Among Friends

[Irshgrl31201]

I had so many back breaking and difficult jobs while in school and even a while after until I built up my clientele so I could support myself solely with that job. 

That is why I wish counselors would really counsel students on their decisions while picking schools and career choices. What they can expect their starting salaries to be and what their student debt will be so they can make better choices for not only school as to do with cost compared to others but also what they can do with their chosen field and how many options they truly have. It seems many parents cannot help their children with that so I really wish high schools would help much more. I believe it is crucial and can make a huge difference in a persons future

[Financialgrl]

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@Gram W wrote:

I was a stay at home mom and did not enter the work force until 1978.   I worked at a postal substation for $3.01 per hour.   As we were not USPS employees thus we did not get their pay or benefits.  We had to abide by USPS rules and do all the same tasks as their regular postal clerks in addition to the bookkeeping and ordering for our substation.   There were only 2 of us working there.

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That still is somewhat in effect in rural areas.  For 14 years I lived very rural - our post office was a tiny bumpout of a very old general store - it's "lobby" held no more than two ppl  - think of "Howard from Andy of Mayberry" show. It still has the roll top thing used at the window.  Postmaster knew everyone by name and although he was a USPS employee, all our carriers were what were called "PT Flexibles".  They used their own vehicles to deliver until about 3 years ago when all the very old mail trucks were put into use for the rural carriers when they fazed those out and got new vehicles for "real" postmen.  

Once many of the Postmasters retired, they closed down many of those substations and combined several substations into one  never filled the Postmaster position and instead rotated PO employees from the nearest larger town through those locations.  

[viva923]

my 1st job was baby sitting in high school . Paid 50 cents an hour. Graduated from high school, became a nanny for summer down in the Chicago (this was back in the 60's) I think I was paid $30.00 a week. After that summer went into nurse school. When I finished nurse school, worked in hospital for 18 months I can't remember how much I was paid. Got married. My husband grand take home pay weekly was  $60.00. I was not able to find a job because my dh was in the military and moving every 2 yrs most places wouldn't hire because by time we got trained in, we were leaving.

[gizmogal]

44 years ago, 1973, I was in my third year of what became a 25 year career with NY Telephone, which lost that name later on. But it was The Phone Company. At that time in my new career I was working in the Business Offfice serving customer requests for new phone service, or to move their service, or negotiate bill payments, or answer service questions, explain billing and pricing, etc. Touchtone was still an “option” that cost extra (color telephone or Princess model was extra, too!). 

I, too, have a pay stub from back then and longer. I made $111/week when I started with Ma Bell, but by 1973 I was already enjoying a modest raise, making $118/week gross. I had my own 1 bedroom apartment in a 4th floor walkup building, having left my parents’ home a few years before.  I had finally stopped bringing laundry home and eating dinner with my parents once a week! I was fully independent and self supporting at 25 in 1973, and I owned a 1967 VW Beetle, my first car. My rent was $86/month! 

Looking back, I’m still proud of the me I was then. 

[SouthernBee]

@LdyBugz- Enjoyed reading about everyone. My dad worked for Southern Bell- forgot correct job description but he climbed telephone poles- sadly he was up on a pole when he had the massive heart attack. I was a premature baby in 1954 and only 22 months old when dad died. My brother lived but struggled with several health issues from the accident . He passed in 2014 of lung cancer and that was difficult sitting by his bedside watching and listening to him struggling to breath. My precious Mother died in 1977 stomach cancer. She always wanted the Vitamix and Kitchenaid stand mixer. My dream was to make her life easier and purchase what she wanted. I graduated from college and Blessed that vocational rehabilitation  made that possible on  6/3/77 and Mother died 6/28/77. My precious DH first Christmas gift to me was the Kitchenaid and later the Vitamix in honor and memory of my mother- DH appreciates that I had a Mother and Grandmother that taught me  how to cook and bake. My family includes one very special cousin and my precious DH.  Everything  that I experienced prepared me for  everything. I am very Blessed and Thankful. Blessings for you and everyone. Southern Bee 

[bonnielu]

Dating myself but in 1967 my first real teaching job.... a whopping $5,200 for the entire year.  I thought I had struck it rich.