Our first jobs or volunteer experiences often teach us something. We asked the mindyourmind team what their first job or volunteer experience was and how it shaped them into the person they are today.
Kyle: My first job was at my step-father’s commercial painting business. This was back in a time when apparently no one noticed or cared if there was a child wandering around a construction site unsupervised and with no safety gear.
I think that was when I first started to suspect that adults were making it all up as they went along; something my own adulthood has confirmed. It felt like the mix-ups and last-minute fixes were constant. Like everyone’s default state was “mild confusion”.
However, despite our collective wrongness and mistakes – and despite everyone coming from different backgrounds, specialities, cultures, and often not even knowing each other before starting the job – we could still manage to complete complex projects that we set out to do. As long as everyone leans into their particular skills, in the end that it all (amazingly) kinda works.
Heather: I babysat for a number of years, and then had my first job at a local ice cream shop, scooping ice cream. I didn’t realize it was a problem when I was 14, but we were paid cash out of the register weekly. Probably not legit, but you’re not going to complain when you also get all the ice cream you can eat. That was the start of many years of customer service jobs, that truly are such great life lessons. I really believe that everyone should do some type of front-line customer service at some point in their lives. Teaches you compassion, patience, humility, and connection with others. It’s also usually a lot of fun, as your co-workers become an extended family, and you lean on each other while managing a multitude of issues together.
Josh: Growing up in rural Northern Ontario, my first jobs were working with my dad around the property. Chopping wood, cutting lumber, felling trees, pouring manure into the garden – glamorous stuff I know. As a youth, I hated this. It was exhausting and took up a lot of time that could be spent doing things I actually liked. But it did teach me a few things. It taught me my personal limits, and it taught me what I could achieve when I pushed myself. It taught me that perfection in craft comes from being meticulous and slow with your work, but that you don’t have to make something perfect if you don’t want to; and that’s fine. Finally, it taught me the value of community, and that energy and time is something that I can always give to those around me, because when they need help, you can give no better thing.
Carolyn: My first job was babysitting; I’ve been taking care of kids almost my whole life. It started with my mom’s friends who had kids and I’d go over and help them out with occupying the kids so their mom’s could do whatever they needed. When I was old enough to be on the books, I was a one-on-one camp counselor for a young boy who has cerebral palsy. I spent the summer supporting him through the day to do all the activities, fed him, changed him, and was outside all summer. Once I turned 16 I got a job at WalMart and that was where I worked for the rest of highschool. If you want to learn stellar customer service skills-work at WalMart! These two jobs helped form who I would grow into as a professional helper. If you can calm down an angry and raging customer you’re in a good spot to help young people in crisis. I was able to learn how to understand folks who spoke little/broken English and this made it a lot easier to connect with different cultures. I’ve always thought we’re all one-everyone is a human. These roles definitely took that to a deeper level. Everyone has a story, we all have great days and truly horrible days. Empathy and kindness go such a long way when supporting others!
Michelle: My first official job was scooping ice cream at Baskin Robbins. That was a fun job and I ate a lot of ice cream! Before that I babysat. I think the most valuable thing I learned from babysitting was how to distract and entertain. This comes in handy when working with a group of young people on developing a new tool. We have to remember we are trying to reach a diverse audience and make the goal of the tool or book very clear.
Simran: My first job was helping my parents out at our gas station in grade 8. I started with helping stock the shelves, cleaning and organizing items when they came in. In grade 10, I was given a shift at the counter where I actually interacted with customers. My job was to scan items from the store and complete gas transactions. I used to be really shy growing up but being put in a space where I interacted with hundreds of people in one day really helped me open up. It made me feel less anxious and more confident when speaking to strangers. It also made me more compassionate and patient towards others working in customer service especially when mistakes were made.
Scarlett: My first job was as a cashier at a grocery store when I was 15 and 16. In addition to the obvious customer service skills, I feel that I also gained experience in providing supportive listening to people from varying walks of life. You might be surprised how many people open up about their life stressors while you’re scanning through their groceries, especially in a small town where life moves a little slower. Though around any holidays I certainly learned how to maintain composure during the stresses of extensive lineups and demanding customers who were in much more of a rush than usual!
Elora: My first job was at the Labatt Park concession stand. Since I was only 14 or 15 at the time, I wasn’t paid, however, I got volunteer hours from it and at the end of the summer, I would take home a portion of the tips we collected all season. I learnt a lot of skills and gained a great deal of independence and confidence during my time there. Although navigating such a fast-paced environment with challenging customers wasn’t always easy, I enjoyed interacting with the customers, especially the regulars. 9 years later, I still think about my times at the concession stand and reflect on the people I met and the experiences I had. In particular, I remember having a lot of empathy for the customers who were homeless or in difficult life positions and often gave them something to eat or drink, free of charge, while we chatted about all kinds of things. I appreciated those moments of connection and understood how precious they are when you have so little. And now I support individuals who are homeless as a second job. It’s funny how life comes full circle sometimes.
We encourage you to reflect on your first job or volunteer experience and how it has influenced your life.