I got my first job when I was 12.
My father died the week before my 10th birthday. My mother, who was born in 1907, had never worked in her life. Back then, women stayed home and took care of the house and the children.
She never really went to high school. She went to a rural one room school house in North Carolina which ended when she was about 15.
It took her almost 2 years to find a job after my father died. We had to live on savings for that time.
Finally she found a job at a ladie's clothing store called "Virginia Dare"
That summer, she got me a job at the store. At first, I worked mostly as the "stock girl". Unpacking all the boxes of clothes, hanging and arranging all the clothes on the racks and counters.
Soon, they found out that I was very good at math, so in addition to being the stock girl, I became the bookkeeper too. We had an old adding machine that had to be cranked by hand and every day, I would balance the books and make the deposit and take it to the bank.
We worked from 8 am til 6 pm and for that I received the princely sum of $3. 9 cents was taken out for social security tax.
From then on, I paid for all my clothes, shoes, school supplies and lunches, movies and anything else I needed. I learned out to save and budget at a very early age. I was the first girl in my high school to have her own car cause I saved to buy it.
I am glad I started early!
My first job!
April 28th, 2012 at 02:16 pm
April 28th, 2012 at 02:51 pm 1335624680
April 28th, 2012 at 03:21 pm 1335626496
April 28th, 2012 at 03:26 pm 1335626796
My dad has a similar story, and so was definitely how we were raised. {Though it is nice to work because you are learning to manage money and have parents who want to teach you, versus being forced into that situation. I am well aware of the difference - I know it was VERY different for my dad}.
I was just thinking the other day it was no surprise my spouse and I did meet and were so compatible - so few of our peers were expected to work even well into their 20s. We both had good/steady jobs at age 14/15. We met at work, when we were both 18.
April 28th, 2012 at 03:50 pm 1335628222
April 28th, 2012 at 06:30 pm 1335637837
April 28th, 2012 at 09:36 pm 1335649007
May 1st, 2012 at 06:39 pm 1335897546