I've been working at Burger King for nearly 4 years now, and while some days I've wanted nothing more than to walk out and be done, overall, I owe my restaurant a big, genuine "thank you."

When I first started, I was a timid, self-conscious teenager with no sense of interpersonal skills. I had panic attacks when I was scheduled to work up front with customers and didn't talk to any of my coworkers unless spoken to first. I consistently checked the schedule days in advance to ensure I was working with 1 of 2 or 3 specific shift leaders; if I wasn't scheduled with them, I would call in "sick."

It wasn't until I was scheduled with the same people for weeks on end that I realized I had to converse with them, or suffer through each shift with the same anxiety that plagued me my first day. I began initiating small talk with the guys I worked with on night crew, making crummy jokes about life and the fate of the restaurant, just like they did with one another. I visited on my days off just to chat and to become more acclimated to how everybody worked and interacted with each other. I encouraged myself to become "one of the guys," and to not take everything around the workplace so personally so that I could relax and just work.

Because of this, and because of Burger King, I met one of my closest friends that I still regularly talk to years after he quit. He is one of the greatest people I've ever known, somebody I'm lucky to call a "best friend," and I would never have been acquainted with him if it wasn't for my shitty fast food job.

This is what makes it so difficult for me to permanently leave. Despite any petty drama, or how often I may feel as though I'm babysitting my coworkers or any other negative traits and experiences that accompany fast food work, I'll never understand why working in food service has such a negative reputation.

Because of fast food, because of Burger King, I was forced out of my comfortable shell of anxiety-driven isolation. I made quality, life-long friends. I learned that talking to strangers isn't nearly as terrifying as I once thought. I allowed myself to take on responsibilities I otherwise wouldn't have, and to take risks I would have shied away from years ago.

Working in fast food kind of sucks sometimes, but I still owe my restaurant a great big "thank you" for everything it's allowed me to accomplish.