As some high schoolers begin searching for their first jobs, they may feel unsure as they realize the new world they are facing. Some of the teachers at White Station High School have shared their first job experiences. 

David Pentecost 

First Job: 2000-2004

Art teacher at White Station High School

Where was your first job?  

“My first job was at a power and telephone supply company. I worked in the warehouse, in receiving and did a range of duties — such as pull[ing] orders, check[ing] orders for proper quantities and pre-shipping. I wrapped up pallets and boxes, learned how to package things and prepare[d] them for a truck. I even loaded and unloaded trucks with a forklift. I did that during the summer, starting when I was 16 years old. During those summers, I worked from nine to five.” 

Why did you decide to get a job? 

“I got a job because money bought me things and I wanted to buy things, so I needed some money. I would say my parents really didn’t give me much of a choice — it was just kind of expected to some extent. I never really even thought about it, just kind of did it because they also helped me find the job, so it wasn’t like I was just on my own.” 

How long did you have that job? 

“I had that job for three summers in a row, and then the next summer, I got a job in their mail room. [I] graduated to the next level.” 

How was your experience there? 

“It was really good. I liked the people a lot, and it was cool. I got to work with people. It was kind of a glimpse into people who [had] been working there [for] a long time. I got to kind of just get a peep into ‘real work’ and what it’s like to really have a job.” 

What was the first thing that you did with your paycheck? 

“I think, I’m not sure what the first thing I did was, but I remember spending all of it … on a guitar. Maybe it was the first summer I worked, but by the end of it, I had bought an overpriced guitar. I would say it was even worth the purchase.”

Do you have any memorable moments while working there? 

“I learned a few tricks on a forklift and one time I got yelled at for being unsafe. I was 16 at the time. I think I was riding a float, which is a cart on wheels, down a loading ramp. I remember playing dominoes during break. I would add — the depressing feeling of getting up in the morning and going to work. It was the first time I really felt that.” 

How much were you paid? 

“I think I was getting $8.50 an hour, which — I mean — wasn’t a lot, but it wasn’t bad for 2000. The hours were really steady though, it was like from 9 [a.m.] to 5 [p.m.]. Gas was a dollar per gallon then.” 

What were some lessons that you learned? 

“I learned patience while working. I learned how to just kind of get up and go for it, and just get yourself in gear … And when to just ignore people sometimes, and [know] who to listen to … I learned if you can make yourself somewhat irreplaceable, you are a more valuable worker and people depend on you. There is a ladder out there you can climb. I do also remember … getting more in tune [with]  the value of your money and how much goes to taxes. Suddenly, you see the world [in] a very different way after earning the money you’re spending.” 

George Richardson 

First Job: 1977-1980

Science teacher at White Station High School

Where was your first job? 

“[For] my first job, I worked for a store — Fritz’s Ski House. I resurfaced downhill skis and mounted bindings in the winter. In the summer, we [repaired] bicycles. I was 16 and worked there for 3 years.” 

Why did you decide to get a job then? 

“When I was 15, I didn’t have a driver’s license, so I tried to hustle for lawn jobs in the summer. I had an electric lawn mower I dragged around, [which] was so much work. ‘Why do we have to have a job?’ Because we were poor. We had no money, so if we wanted to buy anything or have money, we just had to get a job. I have been working ever since; I have never not had a job since then.” 

How much were you paid? 

“I think it was $2 an hour. I don’t honestly know, because I just asked if I could have a job and they said, ‘Okay, yeah. Here’s [your] hours.’ I worked, and I’d get a paycheck. I never, honestly, knew how much they paid me per hour — I just worked, they paid me and we were happy.” 

How was your experience doing the job? 

“I’ve enjoyed every job I have ever worked. I have learned to work a lot of jobs, and I have always enjoyed them. I think it is a choice that you make when you’re working — [whether] to be miserable or to be happy. You know, if you are miserable — don’t work there. But I’ve never not liked a job. It was great fun — dealing with the skiers and the skiing industry was a lot of fun. [I got to work] on all [of] the top-notch equipment. I worked with a great crew down in the basement.” 

