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Old 11-22-2017, 08:31 AM
 
Location: Columbia, SC
10,965 posts, read 21,985,795 times
Reputation: 10685

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You must get really bored. Anyway, no agent demeaned any career on this thread as you implied on the other thread. Lastly, it's a simple fact that being self employed/business owner/independent contractor is a different type of job than being an hourly or salaried employee. If you don't believe me just ask the IRS.
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Old 11-22-2017, 10:58 AM
 
Location: Raleigh NC
25,116 posts, read 16,215,541 times
Reputation: 14408
I mowed lawns, not just my parents'.
I picked up golf balls on a range by "hand" (With a picker, not any contraption on a cart)
I babysat kids, including changing diapers.

when I got old enough to get an official job...
I worked in fast food for ~ 3 years in high school/Christmas 2 years of college
I worked as a dishwasher, then a busboy
I worked very briefly in a convenience store
I worked one summer including cooking at the lakeside grill hut for kids.


And then I graduated "*** laude" from NC State, got a job in banking that paid $22K plus benefits, worked their for about 10 years, topped out about $50K plus benefits and 4 weeks of vacation that I was never allowed to take because of responsibilities and being busy.

And I gave it ALL up so I could show up for work 7 days a week and get paid nothing at the end of the day, get zero vacation, and pay for my own benefits.
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Old 11-22-2017, 11:40 AM
 
Location: Columbia, SC
10,965 posts, read 21,985,795 times
Reputation: 10685
Quote:
Originally Posted by BoBromhal View Post
I mowed lawns, not just my parents'....

And I gave it ALL up so I could show up for work 7 days a week and get paid nothing at the end of the day, get zero vacation, and pay for my own benefits.
Thank you for sharing. I like learning about your backgrounds on here. It is interesting. My father was logger first in his life so when I was younger I got to work with him a little. When I turned around 9 or so he transitioned into chicken farming and paid me $5 a week to go through the 2 houses with 70,000 chickens and pick up the dead ones twice per day.

My first official job was doing odd jobs at a convenience station/gas station/truck stop and from there I did a little time in food and beverage through HS/College. After college (Clemson with a degree in Aquaculture, Fisheries, and Wildlife Biology) I worked a few years in environmental education with a combination of DNR, Fripp Island, and Sea Pines in Hilton Head. Also worked part time in a bike delivery and repair shop there. After 5 years I moved into RE because I was making in the mid-20's and I've done this the last 13 years now.

So yeah, growing up on a farm was great. I enjoy a little manual labor to be honest. It's nice to have a job that doesn't go home with you and basically be on call 24/7. That's another of the reasons why the pay structure is what it is in addition to no guaranteed pay.

Last edited by Brandon Hoffman; 11-22-2017 at 11:55 AM..
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Old 11-22-2017, 10:43 PM
 
340 posts, read 223,154 times
Reputation: 155
Quote:
Originally Posted by BoBromhal View Post
I mowed lawns, not just my parents'.
I picked up golf balls on a range by "hand" (With a picker, not any contraption on a cart)
I babysat kids, including changing diapers.

when I got old enough to get an official job...
I worked in fast food for ~ 3 years in high school/Christmas 2 years of college
I worked as a dishwasher, then a busboy
I worked very briefly in a convenience store
I worked one summer including cooking at the lakeside grill hut for kids.


And then I graduated "*** laude" from NC State, got a job in banking that paid $22K plus benefits, worked their for about 10 years, topped out about $50K plus benefits and 4 weeks of vacation that I was never allowed to take because of responsibilities and being busy.

And I gave it ALL up so I could show up for work 7 days a week and get paid nothing at the end of the day, get zero vacation, and pay for my own benefits.

I did a lot of those types of things too.

My first real job where I got 3$/ hour was baling hay when I was 12 or 13. That was by far the hardest job I ever had. I still have nightmares stacking those bales in a 120+ degree barn loft where if you didn't wear long sleeves your arms would be bloody!

Then after getting caught shop-lifting, I served restitution at an animal shelter scrubbing dog kennels, which led to a job at the humane society where I truly learned a love for animals.

Then when I was about 15 I got caught underage drinking at a party with other minors, which led to more restitution. This time I was given a choice of options where I would do work, so I chose the YMCA. That led to a summer gig working with retarded kids, teaching them basketball, pool, ping pong etc.

After that my friend got me hired on as a dishwasher at a local hotel. Speaking of, Did you ever drink any of the left over beer in the glasses from the night before? I did that

Then I worked at a ski lodge in the boot and ski rental dept. for a winter- I liked to ski and the benefits included free ski lift tickets. That was all good until global warming closed the lodge down.

After that I was hired as a stock clerk. At this point I was making 4.75/hr, getting dime and quarter raises about every 3-4 months. I stuck with the grocery store for a couple of years, while the owner moved me around in every department prepping me for a management position.

