As someone who has obtained and held many jobs over the past couple of years, I’d like to express that. I’ve worked at quite a variety and showing and explaining why could be of help to people who are looking for one. I will not be naming specifically what workplaces I worked at out of privacy and respect, these are just my personal experiences from them.
- Pet Store
This one was by far my favorite, mostly because I got to be around animals all of the time. Walking into an animal store as a customer was always the worst feeling because you got to see all these unique and interesting animals but could not actually hold them and know them. Working at a pet store allowed me to have that childish experience at an adult level. Learning how to care for all different kinds of animals was fun. However, one thing I did not like about working there was that the back smelled absolutely horrid because of the rodent… passings… and just… rabbits and rats and guinea pigs just don’t smell that great in general. So cleaning those cages and bins was the worst because as you clean, the stench climbs up into your nose and at times I’d have to blow it and my snot was literally brown from… well… you know. I’d say this one was a solid 6-7/10 for sure.
- Restaurant
There are mixed emotions about this one but it gave me an inside look at what servers and hosts and other personnel who work in a restaurant have to deal with. The job overall was fun, joking around with coworkers and when the customers were good, everything was good. The downside was when it’d get busy and it’d be stressful as heck. I had two positions which were working at takeout or food running and knowing both was definitely the worst decision because, at times, I would work both which added extra weight to my shoulders. In general, I also give this a 6-7/10.
- Grocery Store
As much as I say I hated working at a grocery store, it was by far one of the easiest to learn and do. Standing in one spot for 4-6 hours just scanning stuff was pretty nice. However, listening to people complain about prices got annoying after a while, like what do you want me to do? LOL. If you can handle the ‘Living the dream’ and ‘No scans? Must be free’ people then you’re built for this. I give this a 5/10.
- Fast Food
This one is complicated. Any fast food job is stressful because it’s a fast-paced environment so you have to learn and act quickly. My job was pretty simple, making drinks and ice cream, refilling lemonade and ice, and cleaning once in a while. The coworkers were definitely a different breed because they were fun to be around while working effectively, most of the time. This one easily ties with the grocery store, 5/10.
- Art Store
I worked here for such a small amount of time that it honestly feels like a fever dream because I cannot recall a single day of working here. Although I can say, the discount definitely pulled me in. I recommend this one for artists such as me, but at the specific location I worked at, they got mad if you called out, even for serious matters. At one point, my friend called out because she was seriously sick and they threatened her…. Yeah… not my cup of tea. It’s honestly like a 3-4/10.