Tell me about your most blue collar job.

#58
#58
volinbham said:
In order from youngest to oldest

News Sentinnel carrier (12 - 14)
Dishwasher (14-16)
Food server/cashier (16-17)
Carwasher (17-18)
Dishwasher (18)
Mover (19)
Kroger Deli (union shop) (21-22)
Magazine Delivery (26)

All taught me if I want $ to pay bills or buy things I need to get off my butt and earn it. No job is beneath me.
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I thought those were years like 2012-2014 at first, until I got to 26
 
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#61
#61
Worked with my dad at 10 during the summer. He owned a car lot and I would wash them every day. Made sure they would start, no dead batteries etc. Probably at about 15 i started helping him install swimming pools. He had branched out to manufacturering and installing fiberglass pools. They also owned a salvage yard and I assisted with stuff out there. Taking parts off, working the counter etc.

I also started at the News Sentinel on Saturday nights putting the Sunday paper together. I started as a stacker, picking up the bundles and stacking them on the pallet. I worked my way into an inserter where you would take the ad section and insert it into the news part.

During college, I worked various jobs for the family business and the summer of '82 I was a photographer for the antique photo booth at the world's fair.

I also started working as a night time computer operator for a local medical supply manufacturer.
 
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#62
#62
My friend across the street and I had a lawn business from 15-17.

Putt-putt from 17-19. I know that doesn't sound "blue collar," but women's bathrooms and old ice cream tubs are disgusting. That job rocked. If I could have raised a family @ $6.75/hr, I'd still be there. I'm pretty damn good at Street Fighter and Mortal Combat, and hitting golf balls with baseball bats is more fun than you think.

I did get a little humbling yesterday at the end of the day. This 6 year old with no symptoms but fever had a VERY sudden bout of nausea while I was examining her. First time I've been had in a while. She puked partially-digested chocolate milk hard and fast, soaking my shirt and left leg, all the way to the skin. Vomit is my kryptonite, only body fluid that really repulses me. Thankfully, I had a spare set of scrubs in my office, but it was a very bad day.
 
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#66
#66
Mowing yards starting at 13 yo, line cook, construction clean up crew…basically hauled around dry wall and took the trash out for my friend’s dad who was a contractor in college during the summers, used to load airplanes for UPS at night at the airport.
 
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#67
#67
RavinDave said:
Let’s see

@ 9 I made a few quarters shoveling snow
10-13 paperboy for Knoxville News Sentinel
10-13 got a friend to deliver papers on UT game days so I could sell “Cold DRINKS!” in Neyland Stadium
14-15 drive-in waiter at a greasy spoon
16 McDonalds on Chapman Hwy (counter, not fries)
16-17 Cas Walkers, bag boy on Chapman Hwy and Vestal locations
( some hoodlum put sugar in the gas tank of my Suzuki at the Vestal store)
17-18 stockboy, bag boy. And produce maven at Reeds Fine Foods in Sequoyah Hills during first year at UT (old man Reed was on my paper route)
18-19 at Reeds for Spring and Fall quarters , engineering co-op at BFGoodrich in Ohio Summer and Winter
20-21 part time lab tech in Cedar Hills during school terms, co-op at BFG latex plant in Louisville my junior/senior year.

Dirtiest jobs were actually at a couple of small chemical plants in my late 20s early thirties.
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What HS did you go to Dave? My whole family both sides lived off Chapman hwy at one point or another. My Pappaw and Granny went to Central, but my parents and their siblings all went to Seymour. I grew up as a kid going to Kays, or the Pixie for softserve ice cream until it closed. Good times.
 
#68
#68
marcusluvsvols said:
What HS did you go to Dave? My whole family both sides lived off Chapman hwy at one point or another. My Pappaw and Granny went to Central, but my parents and their siblings all went to Seymour. I grew up as a kid going to Kays, or the Pixie for softserve ice cream until it closed. Good times.
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Nice. Spent 3 of my formative college years frequenting Chapman highway. There was a little goat ranch driving range near Ye Olde, and we would splurge on occasion at the Great American steak and buffet company. Of course (you know me) Disc Exchange captivated much of my expendable cash.
 
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#70
#70
I have worked blue collar jobs my entire life. Started cutting grass at 12yo to buy my own stuff. Bagged groceries and stocked at 15 for $4.25 min wage. At 16 started working construction. Moved out on my own at 17yo. I still work construction at 47yo, but i have been a Superintendent for a commercial contractor (same company) since jan1 2010. Don't build with my hands anymore unless I want to. My job mostly consists of reading blueprints several inches thick, answering questions/teaching, quality control, problem solving and logistics...and dicking around with yall on VN. I am fortunate in that my boss is also like a brother to me and we trust eachother implicitly. I typically see him about once a month. He will come by my job and eat lunch with me. He generally never sets foot in the buildings that I build, he knows that if I needed his help I would ask for it. I would give him a kidney, lung, or anything else that I can live without. I can (and have) built homes and additions from digging the footings to completion with my own hands and the only sub I have to use is a licensed electrician (for permit/license. Not to actually wire anything) and HVAC because you have to if you need a new unit, the parts houses won't sell to the public. Every other step I perform myself when needed. I was fortunate to work for many years for an old man who was very talented and knowledgeable. My FIL, who was a family friend before i married his daughter, was also a G.C. for most of his life and I worked nights and weekends with him also up until he was killed in a hospital during the Covid nonsense. His strengths were my weaknesses and i was blessed to learn a lot from him. I learned at a very young age to keep my mouth shut, my eyes wide open, and to ask questions when needed to learn how to do things the best way. There are many different ways to do lots of blue collar tasks...but theres only ever 1 best way. I can learn from anyone, anywhere regardless of their age, station, etc. I still pick up little tricks of the trade here and there 31 years later. Latinos are amazing at ingenuity. New and better techniques and technology spread through their community like wildfire, because such a large % of them work construction. Anyway, wasnt trying to write a novel guys. Go VOLS.
 
