What was your hourly wage at your first job?
- Thread starter SMemmett
- Start date
$3.85 @ McDonald's (Council and Reno) in 1991. This aligned with minimum wage. I got promoted to $4.25 pretty quickly then had minimum wage change and suddenly was back to a $4.25/hr minimum wage employee. Pissed me off as I was suddenly back to 'equal' with the base employee who barely lifted a finger and all my hard work to advance was relegated to squat.
1985 Summer job at Whirlpool Fort Smith over $10 an hour and regular worked 60 hours a week. Did that for 2 summers. Made an insane amount of money for school.
Also the worse job I have ever had. There is nothing worse than a factory job.
Also the worse job I have ever had. There is nothing worse than a factory job.
$1.65 at the Steer Inn in Cushing - 1979... That is if you don't count the paper route before that.
That was roughly half the minimum wage, though I was a busboy somehow it was justified as a tip earning position.
That was roughly half the minimum wage, though I was a busboy somehow it was justified as a tip earning position.
You may have brought out a few of our "fancy night out" dinners when I was a kid
I like this answer. Hauling hay is a tough day at the office.
As someone who has mixed mud on a drilling site at 2AM when its 20 degrees and snowing outside, I will argue about worst jobs.
Loading trucks (particularly in the South in the summer) simply sucks. No argument from me there.
I used to throw papers, not sure about the hourly rate; that was 1977-1979.
I announced baseball games and kept the official score for two summers, 1979 - 1980. I believe I was paid $7 per game, plus free sodas and hot dogs.
I then worked for my football coaches cutting grass and other landscape duties and was paid $7/hour I think (may have been 6), which was really good in 1981. Also got $25/week to walk the perimeter off a big retail commercial property (where Casa Bonita was formerly housed in Tulsa) and pick up all the trash on the grass prior to cutting day. Saw a lot of Arriba and Wild Irish Rose wine bottles around in back and an occasional MD 20/20.
I actually don't think I ever made less than $4.50 per on an hourly job.
I announced baseball games and kept the official score for two summers, 1979 - 1980. I believe I was paid $7 per game, plus free sodas and hot dogs.
I then worked for my football coaches cutting grass and other landscape duties and was paid $7/hour I think (may have been 6), which was really good in 1981. Also got $25/week to walk the perimeter off a big retail commercial property (where Casa Bonita was formerly housed in Tulsa) and pick up all the trash on the grass prior to cutting day. Saw a lot of Arriba and Wild Irish Rose wine bottles around in back and an occasional MD 20/20.
I actually don't think I ever made less than $4.50 per on an hourly job.
It is because I have never worked a day in my life.
Made $10 to $50 an hour mowing lawns in the early 80's then winter came and made $3.35 an hour busing tables.
Worst job was insulating attics in 1990 after the tornado hit Stillwater. 105 degrees outside and 140 plus in the attics. Tow layers of clothes and the fiberglass still made me itch.
Worst job was insulating attics in 1990 after the tornado hit Stillwater. 105 degrees outside and 140 plus in the attics. Tow layers of clothes and the fiberglass still made me itch.
$1 an hour at the old hardware store in Eufaula after school and full time in summers. I was 13.
Now that I look back on that, no taxes were deducted, so that doesn’t meet the criteria established in the first post.
Still counts to me, though.
Now that I look back on that, no taxes were deducted, so that doesn’t meet the criteria established in the first post.
Still counts to me, though.
My dad has owned a janitorial company for 40+ years. Cleaned buildings in the summer for 8 bucks an hour. 2005.
I can think of several potential reasons why you asked the question in the first place. So why’d you ask?
I'm a high school teacher, and had a conversation about first jobs with a class the other day. I teach at a fairly affluent district, and I was wanting to compare their experiences with mine and others of different times/areas.
No ulterior motive or anything.
One summer I unloaded trucks. These were full of Eveready batteries. Boxes about 1 foot square were stacked on the floor 6 layers high and had to be picked up and placed on pallets. 40,000 pounds per trailer and unloaded 2 trailers per day. Worst part was breathing forklift driver's exhaust.
Certainly didn’t mean to imply such!
Would be interested in knowing the overall impact of learning a good work ethic early in life. I can guess the results of a broad study, but if you’re looking to cut down on crime, juvenile delinquency, drug use, improve personal character and so on, this would be a great place to start.
4.75 sacking groceries at Stillwater iga 1997. Benefits from high school and college check out girls...not taxable. Share that with your class.
