[–] CANCEL-CAT-FACTS 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
I was 14 and worked at a freshly-squeezed orange juice stand in the NYC Port Authority bus terminal on W. 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue. I was so proud to have a job and never forgot how it made me feel.
[–] EricHunting ago
My first, and last, job was for the now defunct Hercules explosives plant in northern NJ. I was hired part-time as a teenager to sort old medical files for destruction in a decrepit unheated building called the 'bag house' because it stored files in big moldy canvas bags dumped on the building floor. Left there alone into the night with a kerosene heater and a single light I had to sort these dumped piles of files by date, each of which included a photo. And as I began sorting these I quickly noticed something. These were all records of workers--all men--who had died of the same set of related ailments associated with graphite exposure, mostly black lung or lung cancers. File after file, black lung, black lung, cancer, cancer, face after face. Thousands of men dying in this filthy old factory making explosives to kill other people somewhere else in the world, all for someone else's profit. I realized what a horrible meat grinder this all was. It was a bit much for a teenager to handle and I only lasted about a month. I swore I would never work for a corporation again if there was some way to avoid it, ultimately starting a business of my own. (not much choice, really, New Jersey's pollution ultimately wrecked my own health so self-employment was my only option)
One of the bizarre ironies about the explosives business I learned there was that the Saudi government was very particular about the 'purity' of the nitrocellulose they would buy from the company. To meet their standards--for killing people properly--it had to be Kosher certified...
[–] Ivegotredditcancer 0 points 3 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago
First job or thing I did to earn money was shoving snow in the winter and mowing lawns in the summer. I was all of 11 yo and I'd knock on any door that had snow in the drive and sidewalk. Normally it was older folks who were more than happy to throw a 5er at me to get the job done without getting cold. Did the same in the summer with laws and after a few years I ended up with a route in my neighborhood. I had more money than other kids and never had to steal. Hell I had enough to supplement my mothers drug habit, as if a kid didn't keep track of the money he busted his ass earning.
First official job was at a body shop cleaning cars before people picked them up. I made more on the side with the lawns but I didn't have to bust my ass and was fed lunch everyday.