As a kid growing up on the farm in MS, Around age 8-9 my first jobs that actually paid me cash money were:

*Killing rats around the grain bins, feed & seed barn, and around the hog houses. $2 bill for every 10 rats.
*Spot spraying Johnson grass in the crops. Tank in holder on my saddle so I rode my horse down the rows. We had 500 acres of crop land but also leased a good bit more down the road.
*Helped adjacent neighbor on his Herford ranch at times rounding up and cutting cattle and helping sheer sheep.

Moved off of farm and into town at age 14 so I added cutting yards and weed eating for neighbors. Then First "real jobs" with a paycheck started at age 15 in high school:

*Summers: Lifeguard and swimming instructor (Tallaha Boy Scout Camp and Holmes County State Park)
*Worked for local Newspaper 2 days a week after school (inserts, paper machines, sweep floors, etc...)
*Still Cut grass for 3 or 4 neighbors, raked leaves in fall-cash money

I basically put myself through college at Ole Miss...my parents had no extra income to help out. So I took out loans for tuition and books and dorm, but paid for everything else myself. Age 18-23.

*Lifeguard and Pool Manager and Swim Team Coach for City of Oxford.
*Lifeguarding/CPR/First Aid instructor (my own side business)
*Waited tables & bartending for 5 years (Larry's, Oxford Alley, Sid & Harry's)
*Wrote papers for those who could help me in math for trade.


As a newlywed with a professional job, I still had to work a 2nd job for a few years to make ends meet and payback my loans. Waited tables and lifeguarded some for some extra cash.