I’m had so many jobs while I was trying to save money so I could become a teacher but the worst job I ever had was working in a knitting factory my first summer home from college. My father wanted me to work in the Chinese restaurant with him like I did part time the last three years of high school but I know he hoped that I would give up this crazy idea of college and stay home. So, instead I went out to find my own job that summer and took the first one that offered me a job. It was in a knitting factory close to my home and it was a Monday through Friday job so I would still have my weekends.
My job was to collect the sweaters in a huge bin and wheel them to the next station in the assembly line. After that, I was sent into this small hallway that was cinder blocked all around with no air circulating and it was my job to thread the knitted belts through the waist band of these sweater coats. I did this for eight hours a day and we had a thirty minute lunch break. During lunch we would sit on the lawn under a tree to eat. Most of the workers were older heavy set women who worked at the knitting machines all day long. Whenever we had a break or when I saw them in the bathroom, they would make me promise to finish college so I didn’t end up in a job like this forever.
There was no air condition in this factory and the only thing moving air were these huge fans near the ceiling by some windows. Every time the fire marshall would come to inspect, he would say I was in a fire hazard and needed to be moved immediately. So, they would move me so the fire marshall would be happy and then they would move me right back where I was. I was told that when the fire marshall came, I had to move to the other spot long enough to pass inspection.
I think I was paid minimum wage at that time which was $3.65 per hour. I was so proud of myself for not working in a restaurant with my father (where it was air conditioned, working at a cash register which entailed no physical labor for about $5 per hour). Hmmm, how stupid I was when I was young!
I think I was paid minimum wage at that time which was $3.65 per hour. I was so proud of myself for not working in a restaurant with my father (where it was air conditioned, working at a cash register which entailed no physical labor for about $5 per hour). Hmmm, how stupid I was when I was young!
I am tagging the following people: Angela Maiers, Bellringers, Cathy Nelson, Christine Southard, and Jennifer.
Now, it is your turn to write a post, acknowledge the person who tagged you and then tag 5 others. I can't wait to read about your worst job!
6 comments:
I worked in a beef jerkey plant. My job? Counting 25 pieces of beef jerkey and sticking them in a jar. Wage? Minimum $3.25 an hour.
Corn detasseling would be my worst job. I grew up in IL and the summer before 9th grade I decided I wanted to make what I thought would be easy money - $3.35 an hour detasseling corn. High school students were bussed into the corn fields at 4:00 am and we worked until 1:00 pm detassling the female corn. There were four rows of female corn and then two rows of male corn. NEVER touch the male corn! :-) You walk between the rows and pull the tassel out of the stalk. It sounds like popcorn when you have about 100 teenagers pulling those tassels out!
We wore long sleeved shirts and jeans (the corn stalks cut into your skin - feels like a million paper cuts on your body). In the morning, the corn is VERY wet from the humidity so you get drenched but by the time the sun comes up you dry off and sweating your butt off. We finished around 1:00 pm every day since the heat and humidity was intense. We detasseled for about three weeks.
By the way, it's NOT easy money! :-)
I think we do a great service by encouraging children and teenagers to work. When they realize that basic manual labor doesn't pay near as much, many of them will get a vision of the importance of education.
mrs.g: I hate to admit that I like beef jerky! I wouldn't mind that job if I got to taste test while I counted! LOL
m-dawg: I never heard of corn detasseling and I think I'm glad too. What was the point of doing this? How could you tell the difference between the female and male corn? Your comment opens up a lot of questions for me! It sounds like harder work than I ever want to do. :)
henry cate: It definitely gave me motivation to do well in school because I knew I didn't want to spend the rest of my life doing this.
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