What types of jobs have you had and which did you prefer?

From: Connie Olson

Lots of people don't consider being a wife and mother a job I do!!!!

My #1 job I feel was being a wife and mother. I was married and had two children by the age of 18, one was born 3 days after my 18th birthday, and the other 30 days before my 19th. I had the other 4 children by age 24. I was pregnant for 54 months, which is four years and 5 months. I learned to like the plain and drab maternity clothes we had back then.

I was divorced after 8 years of marriage to my first husband. After several years of being on my own I then married a man with 6 children. He was older than I was and some of his children were much older than mine. He had a daughter that was married who had three children and a son about to be married. We were married so Bill could come live with my family. We had his 4 other children living with us after a few years of marriage.

His two youngest girls came to live with us at ages 14 and 15. The oldest Wendy had missed a lot of school because of baby sitting her 3 very young siblings from her mom 3rd marriage. The youngest Janis was in a home for wayward girls. She kept running away from her mothers home and dating older boys. When the court awarded us full custody they moved up north with us out of the cities.

We enrolled both in our local school where they flourished. Wendy finished 2 years in one year with very good grades, and then in her senior year was caught up to her peers and then graduated when she was suppose too. Janis had been going to school in the home and was caught up to the grade she was suppose to be in. She also finished high school. When both girls had graduated their bio-mom called us up and thanked us for doing what she couldn't. She had figured neither girl would graduate from high school. All of my birth children graduated from high school too, one with high honors.

Then when all the kids were all gone I went along to work with my present hubby. And he paid me too. Spent lots of quality time with him. It was fun and a rewarding job. I learned a lot about siding and house repair.

At age 14 I was a car-hop at a drive- in a block away from my home. Loved the job it was a typical 1950's drive in. Food was free for the workers. Ah those benefits were great!!!!! I believe those calories have caught up to me now.

When married to my first husband I needed to work. I Found a job at a factory for a short time to help out when my he had been hurt working on our car. We had 3 children by then. Jobs didn't pay well back then. I made a dollar an hour. Whoopee!! This was in the 1950's. I paid the baby sitter 15 dollars a week had to bring the milk and food for them too. It was 10 miles to my work and then trotting through the snow from the bus stop another 3 blocks.

I got to thinking this isn't worth it and my husband agreed. After 4 months of working at this factory and standing at a machine 8 hours a day printing paint paddles, we looked at all the facts and the money was not that good for all the hassle. The baby sitter was making more money than I was.

He still had to bring me to the babysitters with the kids. Extra gas money we couldn't afford. I was bringing home about $4.50 a week after all the expenses. So we talked it over he said to quit so I quit. By this time my hubby was able to go back to work. You might ask why he didn't watch the kids but he wasn't able to he had hurt his back when he was working on our car, and he couldn't chase after them.

This is something I wanted to add to this day from bringing cold bag lunches to work it cured me of eating cold sandwiches to this day.

Well my last job was for 5 years and 1 day, 1994-1999. That was being a caregiver to my wonderful hubby while he fought a long and hard fight with lung cancer. Also I was caregiver for my mom she had liver cancer, she was with us until she passed away in 1996, she had been diagnosed in 1994 with cancer.

I am grateful we had those last five years Al and I had together. He was confined to a wheelchair and on oxygen. We laughed, we reminisced, we loved being together (We played a lot of cards) he loved company. We enjoyed just the two of us doing little things, it was an experience I'll treasure till the day I join him.

From: Lucy Welden

My first job was working in a factory checking cloth after it came off knitting machines and was dyed before it was shipped out or sent to our cutting room to be cut and sewed into lingerie. I worked there for 21/2 yrs. My next job was a file clerk with the State, Statistics clerk, Senior Employment clerk and a Labor Service clerk. I liked my last 2 positions because it required working with the public.

From: Philip Harris

I took any job I could when I was growing up. I worked on farms for $1 a day. I worked in Marrion Harris store in Kattskill Bay for $2 a day. I went to work when I was a teen ager for Dorance Branch's General Store on Ridge Road, Queensbury for $3 a day. I worked after school on weekends and every day in the summer. I worked a short time in Binch's lace factory in Glens Falls. It was the highest paying job in the area. It payed $70 a week for a 7 day week. I was working there at the time I was in the accident. I hated that job and never went back. When I was able to go back to work, I went to work for Grand Union Co. as a bag boy and potato bagger. We worked a 48 hour week for $38.75 I worked for Grand Union until I retired , 44 years later. I worked my way up from potato bagger to Produce mgr. I can say my all time favorite job was as Produce Mgr. I was a General Manager in stores around the North country for many years. My favorite store to manage was North Creek where I spent 12 years. I also worked as an executive out of the Waterford office. I worked the last 6 years of my Grand Union career as a company auditor.

From: Don Harris

The best job I ever had was picking strawberry's for Art Harris at 5 cents a quart and all I could eat. I would help him pedal them around the lake to tourists. In the fall I would help him get apples and press them into cider. When the cider got hard I could have all the hard cider I wanted.. One day I drew off a glass of hard cider and a mouse came out into my glass. It didn't bother me as I remember as I had already had a glass and the alcohol content was very high.

From: Lois Rotella

The answer to this question is very short. I basically have only three jobs. When I was in high school I worked as a tutor for about two years and a cashier in a supermarket for about three years. I than started working for a bank and am still there after 32 years. As far as which job I enjoyed the most was being a tutor. I loved the fact that the kids got the problem or story done or read and understood it. I guess that aspect of teaching was not in my cards.

