No matter what year you were born, you usually aren't making bank at your first job. First jobs are an introduction to the workforce, and while the income it may be meager–there are few things sweeter than receiving that first paycheck. (Which admittedly can be slightly disheartening.)
With inflation continuing to rise, wages have increased over the years to match. Today, minimum wage is $7.25. But 'back in the day', it was much less. And older people are spilling exactly how much they made during their first jobs. Here are 20 of the most interesting replies to the question, "What was your starting hourly pay?"
1. "3.35 an hour in the mid 80’s." – Heavy_Front_3712
2. "Dairy Queen. $1.75/hour in 1977." – Ok_Border5218 (Today, $1.75 would be $9.44, according to the CPI Inflation Calculator.)
dairy queen 90s GIFGiphy
3. "I was born in 1964, but my first hourly job was in 1978 when I was 14, at a car wash on Saturdays. I'd done farm work before, but that paid by the bushel, and varied as to what crop it was. (Butter beans paid the best.) So, the minimum wage then was $2.65 an hour, but I only got $1.70 because we were 'tipped' employees. All the other guys there were 19/20 year old burn outs who informed me that I did NOT get to share in the tip pool and to STFU. I'd work all day Saturday, 10 or 11 hours and go home with a 20 dollar bill and some coins. I guess no tax taken out and the occasional joint that was given to me made up for it a TINY bit. I think I did the car wash thing from fall until that next summer." – DistantKarma
4. "$3.35/hr scrubbing barnacles off the bottoms of boats with muriatic acid." – Prestigious_Day_5242
5. "1962, 50 cents an hour, free meal every day I worked and $1.00 from each waitress at end of shift. And, Gorgeous college 'co-eds' flirting with me, the dumbest, socially awkward 14 year old ever . Good thing I could hold my busboy bin in front of me nearly all the time. Good ol’ days." – Gogo-sox
6. "Busboy $3.50 plus tips, 1975, it was a very big fancy restaurant and when I applied there were 30 other much older guys applying. At 17, I was the only one that showed up with a tie and suit jacket on per my mom's instructions. Everyone around knew it was a good job but the owner was very strict. You had to wear a white shirt and tie and black pants and nice shoes (which were practically ruined at the end of every shift). We wore a white starched busman's jacket over that. The dining rooms were very formal, and parties gave the best tips. You could get fired for being 2 minutes late or smarting off to any waitress or management." – thewoodsiswatching
7. "Pulling weeds in greenhouses $1/hr cash. 1973 NJ. I was 11-12ish." – obi2kanobi
8. "I believe mine was $1.30 plus tips for waitressing. 1979, The South." – MindTraveler48 (Today, $1.30 would be $6.01, according to the CPI Inflation Calculator.)
Fast Food GIF by US National ArchivesGiphy
9. ".50 an hr for babysitting." – monnij
10. "$1.65 an hour working as a bag boy at the A&P when I was in high school 1967-1968. And I had to pay $5 a month to the union right off the top." – chouseworth
11. "$2.90/hour. Stockboy at Woolworth's Department Store. Late 70's." – -animal-logic-
12. "$2.90 stock boy in Lord & Taylor's department store. Got a raise to $3.25 after 3 months." – Cassedaway
13. "First legit job was as a car hop at the local Pig Stand. A whopping .75/hour plus tips. 1970." – New_Improvement9644 (Today, $1.30 would be $6.26, according to the CPI Inflation Calculator.)
14. "I seem to remember it being $4.25/hr in the mid/late '80s, grocery sacker at a Kroger." – Clean_Brilliant_8586
15. "My very first paying job was $0.50/hr pulling wild mustard out of a field of oats for the farmer next door. As you might imagine, it wasn't much fun. My first official job working for a company was I think $3.25/hr at a fast food joint." – North_Bad2599
16. "$1.85/hr. 1975- grocery sacker. We were also not allowed to accept tips." – TexanInNebraska (Today, $1.30 would be $11.21, according to the CPI Inflation Calculator.)
Working Grocery Store GIF by TravisGiphy
17. "Busgirl 1973 1.35 plus tips Portland Oregon." – Striking_Debate_8790
18. "$1 an hour. That was in 1963 when I got my first job, part time, working 20 hours a week, for the first year, and 30 hours a week after that. I graduated HS in 1966 because I'd skipped a couple grades ahead. Went to work at Kroger Foods at $2.25 and hour, when the minimum wage was $1.40, in 1967, because I had experience and a strong recommendation from my prior employer." – Ok-Afternoon-3724 (Today, $1.00 would be $10.38, according to the CPI Inflation Calculator.)
19. "It was about a dollar an hour. 1970 Florida. Picadilly Cafeteria!" – zoohiker (Today, $1.00 would be $8.35, according to the CPI Inflation Calculator.)
20. "In 1966, I was making $1.35 at a Signal filling station. I left that job to make $1.75 to dress as an Enco Tiger at a grand opening at an Enco station a mile from my house." – Gommie5x5
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