It's time to start working

But she still has vivid memories of being a young nursing "cadet", turning up for her first day at Pendlebury Children's Hospital in 1954.

The Tonge Moor girl had always had a "strong ambition" to go into nursing and when she was nearly 16, she set the first step on the road of a long and distinguished career.

"I was young and naive and a bit in awe at the time," the 63-year-old said.

"I had to travel on the number 12 bus to Hospital Road, walk down the lane and I was delegated to the pharmacy department."

She earned £1 2s 6d a week -- and the majority of that princely sum went on bus fares.

Nevertheless, Anne enjoyed six months of working for the chief pharmacist. A yellow uniform was handed out on the first day, and going home she'd wear a navy gabardine mac with an outside hat. Medical practice was a lot less sophisticated at the time, she recalled.

"I had to go round to the wards and collect the glass needles and syringes," she said.

In these pre-disposable equipment days, it was Anne's job to check the needles with a magnifying glass before having them sterilised.

The best part of the day was visiting the wards -- but Anne admitted she could never have made a children's nurse.

"It got to me," she admitted.

After six months, the travelling became too much and Anne left for a new cadet scheme in Bolton.

Her working days there included having her finger nails inspected, and one of her jobs was cleaning and powdering rubber gloves.

In 1956, her nursing training began and it lasted until August, 1999. She is still the chairman of Bolton Cardiac Project, vice chairman of the Federation for over fifties, and she is on the Community Health Council. "I need to do something productive," said this grandmother of 10.

FRED SAUNDERS was only 15 when he started his career at sea.

The Tonge Fold 74-year-old lived on Merseyside at the time and was fascinated by the big liners he saw.

So he went to the Seaman's Pool and got himself a job on a Polish ship as a galley boy on September 15, 1941 -- much to his mother's dismay.

Fred stayed on the SS Kosciuszko for eight months, sailing to India, West Africa, Australia.

"I went away as a boy and came back as a man," he said.

The ship carried wartime troops at the time, "and to be truthful", said Fred, "it was very hard".

He explained: "I was only a boy and they were all grown up men.

"The Poles spoke broken English and got drunk and ended up fighting a lot.

"I got the odd punches but you didn't complain in those days."

It was night time when he first joined the ship and Fred was given a bunk in a cabin in her "bowels", sharing with around 20 men.

He managed to fall asleep despite the noise, only to wake up in the dead of night and notice the ship had started to sail. He had never sailed on a ship before and missed his family a lot -- "but", said Fred "I wasn't bothered as long as I got to sea".

At 6am, his day started with peeling potatoes, it continued with lighting the galley fires and finished with washing pans and pots. Meanwhile, he didn't have one day off for eight months and earned £4 7s 6d per month. By the end of his first stint on board, he had spent all but just over £12 of the £73 12s 1d he'd earned.

Most of his expenditure was used up in the harbours where the ship docked, because as Fred explained: "We never used to go any further than the port".

And he added: "The money I earned wasn't enough, I suppose, but that was the wage.

"In those days, people didn't grumble".

SHONA MILNE is a leisure and business studies graduate -- and she has taken to her job at Esporta health and fitness club in Bolton like a duck to water.

For five months now, she has been teaching children how to swim and showing adults how to work their bodies in the gym.

It's a job that isn't a world away from her first-ever job -- as a lifeguard at the Farnworth swimming pool.

Shona learned to swim there herself as a child and at the age of 16, she returned for her first day at work.

The uniform was too big and the responsibility for the swimmers weighed heavy on her, and Shona also recalled she was "very quiet and timid" at the time.

But at least she was able to spend her first pay check -- the wage was under £4 an hour -- on something she really wanted, "an awful leather waistcoat."

In March, her latest career move took her to the health and fitness club in The Valley.

On the first day, she was "thrown in at the deep end" and found her self teaching when she had only expected to be "shadowing" a colleague. The next day, she worked in the gym, which was "fine".

And nowadays, she even manages to squeeze in five training sessions in the gym herself.

"We have to practice what we preach," Shona laughed.

JOE BENNETT had a drastic change of career at the age of 28 -- when he became a joiner-turned-funeral director.

His most relevant qualification for the new job? The ability to make coffins!

The coffin-makers he spoke to as a joiner always spoke "very highly" of the funeral service and Joe thought the business would suit him.

