What was your first job?💸
A big part of your relationship with money is likely your relationship to work. 💼
One of my favorite ice-breakers is “What was your first job?” In my experience, chances are good that you have strong and detailed memories about your first job—how you got the job, what your wage and hours were, what you loved and hated about it, and how it felt to have your own money for the first time. 💵✨
You might have paused there—what “counts” as your first job? 🤔 Particularly, I find it interesting that many of us (myself included) discount babysitting as a job. 🍼👶🏽Do you? This likely speaks to how we often discredit domestic labor. But babysitting is also a here-and-there gig, not a steady commitment like a "job"—such as a nanny position.
I'm very fond of my first job that wasn't childcare, and I want to tell you about it: 😊
As a kid and teen, I was a bit of a geek. I loved bugs and rocks. 🐞🪨 There was a funny little rock shop near my home when I was 14, and it was a favorite spot for me to wander around. Literal gems! 💎 Geodes. Crystals. Fossils. Beads. Sliced stones so thin the light could peek through. The magic of the earth's evolution, the patience of a crystal's growth, the explosive nature of lava🌋, and the short time humans have been here… ⏳
All in a tiny home converted into a retail shop. 🏠 It looked like one of those homes that was added on to every few years, DIY-fashion. The floors creaked, the walls were slanted, the ceilings were low. Nothing ADA-accessible!
A very nice (and equally geeky) lady ran the place. 🤓 As my parents and I got to know her (since I spent a good chunk of my allowance there), the conversation came up that she needed some extra help. 🤝
And there was my first job—🪨 Rock Shop Duster. Every Friday for a summer, I would spend 3 hours cleaning and re-organizing one tiny section of this packed shop. I got $5 an hour. 💰⏳
I'd remove everything from a shelf or display case, wipe everything down, rinse the rocks, re-write their prices, and re-display them however I wanted. ✨
I LOVED IT! And the owner loved what I did. ❤️ I mean, those display cases had not been cleaned in YEARS. I hope it boosted her sales! Bet it did. 📈
It was quiet. I learned so much. I felt effective. I was valued. 💖 It was the perfect job for me at the time. ✔️✨
I started buying my own CDs with the money (another great ice breaker for Gen X and Millennials—“What was the first CD you bought?” 🎶) My answer: The Best of Red Hot Chili Peppers🤘🏽
I think the Rock Shop job lasted for a summer. And I rarely went back after that. Life went on, I stopped collecting rocks, I went to college🎓… etc…
Let's fast forward 30 years later to August 2024. I took my two kids to that very rock shop! 👩👧👦 It was still there but with new owners. Same displays, same assortment of incredible specimens and funky tchotchke. Definitely cleaner. Isn't it funny how a childhood place seems so much smaller when you revisit as an adult? This place felt extra tiny. I told the new owners about my first job there, and they gave my kids two geode slices they had cut that day. 💎😊
I left reflecting on how lucky I was that one of my formative work experiences was so suited to me. 🍀 Not everyone is so lucky. Since then, there's a golden thread that's woven through my favorite kinds of work: I love helping to make a messy situation clear, I like working in quiet, intimate spaces, I love beauty and nature, and I love helping people. 🌿💛
In contrast, my quick stint at a restaurant did not play to my strengths. There was never an end, it was fast-paced, and while it was social, it wasn't intimate. No wonder I hated it. 😩
What was your first job? 🤔💬
What strengths did your job play to? Not play to? 💪💡
What lessons about yourself as a worker stuck with you? 📚💭