I've had a part-time job since March of 2013 when I was 15 and a sophomore in high school. To some, this may seem a little young to start working but I never felt this way. It was extremely intimidating to start off, but practice and patience have definitely paid off.

The job was at an ice cream store called Petrucci's in my hometown and one of my teachers was friends with the owner. I stood out to this teacher as someone who was responsible and had a good worth ethic, so he recommended me for the job. I started off working a few shifts a week and learning the basic ropes of the business.

I was intimidated at first and extremely stressed out about making mistakes or screwing up orders. My boss was pretty strict and made sure you never made a mistake twice, and that's putting it nicely. I'd go home at the end of the night and have nightmares of giving someone a Mint Chocolate Chip cone instead of a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough one or messing up someone's customized sundae.

Needless to say, I will never forget how to make a CMP (chocolate sauce, peanuts, and marshmallow sauce) because that was the first really big screw up I ever made.

Slowly I began to get better at not messing up orders and if I do say so myself, I became pretty darn good at my job. Although I could have done without lugging around the mop bucket every night or dealing with grumpy customers, I quickly fell in love with the job.

By the end of the summer I was able to survive our busy weekend nights, work machine night, handle any "problem" customer and even open or close the entire store by myself in record time. I had some extra money in my bank account thanks to a few raises throughout the season and I was having a ton of fun.

Three years later and you can still find me rocking the pink visor and khaki pants three or four times a week when I'm home from college. I was kept on staff when the new owners took over, have helped trained three seasons worth of new employees, survived the most hectic fundraisers, been on some insane catering events and still come to work with a smile on my face every shift.

I've made some pretty awesome friends in these last four years (shout out to the Super Scoopers) and every employee has become a part of one big happy family.

I've also learned some skills like handling upset customers, damage control when things get hectic, how to teach new skills to trainees and of course how to make the most beautiful banana split or soft serve cone you will ever see!

Although I now balance Petrucci's with waitressing at a local restaurant and managing this Odyssey branch, I'll always have a special spot in my heart for the first place I was ever employed. I'm so beyond thankful for the experience I have gained and the lessons I have learned through this job, and I'd recommend to any young adult out there that they should try and find a job around the same age as I was. You'll thank me in a few years!