"I like listening and talking to people and I felt that this was something I might be able to do," he recalled.

Joe didn't get the job the first time round. But when the first choice candidate left after a fortnight -- having supplied false references -- Joe got his chance.

On arrival for his first day, the company's hearse driver's words of welcome were: "I don't know whether to shake your hand or strangle you".

It turned out the man had applied for the job himself -- but soon they started work together, carrying the coffin at a Catholic funeral that same day.

Later, Joe had to move a body from Blackburn Royal Infirmary to the parlour's chapel.

His position with the firm was as assistant manager, alongside the manager and an office girl.

And despite his expectations -- "I thought it was going to be a lot more morbid and serious" -- he found his colleagues were "just an ordinary bunch of people."

"I just wondered how I was going to fit in, because I thought they were going to be a bit 'different', but they weren't," he said.

"They talked about Blackburn Rovers and what had been on TV the night before.

"And they were sort of called to the work by having a little bit of care about them."

Sixty five-year-old Joe started his career at the Co-operative funeral service in Blackburn and finished at the Crompton Chapel in Bolton. In the meantime, he had been made chairman of North-west division of the British Institute of Embalmers.

Retired now and living in Hindley, he still teaches embalming and occasionally helps out friends in the funeral service.

"I don't' feel my age," he said.

STEVE THOMPSON has been a hairdresser since the age of 16 -- and now at 24, he is able to call himself a "top stylist".

His first-ever job was at a salon in his home town of Wolverhampton, where he made the coffee and did the odd jobs until his training started and he progressed to washing hair.

He was, Steve remembered, "petrified" on his first day, but soon got into the swing of things.

Now on his fifth job at Ralph Kleeli's salon on Churchbank, Steve still finds his work as "fascinating" as all these years ago.

The different cuts, colours and styles have kept their attraction, as does the whole fashion aspect of it.

Stepping into the salon for the first time, though, was nerve-racking, he remembers.

That day is now two and a half years ago and Steve clearly recalls cutting the hair of one of his female colleagues.

"It was a good day," he said. "The salon itself is fantastic, very professional and trendy."

Over the years, he has got to know many of the customers -- and their latest topic of conversation is Steve's imminent wedding.

He has always cut the hair of his wife-to-be, and is now contemplating having a lighter colour himself for the "big day" -- though nothing "too over the top".

So are there any other interesting parts of his work?

"The gossip!" Steve said. "It's part of the job!"

TOP TIPS FOR THE FIRST DAY AT WORK

Don't arrive too early on day one. Five minutes early should be enough to show you're keen, get a feel for the place and to see how other colleagues operate first thing in the morning.

Dress conservatively, no bright colours, loud ties or long hanging earrings. After one day in the office you will appreciate how others dress and what the parameters of the dress code are.

Ask questions. Staff will not expect you to know where everything is and how things are done.

Try and get to know the system set-up, learn about your PC, the photocopier and fax machine. People will appreciate that you are willing to learn if you make enquiries. Having a notebook and pen handy looks good, and really helps.

Be honest. Don't try and sound knowledgeable about something just to impress colleagues; you will only end up embarrassing yourself. Spend a lot of time listening, and if you don't understand, say so.

Try not to get involved in office gossip. Although it is tempting to make friends on the first day and gossip is a good way of interacting, it may do more harm than good in the long run.

Smile. Everyone appreciates someone who is friendly. Staff may have worked for the company for a number of years but they may still be shy in approaching you and a smile makes you all the more approachable.

If someone invites you to go for lunch then accept. Don't take sandwiches until you establish what the lunch arrangements are.

Don't leave on the dot. If the office closes at 5.30pm, see what everyone else is doing before rushing off. In the same vein, don't hang around until 7pm if unnecessary.

If you're twidling your thumbs, then ask for work or use the time to find out more about how the place is run. Everyone is appreciative of being able to offload work. By helping them you are helping yourself. You will learn more about the company by handling their work and build a relationship in the process.

Don't moan or get upset if things don't work out the way you expect. If your PC isn't working, the fax machine won't send and the photocopier keeps on chewing up paper, ask for help or advice.

Be proactive and enthusiastic, and intoduce yourself to your new colleagues. They will be impressed that you've taken the time to say hello and will remember you all the more for it.