Do not do fast food. I have heard those are the worst jobs in the world. Fast, never get a break and the customers are nasty. Try retail like walmart
Well I�m 17 and I want to get some experience before I head off to college so I can get a less ass job there hopefully. So what were your best first jobs, Clraik? I have about 200 hours of volunteering experience with animals (adoption events) if that helps :p
Do not do fast food. I have heard those are the worst jobs in the world. Fast, never get a break and the customers are nasty. Try retail like walmart
This is simply not true. I worked at different fast foods when I was in highschool because its easy to get into with flexible schedules. Its hard work for sure, but what can you expect from a minimum wage job? Customers, in my experience are fine. Some are rude but thats the norm in life. There will always be the bad ones in any kind of service industry.
bluevitriol (12-29-2017),Forever (12-20-2017)
I worked retail. It will help with customer service experience and people skills. However if you like your weekends free they are not so good. But first jobs are not about freedom it's about making money when you can.
Think about what you want to do later in life; healthcare, animal work, trades, business etc. And see if you can find a job related to that so you can start the basic skills early on
Started working as a dish washer at 15 years old, was not very fun.
My first jobs were summer student positions with my town. After that I worked at Tim Horton's (coffee shop), which was mostly fine. The hours were really flexible and it was decently managed so it wasn't really hard work as long as you are reliable, have good listening skills, and pay attention to detail. You'll get experience handling cash, preparing some simple food items, and with customer service in that sort of setting.
I think the most important thing you should do first is make yourself familiar with local labour laws and occupational health and safety regulations for your area so you know what your rights are. That way no one can take advantage of you.
Are there any employment centers in your area? YMCA or something? Something like that might be worth checking out and you can get specific advice in person.
my first job was working serving breakfast in the Assisted Living Floor of a retirement home + waitressing in the dining room for dinner
breakfast was really slow and easy to do, but there would be 30 minutes when the Personal Support Workers brought nearly all of the residents in, and since there's only one me i always felt bad for making them wait
personal tendencies for guilt aside lol, it was a depressing place overall. every week or so someone died (most of the people were aged 90 to 100) or had to go to the hospital for an emergency. you get to see some of the not-so-nice sides of life, like how some people don't have the dexterity required to hold a spoon, and had to be fed by a PSW. some people couldn't speak anymore, and could only make guttural noises. there was a lady who had dementia, and would immediately forget she had breakfast right after she ate it, and then start yelling at us in German for denying her food. there was this guy who - i'm not sure why - was super jumpy in his chair and would randomly fall on the floor, still in his chair, knocking his food everywhere (luckily he was never injured though). someone once had a seizure while i was there.
you watch people deteriorate over time - like right when someone comes in, they're usually able to walk on their own, more talkative than the rest, and shocked at how listless the whole place seems, but they quickly realize it's futile trying to have a nice conversation there bc most people just aren't interested or able to hold one. then a few months later they get a stroke and become wheelchair bound... and then a month after that they get a heart attack...
in a morbid + curious way though, it was kind of interesting to observe the later stages of life and health. physical aging (+ the disability that's often acquired with it) is something that's so far removed from most people's lives, yet something that will happen to nearly all of us. alsoo it was a chill job, and i'd take it again if i needed the money.
MEANWHILE waitressing was really stressful for me, and i feel lame when i say this because it's a minimum wage job that pretty much anyone can do, but there were so many things that made me extremely anxious (what up, homegirl GAD). i felt like there was so much pressure to get things on the table + clear the table, felt guilty when people in my section were waiting, was constantly terrified of breaking dishes, plus i get especially anxious around dirty things / contamination, so you can imagine how well that went with dirty dishes and food being around haha. MUCH COMPLAIN VERY DRAMATIC i know, but the anxiety made it a horrible experience & lowkey hate myself for not being able to handle a waittressing job lol.
also this is mostly the place i worked at, but the residents were mean to you LOL if the food didn't come to them exactly the way they wanted. even though ofc it's not the waittress's fault if the dessert had raspberries in it, and they happen to not like raspberries or something
Last edited by Isabella; 11-22-2017 at 11:49 AM.
My first job was at the supermarket. I'm still working there after 5 years, so I really like it. It turned me from a shy girl into an outgoing girl.
I've done plenty of student jobs, from cleaning to retail and my favorite, the job I still have to this day is in a supermarket.
Like people said before me, it's great for social and personal skills.
Trades, best learning tool imo for common sense and for later down the road!