I went from being a dance instructor for little kids to becoming a waitress. "What did I get myself into?" I would think after late night shifts. Being a sophomore in college at the time, I realized I needed an additional income to pay for gas, my phone bills, and to save for when I leave community college. Some will say that being a server is a horrible experience and all people do is yell at you but I will have to disagree. Yes, I know that there are the days where you walk out of work with $25 dollars after seven hours and ranch dressing dripped on your shirt, but being a server has taught me some of the most valuable skills that school has not. Those skills include patience, problem-solving, communication skills and multi-tasking.

Patience: If you do not have any, find some quickly or do not go into food service. Growing up my parents made sure I knew how to have patience; whether it's realizing that certain athletic skills come over time or being aware of the fact that sometimes you have to wait in certain situations, such as going to the doctor. Every server knows that their patience can and will be tested on a busy Saturday night. You have a five table section and ended up getting double sat with a rambunctious party of seven celebrating a birthday as well as a couple on a date. Now starting out as a server this scenario would freak me out. I would look flustered rushing all over the place like a "chicken with its head cut off" and not pay close attention to what I was doing. After a few shifts into being on my own I realized very quickly that not having patience with customers was not going to get me a decent tip. When people go out to eat they have the intentions to relax and have someone take care of them. Not the other way around because you rushed them in the ordering process, forgot to ask them how they wanted their steak and, since you rushed them in ordering, you made them realize they should have stuck with last night's leftovers in the fridge. Stop and breathe. Make yourself noticed in your section by checking one of your other tables to let them know you will be with them shortly or asking another server to grab you a hamburger set for table 12 on their way back to the kitchen. Exhibiting patience among all of your tables from the greeting all the way to when they pay the bill essentially gets you verbal compliments, a tip that can be over 20 percent and an easy going shift.

Wait there is problem-solving in being a server? Problems can arise between a server and a group of customers at any point. Now how you handle it is the real test of serving. Listening to the customers problem is one of the first things you need to do if a conflict comes about at a table. On a day side shift where all you have is a table of four ladies that all ordered the same item on the menu. Eventually they all get their food and life is dandy for you, easy enough right? Well you circle your section after two minutes to check on the group and ladies at the table flag you over saying that you did not inform them that diced onions were in the pasta. They blame you for not telling them that information, when it is clearly stated in the menu. Instead of lashing out and saying, "You should have read the menu instead of being on your phone," listen to their concerns and make the appropriate judgment in whether you need to have a manager involved or ring in four new pastas. Remember that some tables will test your patience but being able to keep a smile on while being scolded at and listen can make some problems disappear.

For communication skills, I went from talking with 4 year olds at dance to 40 year olds in a restaurant. As a dance teacher I would see the parents before and at the end of class, now as a waitress I have a full section of tables trying to communicate their needs to me. I need a refill, I am ready to order, my dessert is taking a long time and the list goes on. Engage in conversation with your guests along with listening to their needs during their visit. Sometimes mistakes happen and you forget to ring in table 13's mozzarella sticks or swiped the wrong credit card for a table that just got their food. Mistakes happen, remember we are all only human! Communicate with the manager on duty on what has happened and talk to the table to see if you can give them an alternate opinion on an appetizer or explain that you accidently swiped their card and it will be corrected. That stuff happens every now and then but trying to hide it or cover it up with excuses from the staff and customers will just create more problems in the end.

Lastly, there is multi-tasking. Basically this means do not make separate trips for a strawberry lemonade, a to-go box and to take a food order. I always tell new servers look at your section as a whole and see how many things you can get completed in one trip, kind of like a game if you think about it. This is a job that will test your multi-tasking skills or really teach you how to use them. Go to the bar pick up the strawberry lemonade and while you are there grab a to-go box, deliver both of those on the way to take table thirty's food order. Multi-tasking saves you time and saves your feet at the end of the night.

Overall, throughout the past few years I enjoyed being a waitress more than I ever expected. Some call me crazy from liking it but I just make every shift a new one and never hold grudges from the tips I did not receive. Serving on breaks from school allows me to pay ahead on my bills, save for school and meet all different types of people. Remember to have success in being a waiter/waitress, always have patience with your customers, show off your problem-solving skills, communicate with those around you, test your multi-tasking skills and do not forget to give customers a great experience. Enjoy the ride and the income.