I didn't feel quite as strongly about this issue until I started to work at a restaurant last month.

I guess I never really saw myself as someone who'd need to balance school, extracurriculars, friends and a job – particularly one that wouldn't involve something I love, like marketing or criminal justice. And I didn't give nearly enough credit to the people my age who have the motivation to work tens of hours every week while still keeping up grades and participating in after-school activities.

With that said, I'm pretty lucky that my job can be entertaining – interacting with little kids in ballet costumes with good manners is always kind of adorable, and I've chatted with many genuinely nice people. But too often, there's a table of people that are all on their phones and refuse to answer the questions you ask, or someone who feels the need to take it out on you when the kitchen makes a minor mistake.

I didn't choose this topic to complain about the rude customers, or to whine about having to work. As I've said, I like my job, and I also understand that the people that come eat at the restaurant can be extremely rushed or in the middle of a bad day.

What I do want to do is thank all the considerate ones – the ones that will smile and make eye contact when you greet them, the moms and dads that teach their kids to say thank you, even the sweet couples that start to greet you by name. They make work feel pleasurable, and their kindness inspires me and others to try to make their days brighter.

At the end of the day, my feet are sore and I jump into bed about four seconds after I get home, but I know this is a valuable life experience. I feel more responsible, it's easier to speak to strangers and I appreciate the hard work that waiters, hosts and other minimum-wage employees do.