I ask because I see kids now well into their graduate school years that have never held a job. And I wonder if thats normal, or if its entitlement, or parents overcompensating or what.

I was 9 when I started a paper route. I delivered 300 papers, 365 days a year, alone, with no one helping me or doing it for me for the next 5 years. I got up at 4:30am to fold and stuff papers, and no matter what the weather, I did it, with no ones help. Sometimes nearly choking myself to death with the bag I had to use to deliver them with. Sometimes even having to use a pillar for leverage so I wouldn’t fall over.

When I was 13 I had a job working in the kitchen of a Chinese restaurant bussing and doing dishes. I served beer and wine before I was 14 years old. I did this work under the table and the chinese waiters used to flick me really hard on the back of the head when they didnt think I was working fast or hard enough. By the time I was 13 my parents stopped paying for my clothes and for my activities. I paid for them. I went to Europe on an exchange when I was 16, and I paid for it, not just working 3 jobs for 6 months before it but also working illegally in the countries I was living in.

I dont think that kids now should have to do that, but I wonder sometimes at what point all this entitlement begins to interfere with their growth into productive adults. I learned to take nothing for granted, that i could expect nothing from anyone but me. That my survival was up to me, and not to look to my parents or anyone else for help. My parents did ok, but there were a crap load of kids to support and they were totally outnumbered and overwhelmed. I paid for my own college, and my then husbands bills, which meant I never got to finish. Yes I know I should have but it just didnt work out for me. To this day, this is not something I easily admit.

Anyhow I wonder, when did you have your first job? I dont really think Im that unusual, but that being said, I don’t talk much about my past.

In the UK it is illegal for kids to work before 14, but when i hit 14 I started my first job. It was washing dishes in a local pub. A crap job but I did it until I went to University. I had to pay for beer money somehow.

My observation over the last 2 decades. Irvine kids have a very high sense of entitlement. Their only job is earning a high API score. “What is a paper route?”. The Irvine children born in the late 70’s and 80’s in most cases are expecting a handout from their parents toward a home purchase.

Paper route is where the Mexican dad drives a truck and his kid is aiming the detached condo doors sitting at the back of the pick up truck. The front units receive free papers and the rear units paid for the subscriptions.

Under-the-table jobs since age 11. My parents stopped paying for my things at 13. Obtained a work permit and went on payroll officially at age 15. I made the minimum wage then of $4.25 / hour and thought I was rich but I quickly learned after paying taxes, gas, and necessities, there was nothing left. I worked most days after school until 10 pm, weekends, and holidays. I loved school but started getting bad grades because there wasn’t time left to study (or even to stop and eat. I fainted at work.) This continued as I entered college (paid by me) and until I was 19 when I met Mr. SoCal who was in a lot of debt so the trend continued. Grace, we got married and I found myself in a very similar situation as you did. Well, I am glad because now as an adult I am super content with everything I have and easily-pleased but I don’t really want that life for my boys. I don’t want to be writing them “Dear young male relative” letters in the future either like the one I just posted. I don’t know how you rid a child of a sense of entitlement without breaking them but they must learn the… value…. of…. a…. dollar!

(This post contains too many personal details that I reserve the right to edit out later!)

For me that was never the case. I had one gross subscriber that used to answer the door in his underpants, but his car was an old jag, even then, and all I could do was take the money and hope he didn’t complain about me. I paid for my own used moped… which was an old vespa.. and though I was driving it illegally its and my off market “walkman” was made by “aiwa"was what kept me sane. I got really good at throwing papers to peoples front walks. Meanwhile I listened to Billy Squire, Bruce Springsteen and Dire Straights… all bands that played their own instruments.

13, not because I needed the money but because I never studied much, wasn’t a partier and I had nothing else better to do.  I had no video games or computers to distract me nor was I much into extra-curricular activities.

I babysat from the time I was 11. I would basically become a full-time nanny at 11 and 12 years old for an entire summer. When I was 11, I watched a one year old the whole summer, 40 hours a week. When I was 12, I watched and 3 and 5 year old boy all summer for 40 hours a week. It’s really hard to imagine that any sane adult would leave their children with someone my age all day, it was a different time. At 15 I got a work permit and worked at Books on Tape in the shipping department for 4 hours after school, I did that for 2 years. I never quit working from that point on. In college (also paid for by me), I took 21 units and worked 35 hours a week, I don’t remember when I actually did any homework, but I made it through somehow.

