During the interview for my first job at a coffee shop, I was asked what my greatest achievement was. Being only 15 at the time, I was hard-pressed for an answer and honestly can’t even remember what I sputtered out. Luckily, my response was good enough and I was hired, spending the next several months learning different coffee combinations and how to perfect my drive-through voice.

Most people will always remember their first job (hopefully in a fond way) and the staff at PSG are no exception! Turns out, several members of the staff entered the working world through the same classic avenues.

Eileen and Colleen, like me, are both veterans of the food service industry. Colleen worked at a sub shop in her hometown and boasts about having served Jordan and Jonathan Knight of New Kids on the Block during her career. Eileen came out of her first job as a hostess and busser at a restaurant that served emu and alligator with the ability to fold napkins into elaborate shapes.

Kate and Ken both reveled in retail. Along with several of his siblings, Ken worked at a local shoe store and consequently has his own secret for “professionally fit” shoes. Kate worked at a card store, and vividly remembers the rush for last-minute cards every February 14.

Both Don and Annette worked at movie theaters. Don, who was experimenting with flamingo pink hair at the time, learned that there is such a thing as too much free popcorn. Annette, whose coworkers sometimes labeled the ticket storage behind the counter by plot spoilers rather than the movies’ names, had to avoid ruining movies for herself. Difficult, though, when she was looking for a Sixth Sense ticket for a customer and saw the label “Bruce is a ghost” instead.

Both Sarah and Marianna, my fellow spring 2017 interns, worked as receptionists. Sarah worked at a hotel near a popular concert venue and Marianna answered the phones for a moving company one summer.

Alyssa’s and Tess’s first jobs were both literary in nature (and look where it took them!). During the summertime, Tess helped kids with their reading, writing and comprehension skills and loved seeing the progress each child made, even when they said her voice sounded like a cartoon character. When she was old enough (the librarians tried recruiting her in middle school), Alyssa spent as long as possible at her first job in her local library. She loved getting her hands on the newest books and fine-tuning her organization skills. Alyssa still finds herself in the same library to get recommendations from her former coworkers.

Usually, our first jobs aren’t always the most glamorous, but it seems like the staff at PSG both enjoyed and grew from their experiences. How do you remember your first job?

Did You Know?

Best known for her work in science fiction, Octavia E. Butlerworked a series of odd jobs to support herself and her writing. Among the oddest, Butler worked as a potato chip inspector.