My First Job

My first job was working at a cabinetry shop when I was sixteen years old. It was a

part-time job, working three days a week after school. My first job allowed me to obtain some

positive learning experiences, from what I deemed to be a negative environment. The three

main experiences that helped me grow, revolve around learning about entering the workforce,

overall enjoyment and a lack of enjoyment with the position and my first introduction to being an

adult, financially.

One of the first things I learned in this job revolved around responsibilities, such as,

being on time, signing off on what work you completed that day and evaluating yourself at the

end of the week. The second major thing I learned was ensuring I was wearing a proper uniform

and safety gear. Recognizing hazards in the workplace, and how to prevent injury from them,

was an important learning experience, especially in an environment where you are surrounded

by large machines, power tools and sharp objects. The final learning experience involved

utilizing these machines and power tools in a safe manner. I enjoyed learning to operate the

machines and tools, that were around me.

The second experience that helped me to grow, were the situations that I both enjoyed

and that I found to be unpleasant. Some of the things I enjoyed was the opportunity I had to

work with colleagues I liked. I prefered to work with people that were nice, respectful, caring

and enjoyed talking during work. Another thing I enjoyed was the organization of the storage

room. I am a very organized and detailed person, so these organizing responsibilities were

more enjoyable as they mimicked my personality. I also got to experience a negative

environment that included being talked down to and the use of inappropriate language directed
towards myself. The language that was used was not only inappropriate for the workplace but

also when talking to any person, in general. I also learned to despise very repetitive jobs.

There were weeks when I was scheduled strictly just to box screws in packages of one

thousand. I had to do this by hand, for hours at a time. These are the types of jobs I would not

want to do as an adult.

Lastly, I learned about the financial world from an adults perspective. My first pay

cheque was gone only after a few days. There was a very short period of time when I was a

thousandaire. That did not last very long. I quickly realized the necessity of saving money. The

other thing I learned, after getting my first pay cheque, involved paying taxes to the government.

Employment Insurance and the Canadian Pension Plan were new terms to me, I discovered

these new terms meant I wasn’t making as much as I thought I would. Beyond saving money, I

learned how to pay bills and budget in a manner that allowed me to save while also enjoying

part of my paycheque.

Overall, in my first job as a woodworker/carpenter, I have learned that you can have a

positive learning experience, whether it is learning about working, how to handle money or

learning to enjoy my job. There is also negative learning experiences, like learning to save

money and that not everybody will treat you with respect. Lastly I am glad I had the experience

I did to help shape me into the person I am today.