I started babysitting around age 10 (I’m suffering from momenisa so I can’t remember the exact age). My two most profitable days were the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas. I charged $15 per hour for the holiday shopping season which was a lot back then and often that price got bid up as I was in great demand on those days. I began my little business by going door to door and leaving flyers. Nowadays I can’t even see parents hiring some girl that left a flier on their door step. People are much more paranoid these days. My second job was at Dairy Queen. Had some dangerous ice cream consumption during these days.

I know my daughter would gladly take a job as she is very independent and wants her own paycheck, own house, own dog, own set of rules and on and on. We give her little jobs around the house to earn money but I’m out of ideas after that. I think if she did a paper route now I’d get child services called on me or something.

Mcdonna1980 - 17 September 2009 08:54 PM

I started babysitting around age 10 (I’m suffering from momenisa so I can’t remember the exact age). My two most profitable days were the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas. I charged $15 per hour for the holiday shopping season which was a lot back then and often that price got bid up as I was in great demand on those days. I began my little business by going door to door and leaving flyers. Nowadays I can’t even see parents hiring some girl that left a flier on their door step. People are much more paranoid these days. My second job was at Dairy Queen. Had some dangerous ice cream consumption during these days.

I know my daughter would gladly take a job as she is very independent and wants her own paycheck, own house, own dog, own set of rules and on and on. We give her little jobs around the house to earn money but I’m out of ideas after that. I think if she did a paper route now I’d get child services called on me or something.

This reminds me of my New Year’s Eve Celebrations from ages 11-15. I would babysit about 10 kids (of course my mom was also there, but I don’t recall her doing anything except being in the kitchen or in her room). I could rake it in that night, it happens to also be my birthday, I guess I started early on not doing anything fun on my birthday, it’s pretty much stayed that way most of my life.

tmare - 17 September 2009 09:23 PM

Mcdonna1980 - 17 September 2009 08:54 PM

I started babysitting around age 10 (I’m suffering from momenisa so I can’t remember the exact age). My two most profitable days were the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas. I charged $15 per hour for the holiday shopping season which was a lot back then and often that price got bid up as I was in great demand on those days. I began my little business by going door to door and leaving flyers. Nowadays I can’t even see parents hiring some girl that left a flier on their door step. People are much more paranoid these days. My second job was at Dairy Queen. Had some dangerous ice cream consumption during these days.

I know my daughter would gladly take a job as she is very independent and wants her own paycheck, own house, own dog, own set of rules and on and on. We give her little jobs around the house to earn money but I’m out of ideas after that. I think if she did a paper route now I’d get child services called on me or something.

This reminds me of my New Year’s Eve Celebrations from ages 11-15. I would babysit about 10 kids (of course my mom was also there, but I don’t recall her doing anything except being in the kitchen or in her room). I could rake it in that night, it happens to also be my birthday, I guess I started early on not doing anything fun on my birthday, it’s pretty much stayed that way most of my life.

Well then I guess an all out bash is order for a milestone birthday like 50.

Sometimes I consider if I’d net more money if I went back to my original job. I swear after taxes & child care & gas I probably barely break even. LOL

15 - I worked for my dad’s company, so I hope that doesn’t sound like cheating…but I really did earn my wages that summer.  I filed and filed and filed and then created more files to file some more.  When I wasn’t filing, I was helping with payroll and answered phones.  Ironically enough, the summer between hs and college, I got another job filing.  To this day I can alphabetize quickly and accurately.  Too bad I don’t take alphabetizing tests for a living-I’d kick booty.

After that job, I also worked at a small amusement park making cotton candy, sodas, and popcorn and KayBee Toys.  I just realized that I’ve had a job every summer since I was 15 with the exception of the year after I finished grad school…I took the summer off to plan my wedding.  Although some of the jobs were seemingly frivolous, I think each of them helped me…the filing jobs helped me learn how to bring order to chaos and really helped me with my organization skills…they also exposed me to an office environment and prepared me for how the real world works.  The amusement park and toy store jobs helped me with my math skills and taught me about marketing.  I also learned the value of money and I’m glad I worked as a teenager.  I’m lucky enough to have had a choice in whether or not to work as my parents could afford to buy me things I wanted but they instilled a strong work ethic in me.  I think it’s a good thing to get those lessons outside of school.

I think my first non-babysitting job was as a scorekeeper for a local parks and recreation department at the age of 14.

