Working as a kid

[buddhaman]

Any of y'all do some kind of work as a kid to make some money?

Houma was a little town when I was a kid. No mall, 4 movie theaters downtown, Morgan & Lindsey, Woolworth's, Western Auto, two ice houses, a Sears Catalog Store, some local clothing stores, a shoe repair store, a few local banks, a hand full of bars, and some local restaurants. We lived a block away from downtown on the other side of Bayou Terrebonne from downtown. A buddy of mine, Glen Theriot, lived up the street from me and in 4th and 5th grades on Saturdays, we'd take our little handmade shoeshine boxes and walk up in down Main St. to make a pocket full of quarters. At the south end of our route was a bakery so by the time we'd get down there, we'd have enough to get some jelly rolls or a hot loaf of french bread. We'd eat that stuff making our way back up to the north end of our route - Lafayette St. By the time we'd get back down on our southerly route to the Court Square, we'd get off route on to Belanger St. to hit the Frostop - Lot-O-Burgers and rootbeer in iced mugs. Man it was great. And by the time I gave up shining shoes to move on to other things in my boyhood, I had a little over $15 in my Citizens National Bank savings account.

[Razoryak]

Buddhaman - You may know my boss, Mark Duthu. I believe his father had a paint store in Houma for many years.

[buddhaman]

Sure do. He's more my little brother, Clark Williams' age. If I'm not mistaking, they had a house right on Bayou Terrebonne on the corner of Church and Park.

[Razoryak]

I'm trying to get him into Kayak fishing. He's sticking to his stink pot right now, but everytime I show him pictures of all the redfish I'm catching out of my yak I'm chipping away at his bias.

[Kingfish]

Buddaman, did you ever collect bottles on the roadside for the deposit? I mowed lawns at 12 in the neighborhood, $4 front and back yard. Waited tables at Cafe du Monde at 15 (I was rich!), Kristal hamburgers at 16 (did all the sh** jobs), American Hospital Supply (Harahan) warehouse man (forklift work and other odd jobs) at 16, bussed and waited tables at the POETS in Fat City at 17. Laid sod and washed dishes. The summer I turned 18, I worked construction adding the 5th floor to Woman's Hospital in Metairie. Used the funds I made at Kristal to purchase my dream bike, a 1974 Tour quality Motebecane Le Champion. Waited tables at The Bounty on West End before moving to BR to attend LSU at 19. When the noth wind blew, the waves used to make that place rock. After working construction, waiting tables was EASY.
My father used to tell us it builds character. Now he'd probably be jailed for child abuse. I think it built character.

[Choupique]

I pushed a crawfish boat when I was 14 and 15 for $20 a day when they had money to pay me. Seemed pretty good at the time.
Then I repaired paintball guns, did paintball refereeing and other stuff at the field for $60 a day when I was 16 and 17.

[Yak-a-Lou]

Dad decided to put me to work to keep off the streets. Started working for my grandfather at his Texaco SERVICE station (Airline @ Tom Drive in B.R.) when I was eleven (almost twelve). I was paid a handsome $1 per hour for my first summer. They kept me off the streets some but they also made it possible for me to finance an errant lifestyle.

Sixty hours of work per week = $60!!! I was rich!!! By the time I was fifteen I actually made minimum wage.

Later, as an older teen (15-18) I worked at Taco Hell, sold camper shells and campers, did some painting, roofing, construction and stuff.

[JBontherocks]

I worked for my Dad's portable toilet company for $35/week, and I'm not old enough for that to be alot of money!

[MDR]

Driver for a company that sold and repaired adding machines and calculators-this was in the days before personal computers of course. Gas station until I errantly left the oil cap off of a Jaguar after filling it with oil-glad I wasn't there when the husband came back in. And then golf course. I was one of the few guys that actually played so I set the greens, etc. Then it was off to college and the bar biz.

[RedFinn]

Worked in the logging woods of Upper Michigan,when school was out for summer,dawn till dusk peeling bark off pulp trees 15 cents for every 8 foot section ,dawn 6:00 am dusk 10:00 pm, wanted to get a good education after that summer :)

[ReelThrill]

Worked as a helper on a snorkel boat during the summers. My parents would make me pay half of the price for things I wanted, to teach me the value of money. Was good and taught me you have to work for the things you want. It's a big reason why most kids today don't appreciate what they have, they didn't have to work for it.

[BayouTiger]

My first paying job I started when I was 17 at a furniture store in Port Allen working in delivery, painting outdoor furniture, welding, and working with customers outside. Prior to that, I was helping my uncle in the summers/falls in the corn and bean fields driving the grain cart from the combine to the dryer. I got paid by having something to do and breakfast and dinner at mawmaw's. When I went to Ole Mi (nevermind that's not important...) I worked at a Pharmacy for two years. Transferred to LSU and went back to the furniture store working outside again. When I started my new job last July, I would go stand outside in the parking lot during lunch to warm up--couldn't handle the A/C. Now the only time I can stand the heat is when I'm mowing or fishing or helping papawd build a shed.

[Sandman]

My very first job that I earned money at was when I was about 12, 13 and 14 - hauling hay for our highschool agriculture teacher. Can't remember how much he paid me, but I remember how hard the work was!! Hot Louisiana days, walking beside a flat bed picking up hay bales and throwing them to the top where someone else stacked them well over ten feet high. That was sunrise to sunset work!

