I worked two jobs in 1978. I worked for a rent car company and at a gas station. My job was to sit in gas lines to keep the fleet full of gas. On odd/even days I would swap out license plates. At my gas station job, my boss would let me fill up my tank when ever I needed to. Sometimes I got gas for free.
I spent most of 1978 at Fort Jackson, SC. Basic Training, then AIT. No jobs, no gas, no future where I lived at the time under Carter.