When I was 16-17, I:

1. Played two high school varsity sports (both teams were highly rated in CIF D1);
2. Played on two highly competitive club/travel teams;
3. Was on student council;
4. Took 3 AP classes (total) my junior and senior years;
5. Worked 20-25 hours a week as a host and then a waitress, and
6. Still had time to get sh!tfaced every weekend. 

As a result, I have very little tolerance for the younger members in family who don’t have any desire whatsoever to get a job and make their own money.  The sense of entitlement makes me sick and, as evidenced by my “Dear College Student” post yesterday, I’m baffled that these kids don’t want to work!  I didn’t have to work, but I wanted to work.  I was pretty spoiled and had no issues getting money from my parents to go shopping or out with my friends on the weekends.  Still, I wanted to work and, when I started to earn my own money, two things happened: (1) I loved the independence, and (2) My parents stopped funding my weekly shopping trips because I had my own money.

I’m not a person who doesn’t have kids yet tells people how to parent.  I grew up with many children around me and I greatly appreciate the challenges of parenting.  However, I can no longer listen to excuses at family gatherings as to why College Student is still unemployed.  There have been random summer jobs but nothing long-term because College Student has never had to be responsible for himself.

I attribute my verbal communication skills and sense of urgency to the seven years that I worked in restaurants and bars.  When I look around me today, I see kids who don’t have jobs and only speak in texting vernacular with their thumbs.  Suffice it to say that I’m really concerned about the future of this country.

I also was the paper delivery boy for my small village in Iowa starting at about 11.  Rain or snow….. I was out even before sunrise peddling my bike all over town.  Then on the weekends I was required to spend one evening babysitting for my parents, and then the other night I was fought over throughout the neighborhood to watch their kids.  After we moved from the village closer to civilization, I started working in restaurants as busboy and such.

I also paid for college myself through loans and grants and working several jobs, which made my grades suffer terribly.  At 19, I moved to France and worked as an au pair.

You name the job…. I probably did it.  Not shit like prostitute….. thank god it never came to that.  Actually when I first moved to Phoenix I applied for a cocktail waitress job, not knowing the place was a strip club.  Before I knew what was happening there was a lap dance going on right in front of me, something I had never seen at 18.  A little shocking.  I was offered the job, but graciously declined.

Beginning the summer of my first year in High School, my dad dragged me to work with him in construction when I was 15.  He told me that I would just waste my time bumming around and surfing all day (we lived 2 miles from the beach in Huntington Beach).  I got paid $6/hr but it was the hardest manual labor work I’ve ever done in all my life.  I would have to get at 5am and then we’d drive out to the IE to work on a commercial site (retail centers).  His biggest motivation was for me to learn that I should work with my mind and not with my hands.  There were days where I hated going to work cuz my dad would constantly yell at me because he was such a perfectionist but again he taught me to take great pride in my work.  I was so glad when the summer ended and I went back to school.  haha

During my college days I worked delivering pizza at Dominos and working as a waiter at Johnny Rockets.  I made sure to take summer school so I wouldn’t have to go work with my dad.  haha I ended up working at Dominos for over 5 years (at the Michelson and Von Karman location).

11: Straw Hat Pizza - under the table pay and lunch for setting up the slad bar on the weekends. Blew exactly half my pay on Pac-Man video games every weekend.
12-13: OC Register Paper route, with 6 apartment complexes and one housing tract… Sundays were a nightmare.
14-15: Auto detailing for $50 a day during thee summers… I was loaded.
16-18: Black & Decker Service Center, Fullerton

At 15 or 16 I got my first job working as a Xmas gift wrapper at a local department store.  I then worked as a box girl for a supermarket for about three months.  After that I found a new job working after school at a hardware/houseware store.  I didn’t have a car so would walk from school to work then home.  I also used my paycheck to pay for clothes.  Money didn’t seem to go very far with four kids in the house.  One year I needed glasses so what little I did get toward clothing got cut in half.  That alone was a pretty good incentive to get a job.

I was 13 when I got my first job cleaning the home-ec classrooms in the high school.

11-13 Paper Route. Evening Outlook. About 85 Papers. $ 50.00 a month.
13-16 Drive Up Dairy. Cash Register and Clerk. $ 1.00 to $ 2.00 an Hr.
16-17 Bowling Alley Mechanic, Flower Delivery, Telephone Solicitor. $ 2.00- $ 4.00 Hr.