From: Connie Farrington

Beginning with my first job, my work has included being a bookkeeper at a boat company, chambermaid, cashier (at the Grand Union where Phil Harris worked in the Produce Dept.), tax accounting clerk, cancan dancer at Storytown/Ghost town, switchboard operator, public welfare caseworker, minister to youth, statistician in research at Yale, accounts payable clerk, cost accountant, water color artist, cost accounting supervisor for DuPont, training specialist for a manufacturing plant, professional genealogist, senior technical writer, and quilt artist and lecturer. I got the most pay as the Senior Technical Writer for DuPont Medical Instruments, but my favorite work by far is being a Quilt Artist. I suppose I like it so much that it doesn't meet any definition of "work".

I loved (being a cancan dancer) too. I was supposed to be one of the can-canning Dawson widows who just came in on the stage from Santa Fe. I think the qualifications were probably just that you had to fit into one of their size 6 ruffled can can outfits and be able to kick high in size 7 heels. We just grabbed the clothes off the hooks every time the announcer said the sheriff heard there
was about to be a holdup by Cactus Pete and his sidekick. That was 5 or 6 times a day I think. Otherwise I was an entrance cashier in a red and white candy striped skirt and peasant blouse. I also twirled baton in the show by myself and had to hustle out of the can can outfit, into the baton twirling outfit, and then back into the can can outfit (while the cowboy sang) so we could kick our way across the stage for the grand finale. What a workout. Too bad I'm not in that great shape now. Fortunately I'm still a size 6 and wear size 7 1/2 heels, but doubt I could still kick as high as my eyeballs.

From: Amy Freeman

Since I was 16 I have been working pretty much non-stop. I worked as a cashier at Brookstone, and Paper Cutter. I made subs at a pizza place, but was harassed by the owner's son so I quit. I worked at Kids "R" Us for 5 years. I gradually worked my way up from the Service Desk to the Cash Office. Then for the last 2 years there I was the weekend Front Office Coordinator and assistant to the District Manager. I got out of there 2 years before they decided to close all the stores down. I am currently at Old Navy working as a Front End Supervisor. I take care of all customer issues, do our daily audits and bank deposits, and do a lot of paperwork. (I love the office part the most.) I don't think I've been happier at any of my past jobs. It's a great place to work and they have excellent benefits for their full time associates.( Most of you may know that it's one of the divisions of Gap Inc.) I hope to stay on as long as possible, maybe being a merchandise manager one day.

From: Renee Zamora

My first official job was a chambermaid. I loved getting my first steady paycheck. After that I worked at Dairy Queen and then Cooks Department store. At Cooks I was there youngest Head Cashier they ever had. I was in my senior year of high school. After high school I worked for Caldor's Dept Store, in the Aviation Mall and then in Schenectady. I worked in the cosmetic department. After I went to Cosmetology School I got a job as a barber, at the Wedgeway Barber shop in Glens Falls.

Before I was married I moved to Dracut, MA and got a job as a Receptionist at ADAC Corp. That was the first job I really liked. I knew office work was for me. I did a data entry job for a short time. Then when the kids where little I worked at Sears Teleservice Center. I was a supervisor there. I went to school for accounting and then landed a job with Discover Card. I was an account manager and then applied for my favorite position - Administrative Assistant. I really loved that job. It was difficult when I became disabled and wasn't able to return back to work. I now have a little office in my computer room and work on Genealogy, and the Life History Project. Both are very enjoyable to me.

From: Joyce Eggleston

I have had baby sitting jobs, super market jobs. I took care of an old lady and helped her in her home. I think I like domestic work the best.

From: Heidi MacDuff

I have worked at grocery stores, card shops, cocktail lounges, a bank and now at a school. I don't mind being a cashier. I am speedy. Right now I work at a Hallmark card shop part time and at a Elementary School. I do clerical / secretarial work and also work with children. I prefer secretarial work, I am very organized and like taking care of others. I like keeping things in order in my work surroundings.

From: Marie Zamora

My first real job was working at Porter's Place in Lehi, UT... DO NOT EAT THERE!!! I begged all my friends to get jobs there so I wouldn't be working alone. So Stephanie (my ex-friend), Ryan Nelson, and David (another ex-friend) all got jobs there... My last night I had a rat fall from the ceiling and onto my cutting board. *YUCK* so I went out front, told my boss I'd had enough (it was right in the middle of rush hour) and I left. Stephanie came with me.
My second job was working at Kencraft in Alpine, UT. I was doing Hard Candy Production and Packing... I met my ex boyfriend Alex there. He'd just gotten off his mission and started working there 3 months before I came. We talked about the church and everything and he got me going back. I was really spazzy at that place, and I don't think my boss liked the fact that I was everyone's little girl. I worked with about 30 older women and they all called me "baby".. I was laid off (still was on the 90 trial, made it to 39 days :P ) and my boss never let the company know. I ended up calling a week later and Kencraft still thought I was working there...

From: Brenda Olszewski

Jobs I've had are - waitress,keymaker and engraver, floral manager, cashier,specialty foods manager,general merchandise manager, front end assistant manager. The jobs I've enjoyed are making floral arrangements,working with specialty foods-diiferent nationalities, and I like what I'm doing now ,working on the front end with the cashiers and customers.