My CV: Kare Pro Car Wash

My bestie Jenny came by one day, excitedly to share that a brand new, very cool car was opening in Stuart and we should go work there because they’ll hire us for sure. We were 14. My time at the Wayside had come to end. The restaurant was a snowbird operation, closed for summers. So I needed something, anything to stay employed. I was planning on starting photography in the new school year in 10th grade and my parents had already informed me they didn’t have the money to buy the equipment and materials. I could sign up for it but it was very clear it would be on me to make it happen. And at this point in my life I was eating, sleeping and dreaming of photography.

Of course we got hired. The year was 1992, jobs were abound. The car wash set up was such that you gave someone the keys to put the car on the mechanical lead while you went into the pro shop for pro car accessories. There you could watch through the big windows as your car made it through. Afterwards a team of Kare Pro workers would towel dry your car. Jenny and I were put on door jambs. Our job was to open the car doors and dry the part where the door closed. This turned out to be back breaking work, in the hot Florida sun, in July. By the end of the day I was in tears. The cars never stopped coming. My entire shift was go go go. I was ready to quit about 2 hours in. I told my Dad when he picked us up. He said “You can’t quit! I didn’t raise a quitter!” The next morning when I woke up every single muscle in my body was sore. My neighbor down the street called to ask if I’d babysit her 3 boys regularly the rest of summer and I took it as a sign to absolutely quit. Jenny lasted 2 weeks before she also took up babysitting that summer.

Today the same car wash building is standing, no longer the Kare Pro but now called Rockin’ Car Wash. What did I learn from this experience? Quitting is the best thing you can do when you know something isn’t right. I’m still glad I didn’t listen to my Dad. My own knowing was already strong by the age of 14.

Transferable Skills:

Speed: I had to move quickly to get those door jambs dried so the next car could pull up.

Entrepreneurship: Though I didn’t own this car wash, I became fascinated with its production, and calculated how many cars came through at which package, marveling at the money this establishment was making. Notes taken.

Attention to Detail: No drips left behind! There was a manager watching over the workers and he would make us do over if he saw something amiss.

Quitting: You gotta know when to fold em. And this job made it clear that I could quit when something didn’t feel right and find another thing.

Photo below: Door Jamb. The rest of my life I’ve never seen them the same way.