead) mosquitoes umroman Mar 3 #68

Thank you umroman. That's a different job. debm55 Mar 3 #90

I'm going to give several answers due to the fact that I paid for my own car at 16 years old. Niagara Mar 3 #69

Thank you, Niagara. My teaching job wasn't Union either. Twelve years was long in the manufacturing business. debm55 Mar 3 #89

carrying heavy things mike_c Mar 3 #72

TY mike_c debm55 Mar 3 #88

Landscape laborer during summer breaks from college and law school. First real job after law school county prosecutor Pepsidog Mar 3 #76

Thank you Pepsidog. debm55 Mar 3 #87

I worked for a title company recording real estate transactions kimbutgar Mar 3 #77

Thank you kimbutgar. Wow, your career had a great ending. debm55 Mar 3 #86

Cafeteria worker in college dorm, hotel housekeeper, Demovictory9 Mar 3 #83

Thank you Demovictory9 debm55 Mar 3 #85

My first job when I was 18 was one that Mr.Bill Mar 3 #93

Ty Mr. Bill great post. It's a shame you made so little for all the work you did. debm55 Mar 5 #140

Well, I was only a high school kid living at home. Mr.Bill Mar 5 #142

A sales clerk Mme. Defarge Mar 3 #101

Please! Tell us about it! Aristus Mar 3 #106

About the cigar store? Mme. Defarge Mar 3 #107

No! Nightclub singer in Morocco! How has no one ever done a movie about that? Aristus Mar 3 #108

It was 1968. Mme. Defarge Mar 3 #109

I'm looking forward to it. Aristus Mar 4 #110

Since you asked. . . Mme. Defarge Mar 4 #117

I would watch the HELL out of that movie! Aristus Mar 4 #119

Merci! Mme. Defarge Mar 5 #134

Graduated high school in 1966, started working at AT&T for $2.10 an hour in Arlington Va in doc03 Mar 3 #102

Thank you doc03, I lived near a steel mill ,too. They paid much better. Congratulations on your 40 years. debm55 Mar 7 #158

My first job as an adult was in Army Intelligence jmowreader Mar 3 #103

First of all, thank you for your service to our country, jmowreader. You have had a varied and unique career. debm55 Mar 7 #171

My First Job dai13sy Mar 3 #104

TY dai13sy. did you get freebies? debm55 Mar 7 #169

I joined the Army at age seventeen. So, the Army. Aristus Mar 3 #105

Excellent post, Aristus. My late FIL was a Marine lifer. The family moved around alot but had excellent money and debm55 Mar 4 #116

With regard to your work experience in the private sector - Mme. Defarge Mar 4 #118

I've never danced backwards in high heels. But I'm willing to give it a try, if you want me to. Aristus Mar 5 #135

Okay, so I lied Mme. Defarge Mar 5 #136

I knew what you meant, and I'm sorry you experienced that. Aristus Mar 5 #139

Like you, Mme. Defarge Mar 5 #141

US Navy as an adult. Emile Mar 4 #112

Thank you Emile. You are a very hard worker. thank you for your service in the military. debm55 Mar 4 #114

Technically, I was paid as a musician before working some regular jobs in college. LudwigPastorius Mar 4 #120

Thank you Ludwig, you had a varued of jobs. debm55 Mar 5 #121

I did, and they each taught me a very important lesson. LudwigPastorius Mar 5 #124

Worked making mobile homes Old Crank Mar 5 #125

Thank you Old Crank. We had a mobile home plant near to us that made Scottie Trailers. debm55 Mar 7 #159

Ma Bell- as a directory assistant. FalloutShelter Mar 5 #126

Ty FalloutShelter, that would have made me go bonkers. debm55 Mar 7 #170

At 18 my first job was with UPS. They offer tuition reimbursement that paid from my college tuition. MenloParque Mar 5 #127

Dictaphone typist for a credit bureau SARose Mar 5 #129

SaRose, Ty . Yes, pay was very low. I worked the summers at the local Penn State branch campus. It was 2.40 per hour. I debm55 Mar 5 #133

Great post, MeniolPerque. TY. debm55 Mar 5 #137

As an adult...US Army -misanthroptimist Mar 5 #128

Thank you for your service, -misanthroptismist. You also have a long time. debm55 Mar 5 #132

Graduated high school age 16. The summer after graduation PoindexterOglethorpe Mar 5 #130

PoindexterOglethorpe, you have a long and varied work experience. TY debm55 Mar 5 #131

I also was an airline ticket agent for ten years, PoindexterOglethorpe Mar 5 #143

PoindexterOglethorpe.. Thank you, and yes, you did have a bunch of stuff. debm55 Mar 7 #167

Thank you. PoindexterOglethorpe Mar 7 #172

The Lost Colony. OldBaldy1701E Mar 7 #145

Ty OldBaldy1701E. It sounds wounderful debm55 Mar 7 #149

Biochem/Mol Bio lab flunkie limbicnuminousity Mar 7 #151

Ty limbicuminousity, That was a lot of work you did. debm55 Mar 7 #156

Wilderness Trail Crew pfitz59 Mar 7 #152

Ty, pfitz, What a wonderful job. debm55 Mar 7 #155

After I dropped out of school and before I enlisted DemMedic Mar 7 #160

Ty you DemMedic and thank you for your service to our country. debm55 Mar 7 #166

Dining hall at Rutgers-Livingston College Wicked Blue Mar 7 #162

TY Wicked Blue. Dining Hall work was crappy. I worked in the Dishwashing area. debm55 Mar 7 #165