On my way home from my last shift of the summer before i go back to college, I started to look back on my summer and determine if it could be deemed an "acceptable" summer for a college student home for break. This summer I worked as a server for the first time. I didn't do much else because to a broke college kid, making money is the most important thing you can do on summer break when all your friends live in different states and your hometown is about as entertaining as watching paint dry. There are only so many series on Netflix you can watch before saying to yourself "wow i need to get my sh*t together and actually do something with my life."
I have always wanted to be a server because it looked fun and writing orders down in a little black book was one of the coolest things to me when I was a kid. I had no idea that serving was so much more than scribbling things in a little black book and asking if you can get them anything else.
"It takes a special kind of person to do what we do," my manager said to us on the first day of orientation. I thought to myself, "Okay how hard can serving tables really be?"
It was not only the physical exhaustion I felt after my first few shifts that made me understand what he was talking about. Being a waitress meant that every single time I showed up for a shift I had to leave whatever crap was going on in my life at home and put on a smile and pretend like I have never felt any emotion but happiness in my entire life. No matter how rude a customer could be or how screwed up an order came, I had to simply take the blame and apologize sincerely.
It's a job like no other that makes for a truly unique experience. I met people this summer that I will stay connected to for many years to come and I have gained knowledge from customers that gives me a different outlook on life. The people skills I learned will help me improve as a person and I can now apply myself in ways I wasn't able to before. I have been treated in ways that have left a mark (both good and bad) that will teach me on how to act in different situations in the future. A customer who is genuinely kind to me and appreciates my service makes my job rewarding. A customer who is rude and ungrateful provides an example of how I will never treat someone. Now when I go out to restaurants I have a completely new outlook because I have been in that exact same position and I would want to be treated with the utmost respect and appreciation because I understand just how difficult the job may be.
As summer slowly comes to a close and I lay in my bed exhausted, both physically and mentally, I determine that this job made my summer more than acceptable. Every time I showed up for a shift, I could expect to learn a new lesson. Every shift was a learning experience and I have truly grown as a person simply by doing my job. I encourage everyone to try a job like this (being on the service side of customer service) because it will grant you a newfound appreciation in life. Jobs you have before a career in the real world could just be one that makes you some extra cushion money and serve only that sole purpose and you can hate every minute of it. Or you can have a job that is physically, mentally and emotionally engaging and will leave walking away with an enjoyable experience that can make you feel like a better person.
