It's no secret that trying to stay financially responsible in college isn't easy. Yes, we take full advantage of drink specials and free pizza while borrowing each other's clothes, but even this won't save us from empty wallets. School is out, and it's time for a summer job.
You've got that fly unpaid internship going for you, and it's going to look phenomenal on your resume. But one word here is key: unpaid. Experience doesn't pay the bills. How on earth are you going to find anything that's worthwhile, but will support all of your cash-demanding adventures?
There's a lot to be learned from working in the food and beverage industry. As a waitress for over four years, I've worked in my fair share of restaurants and seen the highs and lows of food service. It's a humbling experience, to say the least, but one that can earn you a lot of cash, as well as instill great qualities that, surprisingly, employers are looking for. Here are a few reasons why you should consider trying your hand at waiting tables, or other food and beverage experiences.
1. Multitasking. You might be absorbing summer rays by the pool, but that's about it. Your brain is completely lax until fall semester begins, unless you spend your nights training your brain to remember the obscure items your customers have asked for as you search the kitchen and make salads. When you wait tables, your brain is constantly on alert. Someone needs steak sauce, someone else needs another glass, while you've also got to check on food and grab a pitcher for refills. That first big paper in the fall won’t seem so foreign if you’ve been exercising your brain all summer.
2. Know how to tip. Guys, want to impress a girl? Don't stiff the waitress. A person’s ability to tip says a lot about them. Women like success, and a big goose-egg on that check where there should be a tip isn’t an indication of success or confidence. The same goes for your future employer. Tipping your server shows confidence, success, and just plain courtesy. You pay people for their service. You want to get paid for your work one day, don’t you? After one or two stiffs as a server -- and constantly making that mental calculation of what 18 percent of $75 is -- you’ll never forget to tip again. And,yes, it's 18 percent, now, not 15 percent. Generosity is never under appreciated!
3. Learn your drinks. It’s your first day at the office on your new job and your boss invites you out for a drink to celebrate bringing you on board. College was little money and cheap drinks, and your favorite game-day brew isn’t going to impress your boss. You’re going to look like a chump if you start downing your cheap beer while he sips a martini. Learning top-shelf liquors will help you impress your boss with your knowledge of the finer things in life and create a conversation starter for awkward silences. Working in an up-scale restaurant can help foster your knowledge and create an appreciation for finer drinks because, despite what some of your collegiate peers may have taught you, they are meant to be tasted and enjoyed slowly.
4. Humility. Unless you’re some kind of new age prodigy, your first job isn’t going to land you at the top of the totem pole. You need to be prepared to take a lot of crap. Serving isn’t easy, but you’ll come out with the ability to shake off the silly insults that patrons will throw your way and, believe me, there will be plenty. You’ll have customer after customer fuss at you over undercooked steak and treat you like you’re the scum of the earth. Recognizing that you are merely the vessel of delivery for their potentially unpleasant experience, and that you have the capability of fixing it, can change your outlook on life. When you do reach the top, you’ll remember these experiences and recognize that everyone works hard and should be treated that way.
5. Working with the public. This is what makes your serving experience resume-worthy. Customer service is a key ability in any job, and the easier you can smooth things over with a fussy customer, the better. Believe it or not, people get pretty angry when their food doesn’t come out quite like they thought it would. Knowing when to get a manager and when to just handle it yourself, while doing so with an enormous smile, can give you great people skills. In today’s technological era, that’s a standout quality. While everyone else is emailing and hiding behind their handheld devices, you’ll have a one-up on the competition as you grin and bear it. After all, the customer is always right.
6. Turn and burn. You’re going to stand all night, do a lot of lifting, walking and, at times, running. That’s why waiting tables can burn anywhere between 75 to 100 calories per hour and can foster some pretty sweet guns while you’re toting those pitchers and trays -- if you remember to lay off the free food!
7. Cash money, baby! Waiters make a lot. Depending on the restaurant and your location, $150 a night is about average. From student loans to dues and bills, we’ve all got expenses to pay. Maybe you’re just trying to get a new set of duds, or perhaps you’re teetering on the edge of being several zeros in debt. No matter the situation, there’s nothing wrong with learning to work hard early and to start saving for the future.
