Worst was loot-man on a blacktop crew. Back before it became mostly mechanized and automated, the loot-man was the guy who spread the hot mix with a device best described as a toothless rake. Best? Probably running a rural bar/grill in college. Was in a small country town with a meat packing plant and an egg plant as the primary employers. Got paid a buck & a half an hour, but I was free to study on the job and made good tips on the unusual nights when it was busy. Had a patron from the meat packers who used to bring me what he called "head meat" (ground beef made from assorted muscles on the head of a cow). Great stuff. I'd take it back to school and sell it. Never had enough of it. Also had an "American Gothic" couple from the egg plant who brought me pullets and cracks for 15 cents a dozen, which I then sold back on campus for 50 cents. It's easier to survive that way when you're young and not responsible for a family.