I was 14 when I started my first job at Huck Finn's, a restaurant/resort in the tiny town of Orihula, WI, for $2.10/hr + tips. I only had a three-speed bicycle to make the 4 mile trip to work every night and back home in the dark. The moonlight was usually enough to light the way but it often rained. The occasional headlight of an oncoming vehicle was cause for me to worry a little bit about being kidnapped or hit and left to suffer in a ditch.

Working in the kitchen at Huck's was mindless fun. I was a very quiet and shy kid but got along well with most coworkers. I adamantly stuck to the letter of my job and made sure dishes were cleaned and returned to service without allowing piles of dirty dishes to back up. Several times, when a thunderstorm took out electricity for the night we'd set candles out on tables, and I'd relocate dishwashing to the back of the kitchen at a large utility sink where everything had to be washed by hand. I also kept the bar stocked, sorted bottles for return, and helped wherever I was needed.

We had two bosses: George and Miles. Both had wives, Nancy and Carol. George managed the bar. Nancy kept books. Miles ran the kitchen. Carol supervised staff. For some time I babysat Miles' and Carol's kids a few houses down. I also babysit other kids before this job but never considered it a job. Working at Huck's, with its small hotel, RV campground, dance hall, banquet hall, pool hall, bar, and dining room, I learned the value of making friends and dealing with different personalities.

When I graduated, the owners gave my sister, a high school friend, and me a nice graduation dinner and gifts. I received a huge unabridged dictionary that's still on my shelf. After I graduated high school, I returned to pick up a few bucks over winter breaks and the one summer I took off from college. By then, ownership changed to the Engel Family from Chicago who later sold it.

Today, many people claim that entry level jobs aren't worthy of reasonable living pay. I didn't absolutely need the job, but my parents didn't make that much money for a family of 7. I'm sure I saved my parents some money by finishing high school by 17. Without the job, I likely would not have gone to college because I could only afford application fees to 3 colleges: MIT, CalTech and IIT in Chicago. I had an in-person interview with an MIT graduate working in a back-alley leather shop. I wasn't excited by this lifestyle prospect with a degree from MIT and botched the interview. CalTech and MIT rejected my applications based on my high school's available course offerings that would start me 2 years behind in college. IIT accepted my application, starting me 3 semesters behind but I managed to place out of several courses and took 2 summers' of courses to finish my physics BS in 4 years.

What was your first paying job?