What was the first thing you did with your first paycheck? 

“I bought a beanbag. I never had any money, and allowance was really small, like a nickel or a quarter. So, I saved up my money and bought a bean bag. I hid it from my parents so that they wouldn’t know that I bought it … [and] that I’m out there wasting money on a beanbag.” 

What is something you remember about this job? 

“I remember one day that I just decided not to go into work — and well, that was a life lesson. I got pulled into the office, but they didn’t fire me. They weren’t happy with me not showing up one day, and I didn’t call or anything.” 

What is a tip you have for people when they get their first job? 

“I wish I knew about saving money back then. You know, [I’d] just spend everything and [didn’t] even think about saving it. If I had just saved just a tiny bit, just left it, it would’ve been a huge amount of money for retirement or for growing up.” 

Montana Young  

First Job: 2009

 Social Studies and College Readiness teacher at White Station High School

Where was your first job? 

“I guess when I was in high school, I worked a lot of odd jobs. I did dog walking, babysitting, that type of stuff, but my first real job was at a restaurant in Chicago, which is where I grew up. It was a restaurant called Brothers Beef. It was a hot dog stand across the street from my high school. They sold hot dogs [and] Italian beef sandwiches, which are really well known in Chicago. I worked there with my best friend Paula.” 

Why did you decide then to get a job? 

“I graduated high school in 2009, which was during the recession. So, it was really hard to find jobs because you were competing with people with a master’s degree. My friend, Paula, got the job first and ended up putting in a good word for me, and that’s how I got the job. It was great because, again, I had applied to a lot of places, and it was super hard to get hired. I was really grateful to have a job, and it was with my best friend, which was a lot of fun.” 

How much were you paid? 

“I don’t remember what I was paid at the hot dog stand, at Brothers Beef. I was a server, and typically servers got $2.13 an hour plus tips. But I remember those owners had a tip jar, and they wouldn’t pay us out of the tip jar. They would keep the tip jar for themselves, [and] I do remember how mad I was that the owners wouldn’t let us take the tips. So I think I was hourly, maybe making like eight dollars an hour.” 

How would you say your experience at that job was? 

“It was good and bad. I was working with my friends, so sometimes we’d have shifts together, which was a lot of fun. The owners were not the greatest, sometimes our checks weren’t right, and they wouldn’t pay us out of the tip jar. We weren’t allowed to take the tips, which it kind of felt unfair. The work itself was fine. I was a server, but I had other responsibilities, like cleaning out the ice cream machine, which was no fun, and very cold. But I love Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef, so the food was a big plus … It was a mixed bag.” 

What did you do with your first paycheck? 

“I do not remember what I spent my money on — that I have no recollection [of] whatsoever. I mean, I’m sure that I spent money like going out with my friends, maybe going out to eat stuff like that, but I was also using some of my money for college expenses too.” 

What is an experience that you remember from this job? 

“On Friday and Saturday night, we were open until 5 a.m., and it was just you and a cook — a server and a cook. Around like 2 or 3 in the morning, people would be coming out of the bars really drunk. They’d be coming in to order food, and that was always a lot. People were not behaving well. We would close at 5 a.m., and then we’d clean up. You’d get out around 6 in the morning. So you’re exhausted [and] the sun’s coming up. I left the restaurant to walk home, and there was this guy who I guess was going to bike home. He was a customer, and he had locked his bike up on a pole next to the restaurant. He was so drunk, he just passed out, asleep next to his bike.” 

What were some lessons you learned from this job? 

“I think, because I was younger still, a lesson that I learned was responsibility: showing up on time [and] dealing with managerial expectations, even if I found them to be unfair. It was a good growing-up experience. I just learned how to conduct myself in a non-school place, which is probably all I really had experienced up until that time.” 

Do you have any advice for people who are starting their job search? 

“My advice would be to look for something that matches your personality. Try out lots of different jobs to figure out what you like and don’t like … [that] would be my advice for young people who are on the hunt for a job.”