Wrike-Up Wednesday: My First Job Flashback! 🔙

My first job was at a call center that was above a mortuary and our office windows overlooked a golf course. I was 15, it was HORRIBLE. I think I lasted 3 days. The "job" consisted of cold calling people from a stack stapled copy pages and reading a script to get them to register for some marketing meeting in exchange for a free steak dinner. No clue how people ended up on the list. I learned:

1. I don't like talking to strangers on the phone
2. I have a knack for processing and organizing information
3. I don't follow rules well :)

My first job was packing 3 golf balls, tees and a golf towel into a package for my neighbor - for 5 cents a unit.  I found out about the truth of employment when I was made redundant due to it being cheaper to offshore the packaging.  :D

My first job was working in a homewares store. I worked in the warehouse and in the shop. One day we were playing cricket in the warehouse and got busted playing cricket. He did see the funny side but told us not to do it again!

I had just completed the first three months of onboarding at the company’s headquarters and was moving into my apartment near the new workplace. The next day, I arrived at the company and found everyone in shock: the day before, there had been a company meeting where it was announced that all production employees would be laid off and production would be relocated.
My manager (from the development department) reassured me that my position was not affected since development would remain.
Still, I decided to move on after just one year. My trust in the location had been shaken, and I didn't want to relocate my family there under those circumstances.

Well, besides always babysitting my brother, my first encounter that lasted about a week when I was 14, was at a warehouse. My greatest memory of what we did was trying to figure out how to make rubber bands shoot the farthest. After that, my first "real" job was at a printing company where I stayed for years and was promoted to Manager upon high school graduation.

My first job was selling shoes at Finish Line. I definitely learned that pleasing indecisive people can be quite challenging. 

My first job was doing a few different jobs for a university library! I loved the people I worked with throughout my time there. 

A valuable skill I learned was determination in finding articles and books for professors' research articles. This job not only helped me get a student job during college, but also helped me to be relentless in finding answers on Google to my coding questions/problems!

My first job was as a cashier and phone operator at a car dealership. It was some great lessons in soft skills. 

One of the first jobs I remember getting paid for was landscaping. My neighbor was living abroad and I worked with my dad to mow the law, weed-wack, take care of the flower beds and I learned a little pool maintenance too!

My very first job was tutoring younger students in math and English during high school. What surprised me the most was how much I learned by teaching others. Explaining concepts forced me to understand them more deeply, and I developed a lot of patience and communication skills along the way.

One memory I’ll never forget: a quiet student who struggled with fractions finally lit up when something clicked—we ended the session high-fiving over a worksheet. That moment taught me how rewarding it is to help someone grow and feel confident. It stuck with me ever since.

My first job was digitizing maps which was used to power Nokia Maps...

My first job was a hostess turned waitress at a small town local Chinese food restaurant. I leaned people skills. Time management and that i loved more food then they had on the menu, they were my second family. 

My first job was as a receptionist at a hair salon. I learned great fundamentals in teamwork, customer service, and time management—especially predicting wait times. Once, a customer got upset and began yelling when I estimated an over an hour-long wait for his usual stylist. My manager backed me immediately, and after a heated exchange, the customer was asked to leave. 

The experience taught me the value of professionalism under pressure and the importance of working for a team that has your back.

Technically, my first job was babysitting! Growing up, I always babysat for the little girls next door. It was so much fun watching them grow up. 

My first job with a true paycheck was at a local brewery/restaurant. I was a hostess and absolutely LOVED the interaction with all of the customers.  

My first job was at a family friend's insurance company, inputting new customer information into our CRM system. I learned very quickly that I don't enjoy repetitive jobs and prefer talking with people, but it was a great learning experience!

I was a cashier at a local grocery store in high school. I learned a lot about bad management, unfair work practices, and what it feels like to be sexually harassed. Looking back, it definitely helped put into perspective what a GOOD job is.

Kitchen Prep at TGI Fridays... I chopped a TON of lettuce 

My first job after graduating from college was a research associate for sweet corn research in a vegetable seed company.

I got my start in carpentry when I was just 15, working with a Finnish finish carpenter. He was incredibly patient, and I learned so much during those few years—everything from rough framing to the fine details of craftsmanship woodworking.

The values he lived by really stuck with me, and they still guide me today.

Table View

During my first month of work (it was my very first job) as a bank teller, I experienced a robbery. A robber had grabbed my colleague with a box cutter to his throat, and I, cornered by my tie, was led into the vault to hand over all the money. Fortunately, I only handed over "exploding bait money," and even when asked, "Are these explosive?", I remained calm and collected and answered with absolute conviction. The robber didn't realize anything until he exited the bank, and all the "fake" money emitted smoke, forcing him to abandon it.

The lesson learned?
In high-stress situations, breathe and stay calm, and if you have to lie, don't let it show... 😅

Worked at a recycling factory. Loud machines, weird smells!

I actually saw how much work goes into something most people don’t think twice about. 

Good times, weird smells.

My first job was as an administrative assistant at a law firm, where I learned two important life lessons: 1) I definitely didn’t want to be a lawyer, and 2) a strongly worded letter on legal letterhead can solve more problems than you'd think.

For my first job I worked as a waiter at my local pizza shop. The job was a great way for me to get my toes wet in customer service and I still carry a lot of the lessons learned there with me today. 

My first "job" was at a Dairy Queen. I applied and they had me come back the next day for a shift. I don't remember filling out any paperwork. I worked for maybe 3 or 4 hours and left. Never got paid, and never went back. It was a very odd experience as a 13-year-old. 

My first job was teaching young boys' gymnastics classes! I learned how to take command over a group (especially one full of squirrely 8 year olds), to make a plan with the ability to be flexible, and how to not take the small stuff too seriously.

My first job was as a grocery bagger at Food Lion at 15. Apparently, there was a bet going on how long I'd last hauling tons of carts out in the Texas heat.

I learned persistence. 

My first "job" was babysitting neighborhood kids.  Then CVS!

My first job was at a fast food restaurant called Red Rooster.  I learnt how to work in a fast paced environment, customer service skills and how to deal with irate customers!  There's nothing like telling customers that a chicken shop has run out of chicken!!  It was also very fun and it was a great group of people.

I was a Camp counselor in charge of teaching boyscouts First Aid and Emergency Preparedness.