First jobs: lessons in disguise: that first job can be something to pass the time, or a ticket to the future. Make the most of it! - special feature

Career World, Jan, 2004 by Tamra B. Orr

There it is--your first job. It looms ahead of you, just waiting with promises of paychecks and independence. However, it is also a bit intimidating. How do you know which job is right for you? Should you look for one that simply gives you some spending money, or one that will lead you in the direction of a future career?

No matter what first job you have, it will teach you some incredibly vital things. First, it will teach you the basics of work, such as punctuality, responsibility, and dependability. Whether you're flipping burgers or writing newspaper fillers, you will be expected to show up on time and do your job competently. While you may not hold a position that will enrich your resume, you can still learn important lessons that you will carry with you throughout your life. Secondly, it will teach you what you do--and don't--want to do. It may even lead to pathways you had never considered before.

Quick! Run!

One of the biggest benefits of a first job is learning what you do not want to do. Teens who spend 20 to 40 hours a week in a fast-food restaurant may come to the conclusion that food service work is not something they want to do for the next decade or two. Jasmine, a 19-year-old who has spent the last two years working in a bakery at the mall, says, "I cannot wait to find something better than this. Right now I am looking into starting my own coffee kiosk with a partner. I know it will mean longer hours, but I will own the business and have some freedom to make changes and develop!"

Sue McDonald can relate to having a less-than-pleasant first job. "I grew up in rural northwestern Ohio, where there weren't a whole lot of jobs," she explains. "One of my first jobs was a two-phase job based on the area's farming season. The first few weeks of summer, I was a corn detassler. For 8 to 10 hours a day, a group of us would walk up and down corn rows in which tall stalks of corn had been chopped off at eye level to remove most of the tassel, the part of the plant that produces pollen." Sue's job entailed removing every single piece of the tassel left. Some drawbacks were "spiders, hot weather, no outdoor toilets," she adds. "Not a fun job.".

Her next job--as a production line worker in a tomato cannery--wasn't any better. "We got paid by how many tomatoes we could peel and core in a day," she explains. "I got up to 10,000 a day, but veteran workers could easily do up to 40,000. It was hot, smelly, sticky, gooey work."

Today, Sue (who still can barely stand to eat ketchup) is employed as a writer for a large public relations company. What did these two jobs teach her?" "Every time I would get bummed out in college or later at work, all I had to do was think to myself, 'Well, you could be detassling corn or back in the cannery,' and suddenly, everything got put into perspective. It also taught me that no matter what you do, do it well. Even if it is miserable, hot, and stinky, you are developing your work ethic, and you will carry that with you throughout your life."

Close, But Not Quite

Sometimes first jobs serve as a way to refine your job preferences. Alaina Levine found that out. She was majoring in astronomy and physics and decided that she wanted to be an astrophysicist. Through a grant from NASA, Alaina was able to pursue that passion--and find out that it was not quite what she had expected.

"I soon learned that the life of an astrophysicist is not [the] one for me," she says. "While it is fascinating to be involved with research at the frontiers of knowledge, that exploration mainly takes place in front of a computer. It quickly became clear to me that I would rather help others understand science better than do the research myself." Alaina went on to become the Director of Special Projects for the University of Arizona's College of Science. "So what did I learn from that first job?" she asks. "That's easy: I love science, but I don't want to be a scientist. The moral of the story is to follow your passion and interests and do what you do best."

A Whole New Direction

Sometimes your first job can lead you in a completely different direction from what you had originally planned. From a young age, Amy Wynn Pastor was interested in performing. By the time she got to college, she had decided to major in theater. She was on track to become an actress when she took a class in stage production. Amy met carpentry for the first time, and it was a real match. After a few hours handling all of those power tools, her interest went from performing on stage to construction behind the scenes. "I loved helping make the magic happen," she says. "I was creating the playground for actors." As soon as she graduated from Penn State, she got her first real job" prop supervisor with the national Broadway tour of the musical Victor/Victoria. A month later she was offered something even more exciting.

"A friend called and told me about this new show on television that needed a female carpenter," she recalls. "I thought I would give it a shot." Today, Amy is a carpenter on Trading Places, a popular cable TV show that has friends switching homes for the weekend and redecorating a room. "I love this opportunity to travel all over and meet incredible people," says Amy. "If you don't have any idea what you want to do, try to find a job that at least interests you. Learn how the real world works and how to find your own work ethic. If you do know, get started as soon as possible. Meet people in your field and start building that resume."