His First Real Job was as a Bookkeeper
As a boy, John worked some odd jobs like selling vegetables and turkeys to townsfolk. But his first real full-time job was as a bookkeeper for a company brokering produce. He quickly learned a skill that would be useful throughout his life and career: how to enhance profits by reducing the cost of shipping products to markets.
John D Rockefeller Sr. circa 1900s. Photo By Everett Collection/Shutterstock
He developed negotiating skills, which helped which shipping costs. He initially thought that the price was fixed by ship owners and freight managers. By reusing the same shippers, he established positive long-term business relationships that were relatively separate from the changing market conditions. For three years, he worked as an apprentice, making $58 a month.