When I got my first real job two years ago, I never would have imagined that I would one day rave about the experience. At the time, I was desperate. I needed a job, and being from a small town with a population of 5,000 people, businesses weren’t necessarily booming left and right. It was either I work at Sonic, or I wait tables at a local restaurant, and for whatever reason, I, with crippling social anxiety, decided to wait tables at one of the most popular restaurants for both locals and tourists.
To be clear, it was not an immediate love relationship. It wasn’t a love-hate relationship. It was just hate. I would have so much anxiety before every shift. I remember having to pray in the car to work up the courage to walk through the doors. In fact, I think the only reason I didn’t throw in the towel during my training period was that I was too scared of my bosses and coworkers to put in my notice.
So why the change of heart? I’ve thought long and hard about this when I found myself urging my friends to get a waitressing job. Here’s what changed for me, what I learned as a server, and why I think everyone should wait tables at least once in their lives.
- I learned the value of money.
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This holds true to some extent for all service jobs, but it is especially applicable to waiting jobs. My base pay was $2.50 an hour (granted the cost of living in my hometown is much lower than it is in Austin), so the large majority of my income was dependent on me and my quality of service.
I’ve always had a spending problem, but when I work my tail off to only be guaranteed about $15 each shift, my perspective definitely changed. And even though there were many nights that I came home with nearly $200 in tips, remembering what it took to earn those $200 helped me to be more conscientious of what I was more or less wasting my money on before.
- i met some of the best and some of the worst people.
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Most people have heard horror stories of rude customers, but what doesn’t get talked about nearly enough is the incredible people you also get to encounter. One of the traits of a good server is his or her ability to connect with customers. As I worked on engaging with the guests, I was surprised to see how much knowledge I gained about the world. I met people of all ages, from all different types of backgrounds, and from each person, I gained insight that I otherwise would have been ignorant of.
And on the other hand, having to meet and serve some of the worst people I have ever known was also a blessing in disguise. At 17/18, I had a limited scope of “the worst” people and more importantly, how to deal with them. Over the course of my employment, I developed patience and people skills I didn’t even know were possible to achieve, which leads me to my next point.
- I gained so much confidence.
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A little background on me: I was always little miss goody-two-shoes/people-pleaser/bundle of anxiety. I couldn’t stand to not be perfect. The possibility of not meeting expectations could literally send me into a full-fledged panic attack mode, and unfortunately, I always felt like I wasn’t meeting expectations. So when I, as the inexperienced and stuck-in-her-own-head waitress, forgot to put in an order, or fell behind on pace, or did literally anything, no matter how small, incorrectly, I was ready to start crying and never come back to work.
And yet, as the weeks and months went by, I found myself growing more comfortable in my role. What’s odd is that I didn’t magically become this wizard of a waitress. I simply learned to trust that I was capable of handling my responsibilities and responding to the problems as they arose.
- i learned how not To care.
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As I mentioned, I was a people-pleaser. An extreme one. I always assumed people cared about me way more than they actually did, and I mean this in the best way possible. Before, I was so consumed with the fear that people hated me for what I did or didn’t do. After waiting tables and serving some people who literally will complain regardless of what I do? Yeah I learned not to care, which might sound like a negative, but for me, this was exactly what I needed in my life and was key in giving me the confidence to make the leap of faith moving to Austin.
In general, I look back to the girl I was before I started waiting tables, and I see an insecure, timid, and nervous wreck of a girl who wasn’t living up to her potential. Furthermore, it was this way because I was so inside my own head. The experiences and insights I gained while waiting tables allowed me to become the woman I am today. More importantly, it built the foundation for my self-improvement going forward because I realized the biggest roadblock to getting everything I want and more is fear.