Up to this point, I'd been lucky enough to not have to work. My family valued education (at least for me) very highly, and it was more important to them that I study and learn and get good grades than that I make money to support my Mountain Dew habit.

But upon my high school graduation and moving one step closer to the real world, I decided it was time I learned about the job force.

OK, I didn't actually decide that. All of my parents informed me that it was high time I procure employment. Honestly, I wasn't sure why -- I had a full scholarship to college and would be living with my mom rent-free. Certainly this work business could be put off for another four years.

So I started small -- as a concessionaire for summer entertainment venues. I applied at a grand total of two places: Cliff's Amusement Park and the Sports Stadium, home of those triple-A legionnaires, the Albuquerque Dukes. The Dukes called me back almost the same day; I think I heard from Cliff's two months later. (I ended up working for them the next summer.)

Working a concession stand is a nearly-perfect summer job for someone who's still looking to have fun with his break from school. Five days a week for six hours a day is hardly demanding, yet I built job experience that I could later cite on my resume, as well as funds which I could later spend on breakfast burritos. On top of that, I met a lot of new people with the same goals, all willing to go out after work (or on days off) and have said fun.

The best part about these jobs? They ended just as school was swinging into gear. The Dukes' season finale was on Labor Day; Cliff's closed shortly after the beginning of the fall semester. So I could say that I worked without my job interfering with my schooling, and everyone was happy.

Maybe having such easy gigs as my first jobs is why I have such a cavalier attitude about work now. Oh well.