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#71
#71
kiddiedoc said:
My friend across the street and I had a lawn business from 15-17.

Putt-putt from 17-19. I know that doesn't sound "blue collar," but women's bathrooms and old ice cream tubs are disgusting. That job rocked. If I could have raised a family @ $6.75/hr, I'd still be there. I'm pretty damn good at Street Fighter and Mortal Combat, and hitting golf balls with baseball bats is more fun than you think.

I did get a little humbling yesterday at the end of the day. This 6 year old with no symptoms but fever had a VERY sudden bout of nausea while I was examining her. First time I've been had in a while. She puked partially-digested chocolate milk hard and fast, soaking my shirt and left leg, all the way to the skin. Vomit is my kryptonite, only body fluid that really repulses me. Thankfully, I had a spare set of scrubs in my office, but it was a very bad day.
Click to expand...

One of my buddies worked at a putt putt/arcade place in HS. He was ridiculous at everything, but Street Fighter was my jam. We had endless tournaments. As you know, winner plays free until they lose. If you're really good, you could play all night for a couple bucks or make money if sidebets were involved. My Ken/Ryu/ChunLi game was pretty stout. Theres always somebody out there better than you though. We had a lot of fun playing. Later, the Marvel vs Capcom games came out and I could use Ken and Wolverine or other crazy combinations. Consoles were used to practice for the arcade machines and competition. If we werent with girlfriends at night, we were usually partying and gaming as teens/early 20s. Was lots of fun. I had a big smile when you mentioned Street Fighter. From music to games, VOLS, VN etc its weird how much we have in common bud. We must be about the same age...my daughter is 16 now. Mom wont let her go to a TOOL show with me until shes 18. She cannot wait. Neither can I. The Raleigh and Knox shows were both amazing
 
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#72
#72
marcusluvsvols said:
One of my buddies worked at a putt putt/arcade place in HS. He was ridiculous at everything, but Street Fighter was my jam. We had endless tournaments. As you know, winner plays free until they lose. If you're really good, you could play all night for a couple bucks or make money if sidebets were involved. My Ken/Ryu/ChunLi game was pretty stout. Theres always somebody out there better than you though. We had a lot of fun playing. Later, the Marvel vs Capcom games came out and I could use Ken and Wolverine or other crazy combinations. Consoles were used to practice for the arcade machines and competition. If we werent with girlfriends at night, we were usually partying and gaming as teens/early 20s. Was lots of fun. I had a big smile when you mentioned Street Fighter. From music to games, VOLS, VN etc its weird how much we have in common bud. We must be about the same age...my daughter is 16 now. Mom wont let her go to a TOOL show with me until shes 18. She cannot wait. Neither can I. The Raleigh and Knox shows were both amazing
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Blanka and Scorpion were my guys.

Graduated FHS '93.

I heard a rumor that Tool might play the Sphere next year. That would likely pop my Vegas cherry. I have never really thought that LV would be a good place for me to visit, but I bet there is a good place to eat and maybe play golf, LOL.
 
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#74
#74
OrangeTsar said:
Indeed. And as much as I love America and make fun of Europeans; they are 100x better on that front than we are.
The old 70’s Tennessee Trash PSA was and is unfortunately all too accurate
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Tell me about it. I own an ice vending machine and it is utterly disgusting what people will leave. Worst thing so far was a deer carcass.

I lived in Tellico Plains when I first moved to Tennessee. The disgusting thing driving around in the mountains were the occasional trash "slides" where people just dumped anything from garbage to appliances. And then when winter came to see all the trash that had accumulated in the ditches. Have never understood why people throw trash out the window of their cars.

We need more Germans.
 
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#75
#75
GroverCleveland said:
Tell me about it. I own an ice vending machine and it is utterly disgusting what people will leave. Worst thing so far was a deer carcass.

I lived in Tellico Plains when I first moved to Tennessee. The disgusting thing driving around in the mountains were the occasional trash "slides" where people just dumped anything from garbage to appliances. And then when winter came to see all the trash that had accumulated in the ditches. Have never understood why people throw trash out the window of their cars.

We need more Germans.
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Love Tellico Plains. Indian Boundary Campground is one of my favorites.

Careful saying we need more Germans. It will be used against you if you ever run for President, you fascist! 😉
 
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