Unpaid:
19-22 Started helping out our HOD in his office as a back up designer. He didn’t bother to pay anything, but when I graduated, gifted me a Mont Blanc.

paid:
22.5 Started as a Architectural Designer in one of Silicon Valley’s Architecture Firms. $18/hr
I did want to start working part time at 18 and buy my own shoes, but was repeatedly told to concentrate on studies and get good grades..
Even my unpaid gig at my HOD’s firm was to help me with my grades..

Unemployment update on my side: DH is back into workforce. So, one YAY! One more to go.
I am still thinking about what to do.. sometimes I feel like getting a Realtor license and staying in and around my field so that I can jump back in when time is right.
Sometimes I just want to switch my career.. Actuary seems to be a good choice.

I have set Nov. 15th as the breaking point..

My first real job was at 18. It was at Baskin-Robbins and lots of fun. Free ice cream every day! Before that, I did some babysitting and tutoring in high school.

I’ve pretty much been working without any breaks (well except for maternity leaves) since I was 16.

At 16 I started my first job as a cashier at the Woodbridge Edwards Cinema.  Had a blast.  All the free movies and popcorn I could ever want.  I used to let in my physics teacher’s kids in for free. I’m pretty sure that’s the only reason why I managed to pass his class.

I remember my boss telling us that he had been busted for armed robbery when he was 15.  He kept telling us not to make stupid mistakes like he did.

I went to work when I was 9 with a hand labor crew.

I was the only non-spanish speaking person on the crew.  As I got older, I got to do more physically demanding work.  When I tell people about it now , I still sense nobody believes me.

I was reading Pioneer Woman and thought of this thread as today’s topic is getting your kids to work. I think this quote is hoot.

Parenting can be hardcore hard. We have to be devoted and consistent in instilling the notion that running a home and family takes work, honorable and privileged (and, ok ok, boring and tedious) work. Stewarding and shepherding ain’t for sissies, so buck up, folks, and put your kids to work! Don’t start with the coal mine…too much equipment. Start with the bathtub…all you need is some Ajax and a sponge

Also today, my daughter was telling me about her new friend’s family. The mom lives by herself with her four kids of which three are teenagers or young adults. My daughter tells me the three all work but the mom does not. First thing of of my mouth was ‘SWEET!!!! how do I get that arrangement’. Daughter rolls eyes.

11 year old OC register Paper route.  Back in those days you had to collect and that was a nighmare.  The person that dropped the papers to me always dropped to many and they always tried to charge me for them.  Sundays sucked and it ruined my bike so I decided to open up my own car wash business.

11-12 Washed the bachelors cars next door.  There were four of them and I picked up two neighbors as well. That gave me a total of 8 cars for saturday mornings.  I charged 4 bucks a car and they were washed and dried before most of them walked out.  I dropped by later to pick up the money.  $32 per saturday.

12 -13 after we moved briefly worked in a catering business for minimum wage on the weekends.

14 in AZ I painted, then moved to cleaning carpets during summers and weekends. Painted the entire U of A dorm rooms.  Then I started my own side business where I did yard work etc.  Hired for an entire summer by a guy that owned about 7 houses.  I took the rocks off all those roofs, put tar down then used the white roof coating.  Kept the houses cooler.

Moved back to CA and became a “car jockey”  I took cars from Longo Toyota to the dealer and the car auction.  The guy paid 6 bucks per car.  I paid my friends 4 dollars per car.  So for every set uf cars we moved down I made 12 - 14 bucks.  We would drive up in a u haul with a car tower.  Could move 4-6 loads a day.  Did this 2 days a week.

I ended up starting to sell cars there because all the guys he hired ran off and got drunk and left me on the lot.  I quit when he wouldn’t pay me commission after selling 3 cars on a saturday.

Got a job at Knotts at the Chicken Dinner rest. when I was 17.

Then waitered at Magnolias peach in Brea.  Now a BJ’s I think.

Then I graduated High School.

.

MojoJD - 28 October 2009 10:47 AM

10-15 occasional babysitting
15-17 lifeguard
17-20 swim instructor ($20 for 20 minutes… cashola!)
21-onward: career related.

My brother, on the other hand, is almost done with college and has yet to work.  My parents don’t seem to see the discrepancy, or understand why he doesnt value money the same way.

All I have to say is that my (future) kids are getting zero allowance after 14.  Clothes and books only!

What about food and gas???