When I turned 15, I got an after-school job in a local mechanic shop for $6 an hour. I learned a ton because it was just the owner and I, and he always either explained how to do things or made me look it up to find the answer.

When I turned 16, and was legally old enough to work, I left the mechanic shop and worked in a grocery store pushing buggies, running a cash register and stocking until I turned 18.

From 15 to the present day, I have always held a job and paid for everything I have on my own.

[Nobody]

My first job was washing single and twin engine airplanes at the Slidell airport. I got $25 for a single and $50 for a twin. It usually took me anywhere between 3 or 4 hours per plane. That job started when I was 14 and continued until age 16. By that time, I had moved up to working the fuel systems as well as handling some of the radio traffic. I joined the military at 17, and as they say, The rest is HISTORY!!!

[who-yak]

First job was selling pop-corn in the stands at Tulane Stadium during Saints games in the late 60's. When you went back with your empty rack you'd give "The Boss" $$$ that was agreed on and keep the rest for yourself, fill up your rack and head back upstairs. So with every rack sold I was putting a few bucks in my pocket. I'd work my butt off pre-game and first half, when I figured I had made enough I'd go up to the nose-bleed seats, find a seat (always available in those days) hide my rack under the seat and watch the second half. Security guards always spotted us though and ran us downstairs, so we moved around a lot. Sorry if I was the guy you were looking for late in the game for a box of pop-corn. LOL Later got a promotion and sold Cokes and 7-Up's. Memories of those years: Half Time Shows were the best in the NFL. The Saints never lost a fight, and there was at least one fight per game. Coachs Tom Fears and J.D.Roberts Jim Taylor Doug Atkins #81 Billy Kilmer #17 Danny Abramowicz

Also worked for a caterer in Da Parish from middle school thru college. Used to work a Saturday mid-day reception then another one around 4pm, then go out and blow everything I made in pay and tips Saturday night. Lots of fun, never did consider it work. Never did get the hang of that "savings account, rainy day" concept either.

I started this life with very little and over the years have managed to keep most of it.

[tefishmaster]

Buddhaman - You may know my boss, Mark Duthu. I believe his father had a paint store in Houma for many years. i know Mark. He has 2 brothers Robbie and David ?? He grew up across the street from my wife.

[snake doctor]

Like most, I started cutting grass, promoted to lawn man for the neighbors, painted houses, bagged groceries at Winn-Dixie, got a job as a a laborer and quickly moved to the assembly line stuffing bearings and grease into conveyor belt idlers. I was spending my meager salary on fishing and hunting and dating while guys twice my age were making the same amount and trying to raise a family. That woke me up and I decided to go to college. I started hanging around the laboratories after class, picked up a part time job as a lab tech, kept moving up the ranks.

[marshdaddy]

While the other kids were mowing yards for $2 a yard, I borrowed $30 and bought a gas edger. I could do 5 or 6 yards at $1 a yard in the time it took the other kids to do 1 yard. Payed back the $30 in 2 weeks. When I got to high school, I started selling concessions at the college football games. Now that was real money. Make $20-$30 dollars a night. Last all week. That was big money in the late 60s early 70s.

[papawd]

test

[papawd]

Hey Buddaman what about Dupont's (maw maw's favorite store) worked my Uncle's shrimp nets in Ychloskey at night with my cousins for $50.00 or so a night, while He watched Johny Carson,,,Also worked on his oyster boat,,Guess those days are gone --THANKS B.P. AND OBAMA FOR NOT HAVING THE BALLS TO CLEAN THIS (*(&)&^%$%^ MESS UP...Ran crab traps and shrimped as a teen and young 20's for a quick hustle guess that is gone also....When I was 11-12 cut grass and washed cars bought a 12' flat and bolt action 410 shotgun (still have the gun) Dad bought me a 7.5 hp Eska (anyone see one of them) caught a ton of bass and bream in Lake Theriot (THAT TOO IS GONE THANKS TO LOUISIANA POLITICS) Had a bunch of other jobs too many to list

[Laidback]

Started out collecting bottles for the deposit, graduated to cutting grass at $3-4 each depending upon the size with an old push mower (no engine) an then was shipped off to the family farm to work for my grandpa & uncle every summer until I joined the Coast Guard. Had a great time and fished the farm ponds and creeks of Northern Missouri every chance I got catching crappie, bluegill and bass. My dad taught me to tie my own fly's and make my own rods because you could build a good one cheaper than you could buy one. Been cleaning up oil spills since I got out of the Coast Guard and to tell the truth, this last one has about wore me out.

[Cajun_Caster]

Besides cutting grass a few times when I was younger, my first real job was stringing lights at Al Copeland's house when I was 15. Paid $3.50/hr tax-free. Nice pay considering min wage was only $3.15 at the time. Can't tell you how illegal that work was though. 15 year kid on a 3-story scaffold running lights in palm trees, but I was thrilled to work. Didn't even take a break for lunch. Just had a sammy in my jacket pocket that I quickly ate up in the tree. Made about $100 for 2-days work in November and again in January. Later helped string the snowman for Lamarque Ford.

[cant catch fish]

In southern Michigan, baled and stacked hay. There were a lot of dairy farms in the area and that was about it. Miles from any big city. Buck fifty an hour and that was a lot of money. Later during high school worked in construction.

[yak-aholic]

Dad bought me a 7.5 hp Eska (anyone see one of them)

I think we had an Eska when I was a kid. I remember it not having a hp rating, but it was marked as a 2.0 c.i.d.