Internet Celebrates Unlikely Beginnings With #FirstSevenJobs Hashtag
Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda was a Slushie slinger. How about you?
Paper route Camp counselor Mailroom Pizza delivery Movie usher Cashier Psychiatric Hospital Model #firstsevenjobs https://t.co/bv1EVmo7LI— Mo Rocca (@Mo Rocca)1470580866.0
Trending hashtags on Twitter tend to be good for a few quick laughs or a burst of heated political discourse. But the #firstsevenjobs tag falls somewhere inbetween, shedding light on users’ backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, and unusual opportunities they’ve found along the way.
#FirstSevenJobs Sold fitness equipment Grocery stocker Gas station clerk Directv support Programmer / Sysadmin Web dev Founded @Twitpic— ⚡️ Noah (@⚡️ Noah)1470765865.0
If you’ve spent any time on Twitter this week, you might be wondering whether any successful businesspeople didn’t start out as gas station clerks—or, given how much you probably have in common with astronaut Terry Virts, perhaps you’re trying to pinpoint the moment your life went astray.
My #firstsevenjobs 1) paperboy, 2) orchard laborer 3) sneaker salesman 4) #USAFA student 5) fighter pilot 6) test pilot 7) astronaut 8)?— Terry Virts (@Terry Virts)1470607554.0
Men and women, it would appear, have tended to fall along stereotypical gender lines, with the former taking on a lot of the heavy lifting (until they didn’t anymore).
Farm hand, hoagie maker, ice cream scooper, gas station attendant, pipeline surveyor, waiter, actor #firstsevenjobs— Tony Goldwyn (@Tony Goldwyn)1470707813.0
#firstsevenjobs Ice cream salesman (age 10, at the lake) Farmhand Glass factory custodian Hardware sales Baker Tank driver Personal trainer— Arnold (@Arnold)1470847504.0
Paperboy Stock boy Dishwasher Bellhop Waiter Secretary Writer for Golden Girls #firstsevenjobs (I like that last jump)— David Goodman (@David Goodman)1470682248.0
The latter, of course, has had plenty of experience dealing with employment’s softer side—even if they’ve gone on to shatter a glass ceiling or two.
#FirstSevenJobs: housekeeper, grocery store cashier, hallmark cards, virgin mobile, proactiv, surf shop, blogger 🎉— Gariele Wright (@Gariele Wright)1470930346.0
#firstsevenjobs Babysitter Stirrup pants expert Cashier Cashier-Marshall's Denim expert at gap Research Assistant White house/senate intern— Kathryn Finney (@Kathryn Finney)1470607935.0
#firstsevenjobs #first7jobs @sherylsandberg https://t.co/Qu8Y8n6qKX— Kelly (with a y) (@Kelly (with a y))1470752422.0
The war between millennials and pretty much anyone who came of age before the 2008 recession has been fierce. The winner? Probably the people who are paid for their work.
#FirstSevenJobs Unpaid internship. Unpaid internship. Unpaid internship. Unpaid internship. Unpaid internship. Unpaid internship. Death.— taha (@taha)1470490615.0
#firstsevenjobs - nothing ❌ - pls employ me 🙋🏻 - i need money 💸💰💵 - help 🗣 - - -— kristina ⭕️ (@kristina ⭕️)1470480581.0
#first7jobs Slushee machine at my aunt's store Intern for WNET McD's...register Data entry Drawing 1 model Community paper writer Teacher— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin-Manuel Miranda)1470528280.0
It turns out that hashtag started with a songwriter looking for inspiration. Now, it’s turned into an anthropological study of American ambition.
The #FirstSevenJobs trend is really great, especially for those of us who are still in our first couple and are struggling to see the future— Hawkietta (@Hawkietta)1470499330.0
(Well, that—and an opportunity to mock a certain orange politician and his privileged upbringing.)
#firstsevenjobs Spoiled rich punk Bankruptcy goer into of Meat salesman "University" Some reality TV B.S. Candidate for Prez Walmart greeter— George Patrick Dovel (@George Patrick Dovel)1470524712.0