What lessons did you get from your first job? Here’s what Sun-Times readers told us, lightly edited for clarity and readability.
Working as a “paletero [ice cream vendor] in the Humboldt Park/Logan Square area, I learned English by saying the flavors. And I learned not to let kids pick their own paleta [ice pop] because they would take off running without paying.”
Marcelo Enrique Ruiz Lopez
“Double-knot your wraparound skirt. I was reaching high to shelve a book at the Winnetka Public Library when my waistband unraveled. My skirt fell to my ankles in front of a table full of Loyola Academy guys.”
Mary Ann O’Rourke, Barrington
“I learned many very important survival skills my first year teaching high school history in Chicago, but probably the most important was ALWAYS come in with a plan. DO NOT try to wing it!”
Tom Madden, Roseland
“McDonald’s. I learned how to make change in my head, how to tell a real bill from a counterfeit one, to get a union job next time and not to put up with crap from the boss.”
Beverly Brown
“Emergency medical technician. For-profit health care kills patients and exploits workers. ”
Chris Starck
“I delivered the Chicago Sun-Times when I was 11 to 16. I learned the importance of getting to work early and getting the job done. I was on my bike early in the morning, delivering papers before school and pulling my sled in those cold snowy Chicago winters. It gave me a strong work ethic and taught me responsibility.”
Tony Williams
“Working in an office for a plastics company. You have to advocate for yourself to get the first job because they all want people with experience. I also learned how to run a mimeograph machine.”
Linda Brons Douglas
“My first job was with the Chicago Housing Authority. They taught me that compassion is the key. It can unlock many doors.”
Angela Lee
“I worked for my uncles, who had full-service gas stations. They taught me to treat every customer the same, no matter what color or how much gas they asked for.”
Bob Ambriz
“Certified nurse’s assistant at a hospital. Listen to what patients are saying. Open both ears. They may tell you something that you can’t see with your eyes.”
Bobbie Bacher, 74, Morton Grove
“Wendy’s, right off of Archer and Western. When you do the right thing and don’t call off the other workers, you get rewarded. I worked all of their hours and got a five-cent raise!”
Whit Bee Whit
“My first job was with Andy Frain at the Rosemont Horizon, now the Allstate Arena. The lesson I learned — albeit a little too late — was to wear earplugs.”
Linda Hatfield, Batavia