Face it, we all love to eat. Food is a language that brings families, friends and even completely different cultures together. It is a binding language almost on par with the language of love. Food is both a creation by an artist and a canvas for an eater to critique. So much care and love goes into the crafting of even the simplest of dishes that it is actually mind boggling.

Not one dish arrives to your table without the cook or chef who put it out being completely satisfied with the dish. This is done each and every time that same dish is sent out to other customers. Consistency is key. Not everyone can appreciate this craft, however, even though it is one we are all a part of whether we are producers or consumers. Working in the cutthroat business of the restaurant world is not for the faint of heart, but everyone should still seek some sort of job in the kitchen to develop an appreciation of the care that goes into their favorite dishes.

I, like many others before me and after me, started as a dishwasher scrubbing pots and pans in extremely hot water mixed with dangerous toxic chemicals. This is entry level work for anyone working a BoH (back of house) position.

The dishwasher is the key to your whole operation. Without him or her doing their job exceptionally well, there are no clean dishes to be used for service which means no food is put out. Ever. It was in this position that I learned to respect the entry level people in a workplace as much as I should respect those at the top of the proverbial ladder.

I also learned that there is no unimportant job in any sort of business. Every business (mainly restaurants) are great machines. If one cog stops working, the machine is at risk of busting completely. I highly recommend this job to anyone seeking to get their foot in the door. It's not glorious work, but there's a lot of life lessons to be had and advancement for those who show an aptitude for it.

Maybe you're not really into scrubbing dishes for menial pay? Perhaps you're more of a social butterfly or you like to make people feel good. If hospitality is your thing, congratulations, you found the perfect industry for it. Hospitality can be found in every facet of the average restaurant. We are all there to make the customer feel at home and comfortable.

This feeling is nowhere near as prevalent in the FoH (front of house). This is where you will find your valets, waitstaff, busboys, barbacks, bartenders, managers, etc. The vast majority of these people live off tips from the unassuming customer. I know plenty of people in the business who wait tables as their career and they are able to live rather comfortably.

Now, I'm not here to make an argument for tipping waitstaff exceptionally well (which you should if the service you received warrants it), but I am here to say this is one of the best jobs to get not only for the money you can make, but for the people you can meet. As a FoH employee, you will learn punctuality, respect, and how to move with a purpose. All of these are essential life skills.

And now we enter my forte: the kitchen. This is where every mouth-watering item you glance at comes to life. Behind the dozens of cold, steel-grey machines, there exists a select group of individuals who are cut from a different cloth. These are what's referred to as you "line" people. Sauté cooks, grill cooks, fry cooks, and even the head chef can all be found in this infernal jungle of knives and bad language. Everyday, these men and women come to work (often before sunrise to prep food) to bring the spirit of dining to life using their cuisine. This is the pinnacle of the business. If you can make it in your average urban kitchen, you can make it in any job at all. The work ethic and dedication required to cook are qualities sought after by employers everywhere. If you can handle constant barrages of hateful and foul words directed (usually) at your appearance or lack of speed and still keep your cool under pressure, then you can handle any situation that another job will throw at you.

It's definitely the biggest adrenaline rush when you're totally in over your head with orders, the chef is yelling at everyone, you cut part of your finger off, and you still somehow come out on top. There are few greater feelings. This is one of the toughest jobs to land, however, since most places will require you to have some sort of kitchen experience first. That shouldn't stop you from looking though. The money is great and the hours are always there for those who seek them.

If you think you have what it takes to survive the nasty and vile restaurant underworld, give it a shot. The lessons you will learn, the people you will meet, and the experiences and skills you will adopt are truly the best forms of payment and most of them cannot be found in any other profession.