Yesterday I got to speak with Shirlene Lopez, who last week was named president of Del Taco, the California-based quick-serve Mexican chain.

Get this: Lopez has been with the company for 27 years. At age 14, she started mopping floors and cleaning tables at her local Del Taco. Those were the only tasks state law would allow her to perform at that age. She moved on through cashier, company operations, marketing, human resources—you name it, she's done it for Del Taco. (Well, except for accounting, she said.)

And today? She's president of a company that's preparing to expand nationwide.

So to all those parents worried that their Quicksies' lowly restaurant job won't lead anywhere: Here's a good example of just where that job might lead.

Talking with Lopez made me think back on my early jobs. Lifeguard: great work environment, low pay, no future. Law clerk: horrible. I put thousands of canceled checks in numerical order. No joke. It wasn't until my internship/work study job at Duke Magazine that I found some direction. And here I am.

How about you? Which early jobs most influenced what you do today?

And can any of you top Lopez for longevity with a company?