How old were you when you got your first real job?

[MissInformation]

I used to work for a local deli when I was 9 (sweeping floors, stocking shelves) but since I only got paid in sodas, I don't really count that as my first job. I did a paper route when I was 13 but I was so shy then, I couldn't stand knocking on the doors to collect money, so my paper route didn't last long. I guess I consider my real first job the one I got working in a fast food restaurant (Rax) the day after my 16th birthday.

In my family, before you were 16, you had to do chores to get an allowance. Your allowance you got to spend completely on yourself (we're are not talking about a lot here, my allowance for doing my chore, which was doing the dishes every night, was only $10 a week). Once you turned 16, you got a job and you no longer had to do chores, however, you didn't get a completely free ride. After 16, I didn't have to pay rent and my parents still bought the groceries for the house, however I had to do my own laundry or pay my mom a set fee every week for her to do it. I also had to buy everything else I needed (clothes, shoes, school supplies, haircuts, school ring, etc.) or wanted (books, albums, outings with friends).

I learned a lot about budgeting my money with my first job, but I did not always stick to a budget... I was a hard worker, a good worker, but I learned that to some people this didn't matter at the same time I learned I can't stand unfairness. I quit my first job because the new manager favored another employee who was lazy, big time lazy, and it got to be unbearable to see her get special treatment time and time again (free meals, extra long smoke breaks, the easiest jobs, the best shifts).

Heidi