I learned produce, bakery, meat dept, and the cash register. I realized then I had already nearly hit the ceiling for pay at a grocery store, after all the general manager only made a couple of bucks more on the hour. He was considered a "lifer", and had been there for more than 20 years.

At that time my buddy told me he'd just got hired at a furniture warehouse loading and unloading trucks. The job paid around 8-9/hr, and so I decided to take the position. It broke my boss's heart, and he said he wished he could convince me to stay on at the store. He'd invested so much time training me in the business, and I think he genuinely felt let down that I would walk so suddenly.

My brief career at the warehouse felt more like a prison stint than a job. There were about a dozen of us truck loaders, and let me tell you, these dudes were a rough bunch. Nearly all that I could tell were either ex-convicts or were currently on parole.

With my boyish good looks and down home charm I became a natural target for some of the more savvy con-gamers who tried to recruit me to be part of their harebrained schemes. One of them was a so called pimp, and tried to get me to be a male "escort". But I'd already mastered the art of stupidity and didn't need anyone else leading me in that category, so I politely declined.

After a month or so of working 9 hr shifts, along with a 2-3 hr transport each way, I quit that job.

My grocery boss was happy to take me back, and even gave me another .15 cent raise to show his appreciation for my services.

Hang on, I have a phone call to make but this discussion is to be con't...

Last edited by riggy_house; 11-22-2017 at 10:58 PM..
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Old 11-23-2017, 08:04 AM
 
340 posts, read 223,154 times
Reputation: 155
Quote:
Originally Posted by riggy_house View Post
I did a lot of those types of things too.

My first real job where I got 3$/ hour was baling hay when I was 12 or 13. That was by far the hardest job I ever had. I still have nightmares stacking those bales in a 120+ degree barn loft where if you didn't wear long sleeves your arms would be bloody!

Then after getting caught shop-lifting, I served restitution at an animal shelter scrubbing dog kennels, which led to a job at the humane society where I truly learned a love for animals.

Then when I was about 15 I got caught underage drinking at a party with other minors, which led to more restitution. This time I was given a choice of options where I would do work, so I chose the YMCA. That led to a summer gig working with retarded kids, teaching them basketball, pool, ping pong etc.

After that my friend got me hired on as a dishwasher at a local hotel. Speaking of, Did you ever drink any of the left over beer in the glasses from the night before? I did that

Then I worked at a ski lodge in the boot and ski rental dept. for a winter- I liked to ski and the benefits included free ski lift tickets. That was all good until global warming closed the lodge down.

After that I was hired as a stock clerk. At this point I was making 4.75/hr, getting dime and quarter raises about every 3-4 months. I stuck with the grocery store for a couple of years, while the owner moved me around in every department prepping me for a management position.

I learned produce, bakery, meat dept, and the cash register. I realized then I had already nearly hit the ceiling for pay at a grocery store, after all the general manager only made a couple of bucks more on the hour. He was considered a "lifer", and had been there for more than 20 years.

At that time my buddy told me he'd just got hired at a furniture warehouse loading and unloading trucks. The job paid around 8-9/hr, and so I decided to take the position. It broke my boss's heart, and he said he wished he could convince me to stay on at the store. He'd invested so much time training me in the business, and I think he genuinely felt let down that I would walk so suddenly.

My brief career at the warehouse felt more like a prison stint than a job. There were about a dozen of us truck loaders, and let me tell you, these dudes were a rough bunch. Nearly all that I could tell were either ex-convicts or were currently on parole.

With my boyish good looks and down home charm I became a natural target for some of the more savvy con-gamers who tried to recruit me to be part of their harebrained schemes. One of them was a so called pimp, and tried to get me to be a male "escort". But I'd already mastered the art of stupidity and didn't need anyone else leading me in that category, so I politely declined.

After a month or so of working 9 hr shifts, along with a 2-3 hr transport each way, I quit that job.

My grocery boss was happy to take me back, and even gave me another .15 cent raise to show his appreciation for my services.

Hang on, I have a phone call to make but this discussion is to be con't...
So yeah, I bounced around quite a bit from job to job before finally engaging full time into the building trades, and now fulltime investing.

I'm glad I never stuck with college, as I really had no idea what I wanted to do for a living, and I have doubts that I would ever put a degree to use in the long run. I tend to get froggy and just up and switch ponies quite a bit when I get interested in different things.

For instance, I dropped work about five years back to spend about 3 months building my kid's treehouse. It took 3 times as long as I'd promised my wife it would take, and she regularly said she needed a xanex percription while I was 40 feet in the trees doing carpentry work. So she was thankful when that was complete.

And like Brandon, I still very much appreciate hard work, as well as hearing others backgrounds. It helps bring out the human factor, and may also help to take some of the trollishness off of some of your future posts

Happy Turkey too btw, guys! Try not to choke on any neck bones, and hope you have a good day!
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