• Snow Shoveler--My first experience at making my own money, and spending it on whatever I wanted (plastic model airplanes and boats).
• Paper Boy (twice)--The Boston papers went on strike at the beginning of the summer vacation (at the end of eighth grade), so I was out of work after a week. The strike ended at the end of the summer, but I lost my job a week later when I took time off to have my tonsils removed.
• Donut Maker--I was too young to be near the vat of hot grease to fry the dough, so I put the final touches on them: rolling them in a mix of water and sugar to give them a coat (honey dipped), or filling them with jelly and trying to maintain self-control to keep from spraying the jelly at passers-by. My clothes and I needed serious washings afterward to get rid of the odor of grease. I didn't eat a donut again for about twenty years.
• Yard Man--I raked the trash from the parking lot of an ice cream and sandwich shop each morning (early), earning one dollar and a free hamburger with a slice of onion and a dab of ketchup on a "real" sesame seed bun. My mouth still waters just thinking about it (I also fondly remember pizzaburgers).
• Soda Jerk--The name didn't carry the same connotation as today, and having girls hanging around the counter was cool (but, the paper hat and clip-on bow tie were not cool). I also learned how to be a short order cook.
• Supermarket Cashier--Before scanners I had to ring in each item on a monster NCR register, and the women customers brought in their daughters to meet the nice young men like myself.
• Warehouseman--I took items from large shelves to stock small shelves for women filling orders for a greeting card company (but decided the air force actually offered me more opportunity).
• Gardener--A few weeks at Edgartown, MA on Martha's Vineyard after the air force, but two years before my cousin (Jim Arena - who got me the job) investigated a fatal drowning involving a Kennedy and spoke with journalist from around the world, which was before I decided to become a journalist (timing has never been my strong suit).
• Sporting Goods Salesman--A department store where I learned to make up stories about my prowess as a skier, fisherman, or hunter in order to convince the customers to buy.
• Pizza Maker--I worked in the back room of a neighborhood bar. If anyone ordered anchovies they'd have to come to the kitchen and put them on the pizza.
• Bartender--I handled the lunch crowd at a restaurant (what's a Harvey Wallbanger?).
• House Painter--Actually, I stayed on the ground, my boss used the ladder.
• Wood Stove Salesman--I kept warm, but my sales rate didn't.
• Meat Cutter--I received an education on what to buy, at what price, and how to cook it, while earning a paycheck.

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