I recently did an interview and was asked about my first job.

I had to think.

I was 16 and my mom got me a summer job at a mill factory in Lowell, Mass. The factory was filled with woman – rows and rows of women – all using sewing machines. My job was to sweep away from their feet the excess cloth and items that were thrown off the sewing machines. I also had to clean the bathrooms and then load the clothing onto trucks to be taken away to the manufacturer for packaging.

There was no air conditioning. The windows would be open and the fans would be blowing. The floors were wood. I would mop them after each shift. To be honest, there was a smell in the air of humanity – of dyes; of exotic food stuffs; and of sweat. I can close my eyes and conjure up the smells.

It was a frustrating job because as soon as you would complete a task – sweeping under a row – that row would become dirty again. The repetition was tough to take. The work was physically demanding. There was no talking. Most people didn’t speak English. Eight hours per day – two 15 minute breaks – 45 minutes for lunch was what I remembered. No cell phones; no iPads; no iPhones.

I think I was paid $3 per hour.

I couldn’t wait for the summer to end. I didn’t complain much to my parents as I did feel lucky that I had a summer job but that job motivated me to not have to do manual labor for a career pursuit.

It wasn’t an internship. It was a low level job.

I did the best I could at it. There was no one to impress. My boss was a man who was a janitor at the factory. He was a nice man. The training was “Watch what I do, ok? Now you do that – only faster because you are younger.”

It is amazing I can remember that all now so vividly.

OK, so what was your first job? Add to my comments section. I would love to hear your memories. Thank you.