It turns out what I did when I was 16 is coming back to haunt me. Be careful what you choose for your first job as those life skills you learn in that job may be needed 40 years later. Like many in my hometown, my first job was in the local Dairy Queen. I donned the polyester zip-front outfit and trucker cap (which scrunched down my curls and wasnât a favorite look for me) and I set off for fame and fortune amidst Dilly Bars, Buster Bars and malts. The work was hard in the summer as the customers never stopped in their insatiable desire for sweet treats. This was in the day before drive-up windows, so lines of people waited by two windows, letting in the heat and flies galore.