Since I began working at 15 — which was almost seven years ago (wow) — I’ve had nine jobs. From the food service industry to childcare to retail, I’ve pretty much had every type of minimum-wage job you could imagine. While some have been fun and easy, others have been boring and mundane, and others have led to character development. Here they are, ranked from my least favorite to favorite.
- Whole foods
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I was an Amazon Prime grocery shopper during the peak of COVID in 2020, and it was by far the worst job I’ve had for various reasons. First off, all of my shifts were from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. – I was late almost every single day because I am not a morning person. Secondly, my manager sucked. Third, it made me absolutely hate grocery shopping. 10/10 would not recommend.
- nanny
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This was my first unofficial “job” during the summer of 2016, at 15, I nannied for two boys. Seems fun, right? The catch is that they were 10 and 12 years old. How were they supposed to see me as an authority figure when I was practically their age?! Even worse, they were mean. All in all, I was just too young to be handed that level of responsibility.
- Gymboree
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I worked at Gymboree for two months in 2019 because they were going bankrupt and I was desperate for a job. It wasn’t necessarily good or bad, but it was extremely monotonous — all I did was fold clothes. Not the worst job, but there were also no redeeming qualities.
- petrone’s pizza
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Now, this was my first real job: a small pizza shop in my hometown. This job had the highest highs and lowest lows. My boss was great on his good days and horrible on his bad days. Sometimes I loved it, and sometimes it made me cry, but I was always thankful for it and I still am to this day. I learned valuable life skills and grew a lot as a person.
- cvs
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During the spring of my sophomore year, I lived in Amherst but we were still taking online classes, so I decided to work off-campus. Sort of similar to Gymboree, this job was nothing extremely special, but I also have no complaints about it. It was easy and sometimes weirdly fun.
- target
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I became a seasonal Target employee the winter of my sophomore year, and I work there every time I’m home for break. Despite how boring most retail jobs are, this one is much less so because I work with all of my hometown friends. It’s easy, it’s relaxing, and I get a lot of free Starbucks.
- hebrew school teacher
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From November 2017 to May 2019, which were my junior and senior years of high school, I was a Hebrew school teacher at my local temple. I was an assistant teacher in the fifth/sixth-grade class and the main teacher in the pre-k class. Not only did I love working with the kids, but also it was so nice to give back to the Jewish community that raised me.
- country club waitress
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This was my longest-running job and one of my favorites — I began in 2018 and stayed for three summers total. It was strictly a summer job since I was a waitress at the country club pool, and the vibes were always immaculate. I loved my coworkers, it was such a fun environment, I got free food, and I made great money with tips.
- courtside cafe
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Located in the UMass recreation center, I began working at Courtside 10 months ago. The perks of this job are endless: I have a set weekly schedule, I love making smoothies and açaí bowls, and I have the best coworkers. It’s a very friendly and social environment, and working on campus allows me to have a good school/work balance. I love this job, and I would definitely recommend an on-campus job as opposed to an off-campus one.
Good or bad, each and every job I’ve had has been an experience that I have learned and grown immensely from.
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