When I got my first job, I did it to prove a point. The money didn't hurt, but I needed to prove that I could be self-sufficient. I thought I just needed to prove that to my parents, but it was probably just to myself. I argued that I could do whatever it took to support my lifestyle. At the time, that lifestyle was more extravagant than the one the adult me would prefer.

My parents, especially my father, knew that if he challenged me, I'd take the bait. I held that job for a year and a half. It made me learn so much about life. It was more than a job. That job was at a local Panda Express.

I loved it not because it paid very well or that my cousin worked there, but because it made me understand how to be professional and interact with others who may not always be on the same page as me about certain things. I became an adult over that entire time. My manager even said those exact words to me. She was sad to see me go, but she knew I had outgrown that job and needed something new.

Since my days in food, I am now in the retail industry. There is so much that I didn't know about retail that took me by surprise:

I have experienced a lot in my short time in retail. I wish some of those negative experiences never happened because no one deserves to be broken down in public, but I overcame and became stronger. I look back now and see that I would never have gained so much patience and a penchant for forgiveness for everyone without them.

Retail is demanding. Not everyone can do it or handle the consequences of committing to the work. It can really pay off especially during the holidays, but I could do with seeing the family more often than I do now.

I am in retail now and I know retail is not for the faint of heart. Young me would disagree but older I just shrug and rolls her eyes. Retail is life. There are endless possibilities to how your day can begin or end.

I just wish my story would let me be anything but the tragic hero. Retail is all too often one big tragedy.