One of my first jobs out of college in the mid-1980's was as a mortgage collector for a bank that financed mobile homes in TX, OK, AR, and LA. I had a company car and my job was to collect on past-due loans in person.

Once, in Arkansas, I met with a real hillbilly family that hadn't made a house payment in nine months. After I introduced myself, their high school kid said to his father, "Daddy, let's take him out back and shoot him". He was totally serious. Fortunately, the father told me that he had filed bankruptcy and a lawyer would take care of it.

There were a couple situations like that and I was only making about $8 or $9 per hour. After a year, I had enough and took an office job with an insurance company.

Edit: I hold no grudge against Arkansas. My family goes there often for vacations. We rent a cabin on a lake and it's really nice.

My 1st job was fine but that $1.65 an hour minimum wage sucked

$3.00 to mow lawns.

But gas was as low as $0.15

When I was 14 I took a subcontract job of removing styrene forms from within prestressed concrete long span beams.

Basically had to crawl through a man-mad tunnel sporting a miners hat and removing material with a handheld pickaxe... although in the mid-seventies, 5 bucks a beam wasn't that bad of pay.

Never any jobs I loathed, more the people I worked with than the job. One of my favorite was in HS working at the Sigmor Shamrock gas station across from HS. Got paid $.2.25/hr to pump Ethel.

(08-04-2013 08:06 AM)Paul M Wrote:  $3.00 to mow lawns.

But gas was as low as $0.15

Paul you and I are old timers I vividly remember my Dad buying gasoline at .18 and while it was being pumped the attendant was washing the windshield, topping off fluids and airing up the tires. These were adult men raising a family with that single income. I always thought that little change maker they wore on their belt was the coolest thing ever.

I've mentioned in here before that my parents were teachers. Well, one year my dad offered me and my brother the contract to change the combination to all their lockers. He was the principal so I guess he took the contract and made us do the work. He paid us the full amount but it took forever. Me and my brother going down the halls of the largest high school in the county with a list of combinations for eight hours a day for weeks. Pretty much ruined my vacation.

Positive Rep me and I'll vote for Obama in 2016

I delivered singing telegrams. One day I got locked out of my car with a bouquet of balloons in a chicken costume.

Counting cars at intersections for use in a signal timing study. 11 hours a day. As monotonous as it sounds.

(08-04-2013 08:33 AM)Stick4489 Wrote:  I delivered singing telegrams. One day I got locked out of my car with a bouquet of balloons in a chicken costume.

I think you just won the Grand Prize

(08-04-2013 08:19 AM)bevotex Wrote:  Never any jobs I loathed, more the people I worked with than the job. One of my favorite was in HS working at the Sigmor Shamrock gas station across from HS. Got paid $.2.25/hr to pump Ethel.

I take it Fred never caught the two of you.

Working in the Tobacco field. Everything from cropping to hanging and taking out barns. It is nasty, hot, hard work. I will however say that as a kid in the 70's.. nothing could top the pay of $40 per day working from 7 to noon.

I saved enough from the fields to pay cash for my first used car...a 1967 Mercury Comet Capri 2 door. Payed $650 for it. Damn I wish I had that car now. Lots of good times.

On thing for sure...Doing this taught me that I wanted to get an education so I would not have to do this type of work again. I think all teens should do this. Maybe the drop out rate would be less.

(08-04-2013 08:56 AM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  I saved enough from the fields to pay cash for my first used car...a 1967 Mercury Comet Capri 2 door. Payed $650 for it. Damn I wish I had that car now. Lots of good times.

Worked and paid cash for my first car also at the age of 15. $300 for a '65 Mustang. And like you, damn, wish I still had that car.

(08-04-2013 09:09 AM)Paul M Wrote:  

(08-04-2013 08:56 AM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  I saved enough from the fields to pay cash for my first used car...a 1967 Mercury Comet Capri 2 door. Payed $650 for it. Damn I wish I had that car now. Lots of good times.

Worked and paid cash for my first car also at the age of 15. $300 for a '65 Mustang. And like you, damn, wish I still had that car.

My Merc had the same 289 as your Stang. It had an incredible passing gear. I sold it when I went to college to a guy that fixed it up and put it on the drag strip.

The main reason I would like to have it back is that it is rare. It was one of the few Ford products that had a body by Fisher. I remember the carriage logo on the door step. I have searched the internet and I can't even find a good pic of the car.

(08-04-2013 08:44 AM)Paul M Wrote:  

(08-04-2013 08:19 AM)bevotex Wrote:  Never any jobs I loathed, more the people I worked with than the job. One of my favorite was in HS working at the Sigmor Shamrock gas station across from HS. Got paid $.2.25/hr to pump Ethel.

I take it Fred never caught the two of you.

(08-04-2013 08:56 AM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  Working in the Tobacco field. Everything from cropping to hanging and taking out barns. It is nasty, hot, hard work. I will however say that as a kid in the 70's.. nothing could top the pay of $40 per day working from 7 to noon.

I saved enough from the fields to pay cash for my first used car...a 1967 Mercury Comet Capri 2 door. Payed $650 for it. Damn I wish I had that car now. Lots of good times.

On thing for sure...Doing this taught me that I wanted to get an education so I would not have to do this type of work again. I think all teens should do this. Maybe the drop out rate would be less.

I paid $900 for my first car in 1979. It was a 1966 VW Beetle in showroom condition. It would be worth $5,000 right now.

I drove around with a cooler in the back seat (things were different back then).

My first job was selling flowers at busy intersections during holidays.

I would get 25 cents for each bouquet. If I worked all day in the cold, I would make $20.

Every job I've had has been a good one. No matter how much stress was involved I chose to be there and they chose to pay me.

(08-04-2013 10:23 AM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  Every job I've had has been a good one. No matter how much stress was involved I chose to be there and they chose to pay me.

I see what you did there.

Priming tobacco was the worst but at the same time the best. Hot summer days in the fields would start early in the morning with the sandy sticky leaves still wet with dew. The sun would rise and the temperature would hit 100 sometimes. You would wear a long sleeve shirt if you had hair on your arms because the tobacco gum would never come off. There was always the possibility of getting the monkey on your back (tobacco poisoning) and getting so sick you couldn't stand up. The rows seemed to never end.

On the other hand there were some great friendships developed in the field. Black and white kids got to know each other better and there was no segregation in the field. The girls were back at the barn handing and looping, the farmers daughter would load us up in the back of the pickup at the end of each day and drop us off at home. I can't think of much better than the feeling of riding in the back of that pickup as a 11-15 year old kid, with a couple of pretty girls riding along, it is Friday afternoon and I'm filthy with tobacco gum, sand and sweat.........and I've got a pocket full of money I earned myself.