I have worked three separate jobs in the food service industry, all a little different from the one before.

I scored my first job a few weeks after I turned 16 at a frozen yogurt store within a mile from my house. My second job came about 5 months later at a local restaurant that was perpetually busy but always family-friendly. My third job was working at a particularly popular coffee shop whose mascot may or may not be a little green siren.

There are, of course, good days and bad days in this particular industry. The good days make for a satisfying feeling when I lay my head down at night, and the bad days make for a great storytime video for my future Youtube channel.

Whenever I share the funny, sometimes mind-numbing experiences I've had in the food service industry, my friends always question why I never ventured into retail or clerical work to put myself through college instead. They're surprised when I tell them that in the end, I know that working in food service has made me a better person in a lot of ways, and so ultimately, it's worth it to me.

Here's why:

I learned the value of being on time.

The restaurant and food service industry moves fast, and you can make a great impression on your manager just by being 10-15 minutes early for every shift. I once had a manager tell me that one thing they appreciated about me was that I was always on time and in turn that it made me reliable. I carry this in the back of my mind every time I head to a doctor's appointment, a class at ASU, or a lunch date with a friend. I want people to know I value their time.

Food service made me more empathetic toward the plights of waitresses and servers everywhere.

Before I got my first job, I would feel impatient when my food would take a while after I ordered it to get to my table, or when the wait time to be seated at a restaurant was over an hour. Now, I know that there are so many other parts of a restaurant that go into your experience than the hostess that seats you and the waitress that serves you. The people you interact with directly are just "faces", and often times have no direct influence over how quickly your food is made or how busy the restaurant itself is.

I learned how to work in a team.

Not only should you do your best to get along with and even befriend your coworkers, you should understand the importance of each and every person in your work environment. This doesn't even just apply to restaurants- in an office, in a nail salon, in a movie theater, anywhere. It's important to get along with people because that's part of your job too. Added bonus: On top of that, I learned how to multitask when a team member wasn't around to help me (and how to stay organized to make my multitasking easier for myself).

Food service also made me more empathetic to customers.

I've had customers swear at me, call me the worst names in the book, and wish horrible things upon me. But you know what that truly taught me? That sometimes people suck. And sometimes sucky people have sucky days. And sometimes, those sucky people take it out on you because you're the only person around. It astounds me that someone could get irrationally upset over a bent straw that can be easily replaced, but I just remind myself that that person is still a person. And in my experience, just loving people can turn their day around. The smallest thing, like asking how their day went (and listening when they ultimately vent it all out to you) and smiling and being genuinely interested can turn someone's day around. And part of working in food service is customer service, so why not go above and beyond! In the back of my mind it does frustrate me, but always being concerned about my customer first made me less selfish about how I'm feeling.

This one is a little strange but through food service, I learned the worth of a good manager/boss.

My manager at my current job is the best one I've had so far. The first job I had was probably the worst; I'm glad that my managers/shift leads have improved since then because a good manager can make your life so much easier. Someone who understands and respects your scheduling conflicts is a diamond in the rough. A good manager will also defend you against crazy customers if they know that they're acting out. I've taken this lesson through to my professional life. if I have a boss who doesn't seem to respect me or my coworkers, I'll know right off the bat that that's not a position I'd like to stay in.

The most important thing that food service taught me, though, was to humble myself.

In food service, it isn't about you. You work for a company that works hard to put their best foot forward and they've entrusted you with that reputation! I learned to put my feelings aside, and knowing that I was a valued team member and a better person at the end of the day made it all worth it.