What Was Your First Job?

Babysitting was my first job.  In the 1950's every young girl over the age of 12 was babysitting.  Can you imagine trusting a 12 year old today to take care of a couple of infants and toddlers?  I used to babysit for a family with two little girls.  It was easy money.  Most of the time, the girls slept.  All I had to do was watch tv or study.  I can't believe I was given the responsibility of caring for young children.  I was a child myself.

My first actual job was a summer job when I was 16.  I worked in a garment factory in Los Angeles.  My parents had a good friend who owned a women's wear company, and he gave me a summer job.  I left every morning at 6am to walk to Sunset Blvd. and Veteran Ave, where I caught the bus for downtown.  I didn't return until around 6pm.  Here's a little of what my day was like and what I learned from the experience.

I learned a lot at that summer job.  I learned how to get along with all kinds of people, Black,
White,Hispanic and Asian.  I learned to talk to people with little or no education and discovered they often had a lot to teach me.   Most of all, I learned that hard work does not necessarily lead to success.  The people that worked in the garment factory were among the hardest working people I have ever met.  They worked long days, most had many children to cook and clean for, and a husband to keep happy.  They worked for low wages, but for the most part, they were happy people. It was a great experience for me, and I definitely learned that education was the way to better future.

I had some other crazy jobs in my teens, like working as a girl Friday for Mala Powers, a popular actress at the time.  She lived in Studio City, and I was constantly driving from her home to the studio to deliver clothes to the set.  When I wasn't running errands for her, I was clipping coupons from magazines for her at her house.  Seriously!  However, it was my first job, the garment factory job, where I clipped threads off finished clothes, sorted finished clothes by size, and learned to cut patterns, that I remember best.  I checked that job off my list of jobs I never wanted to do again!