"I could never imagine working at a place like McDonalds. Minimum wage, everything there is gross, and it would be so embarrassing!"

I said that. Years ago, before I had a first job, and before I needed to buy anything for myself. After having a couple decent summer jobs in the past, I figured this year would be the same. Done with my first year of college, I was feeling the pressure to make money more than ever. I applied to ten jobs of different sorts, unsuccessfully, before applying to McDonalds. At that point, I had been in despair that I couldn't seem to find a job. One day, I went to McDonalds with a few friends and saw a "Now Hiring!" sign out front. I grabbed an application in disbelief at what I was about to do. Was I really about to apply at McDonalds?!

Yes, I was, and I did. And I got hired. And I have no regrets. Working at McDonalds has really opened my eyes to a few things. First off, the bad reputation that McDonald's employees get is totally unfounded. People, once including myself, tend to think that people who work there are uneducated and unskilled. My coworkers are all decent people working hard to make a living. Secondly, the bad reputation that McDonald's stores themselves receive is also unfitting. I've been lucky to have been employed at a particularly well-staffed, and well-kept store, but the majority of stores are similarly managed. Thirdly, there are many valuable skills to be learned while working at McDonalds, it is not without reward. Communication with customers and coworkers, cash-handling, working under pressure, food preparation and safety, basic cleaning and maintenance - I have learned and improved all of these skills while working at McDonald's.

Not only have I gained skills, I've also had a pretty great time while doing it. Sure, there are plenty of days where I don't want to wake up to go work, but even on those days, my lethargy fades once I get into a groove at work and joked around with my coworkers. Great coworkers can often make a work experience the most enjoyable it can be. Even if you get the bad end of this deal, it really comes down to your attitude towards your job. If you carry the thought that this job is going to be awful whenever you work, it will probably be so.

Another big reason people look down on McDonalds is the low wage. Granted, I could probably be making more if I had continued my job search. However, I am not making minimum wage, and I could be doing much worse. I do maintenance at McDonald's, which pays slightly more than normal, but I've been trained to do just about everything. I'm not overly concerned about the wage and you shouldn't be either if you are around my age or younger. This pay range and this sort of job is basically made for us. It is fair and it covers what I need for now. The potential for promotion and pay raises if you wish to stay long term at McDonald's is wonderful as well, so there's always room to improve your financial outlook. However, I certainly look at it as somewhere I do not wish to stay for very long only because I have other hopes for my career moving forward (as most of their employees do).

One very important thing I have learned during my time here is that you should never be ashamed of where you work. A job is a job. If you are putting in the effort to do all that a job requires, you should be proud of yourself. There is no shame in making less money, or having a less glamorous job than your friends. You are trying to do something for yourself, and in this case are helping serve others every day at the store.There's no reason to feel bad about that just because it's under the McDonalds logo. I strongly encourage teenagers who are just getting into the working world to consider a place like McDonalds as an option, because it does have value. Don't place it under a lower standard than other jobs.

One last thing: I'm sure some of you are wondering if I eat McDonalds a lot and whether I have gotten tired of the food, or grossed out by the process of making it. The answer is yes, I do eat it often because of my work hours, and no, I have not gotten tired of it, nor grossed out because the food is not gross. Not super healthy, but not gross. Promise.