What
is your occupation?
What kind
of work did you do over your years?? And what is the longest.. being a housewife and mom doesn’t count..
while it is an admiral occupation.. I have not found any that paid for
it.. So count the ones you were paid
for.
My first
paying job was the usual, especially for women. Babysitting.. Wages… were 25
cent an hour… I did it from 14 to 17…
with another thrown in when I was 15 for the summers.. I worked for a Produce Stand. Selling
produce. So I learn how to tell a good watermelon.. a good cantaloupe and
etc.. wage.. also 25 cents an hour..
Then I
graduated. And got a job at the Naval Exchange dept. of the Navy base in Newport R.I. wages was a big whopping $1 an hour.. I got fired.. a year later for
insubordination.. didn’t know what it meant.. so he told me to go home and look
it up in the dictionary that I would have plenty of time to do so. Reasoning being I did not know how to play
office politics.. I had upset one set of
the office group, while working for the other side.. plus I had walked into the supply room on a
couple that was married to others…. Who were top bosses.. one of which was the
one that fired me.
But that
sent me down to Florida
with my grandfather.. While there I
would go swimming in the ocean which was lined with hotels.. One of which I got
to be friends with the housekeeper’s daughter.
One day the restaurant cook asked me if I ever waited on tables.. which I smart-assed ..only my family.. But ended up telling him, I was willing to
try if he was willing to teach me.. His
normal waitress, had to go home to a funeral for a family member. I was living with my grandfather who was not
the happiest camper that I took the job.. but figured maybe it would do me
good. Well, it was a learning thing for
sure. Found out how horrible men where to
women waitress, and because I was kind of a smart ass, I survived the 5
days. And because of it.. I have had a
respect for those who waitress. Wage…
lol.. two free lunches after the 5 days..
no time to collect during working time.
I took the orders, walked them out to the table.. Kept the tables, clean, filled sugar, salt
and pepper containers, and ketch and mustard ones… and always wiping down
everything as I went.. There was no kid to take away the dishes and get the
table ready for the next customer. The
cook was a fairly decent guy.. but I had him as I warned him, I was not a
waitress.. no experience … and HE ASKED ME to work..
Next I was
off to San Diego, Ca. as my mother’s friend came
to Florida to
watch over my grandfather (who really didn’t need anyone but company).
My first
job was working for Christmas holidays, in a music store. As soon as Christmas
was done.. I helped with inventory counting and then I was laid-off.. wage $1.25.
Next up was
Ratner Men’s manufactory.. which made
mens suits and sports jackets. I was hired in the payroll office. I was a
counter. We were given sheets of
paper.. with stickers on them.. Some times it would be about 3 or4 stickers and
some times the sheet was full or there would be up to 3 sheets full. On these
sheets were stickers.. about inch long
and ¼ wide. And on those stickers were
numbers.
Those
numbers represented an item that was sewn on to the jacket or pants of the
suit. There were 3 of us who did this
part of the job.. There was another one who took over the sheets and took the
items, plus the wage for that sheet of items sewed. Bigger ones were one price.. small ones
another. Could be a pocket, a collar or
waist band.. bigger ones were the legs sewn together.. and the front of the
jacket to the back of the jacket. I
lasted there 2 years.. and had some fun times with fellow employees..
especially one called Judy.. I have already written about her and our escapades. I left there, as I had gotten married and
then was pregnant. Wage $1.50 an hour.
After that
I did a short time in a 26 Flavors ice cream shop that also did hamburgers and
hot dogs, with fries. That one was about
9 months.. as the man who owned it was in the Navy.. and his wife ran it while
he was gone.. And he came back two days
early.. and found out that she was not at the store for opening..and she wasn’t
there for closing.. That I had been
doing all of that… she only showed up to take the money for the day. So he closed the shop. Wage was $1.30 an
hour. Babysitter was $35 a week.
I did
several years of doing the Mom job… and ended up divorce and then
remarried. I help with the business by
being bookkeeper for mechanics and then for scrap iron. Even ran the smasher
for a short time.. and was the car
burner when it was legal.. to get the copper wire out.
When my
husband passed away.. I had been going thru nurse aide classes and graduated 4
days before he passed. I went to work at a nursing home a week after his
funeral.
All the
kids were teens so no babysitter. And the boys left shortly after.. with just
my daughter at home in school.
I worked
for 18 years there.. starting at $3.35 an hour.. got a raise 6 months later as the owners really like me..
a whole whopping 5 cents.. lol. So it
was 3.40. by the time I left 18 years
later. I was making $9.11 an hour.. see
our wages were frozen for 3 years. When
the new nursing care center went in and workers were jumping.. those of us got
small raises as we were loyal and stayed..
those who threaten to leave got 75 cents to a $1.25 raises to stay.. Those
of us who stayed were rounded off the nearest dime.. One gal had been there 34
years.. she was making .09 so she got one cent.. I was an lucky one.. mine was
. 04 so I got 6 cents. Lol… But anyway..
I was 63, we had new administration in that was cutting everywhere.. and
a new nurse director.. who wrote me up for changing the residents too often and
using too much supplies… I could see
the hand writing on the wall.. so I turn
in my notice for the end of the month.. which was also the end of the year.
HAPPY NEW YEAR… I AM SO GONE. Lol.. hello SS…
I did some
home health for about 4 years.. and like that.. so much more gratifying.. So
appreciated. Turning 70 soon, so gave up home health after my last one when
into a health care center.
So what did
you do for an occupation?
