The good, the ugly and the drama
I honestly cannot believe I’m writing this. When I first applied to work at the Rathskeller (an on-campus restaurant) in the summer of 2021, it was supposed to be a silly little summer job where I would make a couple of wraps, flip some burgers and pour lots of beer. Two years later, it has become more than just a job: it’s a place where I gained transferable skills, made friends, learned life lessons and overall, lost my mind.
First, it’s important to reminisce about my on-the-clock moments when I learned so much about working with other people and becoming a leader. Summer shifts were buzzing with people and chaos, and we’d have lines so long that we couldn’t see the end. Stress was often high, and I had to learn to work in a fast-paced environment with many kinds of people. Learning how to communicate, retain information, problem-solve and think on the fly are all skills I’ve acquired. Working at the Rath for essentially two years, I’ve grown confident in my role, which has allowed me to show leadership in small ways by teaching people job duties, delegating responsibilities and offering advice when appropriate.
Working an on-campus job has drama that cannot be ignored. During one of my first shifts, I realized that one of my coworkers was someone I used to date. There was no bad blood between us, but it did bring up some awkward and unexpected conversations and interactions with them. I also had a crush on someone who didn’t feel the same way toward me for around nine months. It was a very up-and-down relationship with lots of tears, sleepless nights and listening to the saddest Taylor Swift songs. But looking back, I’m not mad that it happened as it forced me to learn how I love people and the type of love that I deserve. On the clock, there were some co-workers whom I had personality clashes with, and it caused a lot of stress that lingered on when I clocked out. Of course, I had to take responsibility where needed, but there was a person or two that I just couldn’t get along with, which made work interesting, to say the least.
Moving on to the more positive, the Rath is a job where people constantly come and go, and I have made many types of friends throughout. I formed a friend group where we watched the Milwaukee Bucks make their way through the playoffs and win the NBA Championship. My lovely, main friends are not sports fans, so having a group from the Rath who I could enjoy the Bucks with was what I needed. We also often explore the Madison nightlife, trying out new bars and restaurants, making appearances at parties and having wholesome, laidback movie nights where we watched the Shrek movies. Essentially, every night was a weekend, and it was very easy to get caught up in the fun off-the-clock.
Finally, I have also learned some life lessons and I owe some of them to two managers, whom we’ll call Olivia and Jess. I often referred to Olivia as my work mom as she was the one who tended to burns that I accidentally got and would drive us home after late-night closes, ensuring we made it home safely. She became someone that I’ve grown to trust, often asking her for advice about work conflicts, ranting to her about friends and even unpacking some past life events. Jess resembled a work big sister. She was the one I went to about love life and deep conversations about happiness and our futures often ensued. She was also someone I’d have fun with, following her around and poking her arm constantly and calling her Jessica knowing she preferred Jess. I’d buy Olivia Dr. Pepper and Jess coffees to kiss-ass (which I like to think worked) and even came up with a combined name that they obviously loved and approved of (total sarcasm here). Both Olivia and Jess became patient, caring and compassionate mentors to me that I never knew I could find at a job that was supposed to be short-lived.
Overall, the place where I was just supposed to work for three months turned out to unexpectedly make a huge impact on my college experience. The actual job itself is something that I’d love to forget; however, I will never forget the job skills that will follow me into my future career, the life lessons that emerged and the relationships I formed along the way. It was a chicken-tendie time (get it, tendie = tender, hehe) and throughout the good, the ugly and the drama, I’m appreciative of my time there.