A future mayor shining shoes, an atheist shilling Bible, a housewife heading to work during World War II, a now-famous designer getting fired - we all got our start somewhere. A first job may not have the romance of the first kiss or the excitement of a first car, but more than anything else, it offers a taste of true independence and a preview of what the world has in store for us. In The First Job, reporter Merritt Watts collects real stories of these early forays into the workforce from a range of eras and industries, and a diversity of backgrounds. For some, a first job is a warm welcome to the working world. For others, it's a rude awaking, but as these stories show, it's an influential, entertaining experience that should not be underestimated. This book transforms what we might think of as a single, unassuming line at the bottom of a resume into a collection of absorbing tales and hard-earned wisdom to which we can all, for better or worse, relate. Perfect graduation gift; Picador True Tales is a new series of books in which reporters select short, candid, as-told-to, first-person narratives, and curate them in fascinating anthologies. The stories you'll discover within these books will be by turns hilarious, wise, and heartbreaking.

Reader Reviews

Brian Roberts

(5/5)

Dec 23, 2025

What I especially like about this book is that there's something here everyone can relate to. We all had a first encounter with the working world. This is a very fun, easy to read book with stories told from the perspective of 50 very different people from different backgrounds and generations.

tisasday

A great collection of great stories about how wonderfully varied life can be, across decades.

Darell Tapp

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I could relate to so many of the scenarios, coworkers, bosses, and situations.This book was the only one I could find that was close to my book on jobs. It had down-to-earth details about a variety of jobs, and for me, it was a real page-turner.

Jenny (Reading Envy)

Just not what I was expecting - these were two-page transcriptions of very brief interview type stories, not overly polished. I would have liked longer better-written stories, but this is an enjoyable light read. Got a copy through Edelweiss.

Renae

Interesting collection of stories from first jobs going back to the 1940s. Each story captures the voice of the interviewee, as they tell their story to the author. The stories are only a few pages each, so perfect to read when you have a few minutes to spare.

Julie Janik

(3/5)

Really Good, Funny, and Great Stories!!!!

(2/5)

Quick read without enough substance to make it worthwhile. Some interesting stories in here (more than balanced out by the rest), though lacking organization and ultimately very repetitive. Starts off well, but quickly goes downhill. 1.5 stars.

Patti

A quick read. Reminded me of my first job. Which I wish I could forget.

James

(4/5)

This was a nice collection of stories from people of all walks of life and the first jobs they had. Some were typical (fast food restaurant, ice cream shop, camp counselor), while others were ambitious (starting your own business at 12, interning at Microsoft...just because), and others still were really out there (nude model, carny.)While most of them were fun to read, my favorite was the "Pecan-trepaneur", who built a business at 12 years old selling pecan halves door-to-door, continuing the "...

Rhonda Lomazow

A wonderful fun read ,everyone remembers their first jobs the excitement of your first paycheck .There are memories of all types of experiences from nude modeling ,the fun of working in a bar&becoming friends with a young Dustin Hoffman.the horror of being held up at gunpoint while working in a store in a strip mall,each persons story is unique& each an interesting view of ther life's experiences.would be a fun read for a book club discussion.

Susan Katz

Fun.

Mell

Entertaining read. And a good choice for anyone who likes shorter books with short chapters.

Chris

(1/5)

One and a half stars.I was really disappointed in this book. I thought it would be a highly entertaining collection of essays about a variety of people's first jobs.It was all of the above, except "highly entertaining". It read as though it would have been funny in conversation, but the humor didn't translate well. I didn't find almost any part funny. The stories were not long enough to garner any real relationship or attachments to the various employees, and they were simultaneously not witty e...

Becky

This book was full of fun stories about nightmare bosses, menial jobs, and learning experiences. While I wish the stories were a bit longer (the average one was probably about 3 pages), it was interesting to read about people working jobs similar to ones I've had, as well as people who had fascinating jobs I've never even considered. Imagine driving the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile, trading sea urchins with Japan, and being a nude art model. I also enjoyed seeing the jobs the same people have now, c...

Conny

I was a First Read Winner of this book and I was very excited to get started on it. For whatever reason I was expecting funny stories, and so I was a little disappointed when that was not the case, but that was my bad. However I did find this book overall very entertaining, with a diverse mix of stories regarding just about any job you could imagine. It made me thing back to my first job and how that shaped me for the future. This might be a great gift for somebody just starting their first job....

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First Jobs: True Tales of Bad Bosses, Quirky Coworkers, Big Breaks, and Small Paychecks

First Jobs: True Tales of Bad Bosses, Quirky Coworkers, Big Breaks, and Small Paychecks

First Jobs: True Tales of Bad Bosses, Quirky Coworkers, Big Breaks, and Small Paychecks

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