We asked and you answered - here are 12 of the worst summer job stories we've ever heard

It's that time of year when American youths around the country take a break from their academic studies and gain some hands-on, "real world experience."

This got me wondering: aside from money earned, what other value do we derive from summer jobs? To find out, I asked readers and Business Insider staff to chime in with their most memorable stories of summer jobs past.

If I've learned anything from sifting through the submissions, it's that awful summer jobs are a great equalizer.

Whether you're Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who had to castrate bulls on his grandparents' Texas ranch, or you're me, who spent a summer slinging some "truly authentic" Irish fare like Monte Cristo sandwiches and fajitas (my family in Ireland would be so proud) for about 5 bucks an hour (plus tips), so many people have had at least one terrible summer job, and everyone walks away with some lesson learned - even if it's simply that you never want to do it again.

Here are some of the most interesting horrible summer job stories people shared:

Some answers have been edited for clarity.