I’ve had a handful of jobs through the years, but never one that was outside of my comfort zone. I’ve worked for my grandparents for six years and I’m obviously very comfortable there. I have worked at a summer camp, but all my friends worked there so that was more fun than work. Even when I worked on campus during the school year, I was surrounded by students my age who were in the same boat I was. I almost don’t view them as real jobs, even though I was getting paid. It was only recently that I got a job with a boss I did not know before hand, and with co-workers who have a different background than myself. Admittedly, this job was very much outside my comfort zone in the beginning, even though all I am is a hostess in a restaurant. It has only been about three weeks, but I have already learned so much other than just the details of my job. Here are five of the things I’ve learned from a job outside my comfort zone.
1. People have very different backgrounds from my own
Most of the people I've
worked with have very similar stories as my own. They were Christians, they
were my age and they were primarily working just to earn some spending money.
Now, I work with people who are from the city, not the country, and who don't
necessarily believe what I do. Not only have that, but a lot of them worked for
very different reasons. They may be my own age, but that doesn't mean they
aren't working in order to support their families or pay the rent. Working with
this variety of people has shown me a lot of different backgrounds that I
hadn't been made aware of at previous jobs.
2. I need to learn not to judge people based off of a first glance
When I started my job, I instantly decided who I thought I would get along with and who I would never talk to. Then, I watched the way they interacted with other workers and the customers and realized maybe I was wrong. For one thing, a lot of them were nicer than I thought they would be. For another, a lot of them were more hard-working than I thought. When I saw the older people serving tables I just assumed they were slackers who didn't want a "real job" (aka one that required a college education). Once I got to know some of the people, I realized many of them were working two or three jobs in order to provide for themselves and their families. I made a lot of snap judgments that proved to be wrong and I know realize I need to stop doing that.
3. I can be friends with people who are different from myself
As I've mentioned before, this job has a lot of people I don't normally become friends with. The city-slang and different moral views threw me off at first, but once I looked past it I saw people like myself. The girls I work closest with are all super friendly and hilarious to be around. It took me a little while, and sometimes I still don't know what to add to some of their conversations, but I can actually say I like being around them. Different doesn't have to mean bad.
4. The workplace is like a family-unit
The first few days were rough. I thought that the place I was working at would be more all-for-one rather than one-for-all. I figured they would welcome me in and move on with their day. When I realized that they were all really close to each other during work hours, I felt like I didn't belong. I felt like I was intruding on a secret meeting and didn't know the handshake. Of course, people have still been very open and receptive and I'm slowly gaining entrance into the fold. It's nice to know that they all care about each other. If someone desperately needs hours to make money, someone will give up their own. When we're working people help out if someone is in need of a hand. It's a nice little family bond that I never thought I'd find in a workplace.
5. I have to learn to go with the flow
I make mistake. A lot. Other people make them too. I just have to learn to deal with that. For a while, I would get really frustrated when people weren't doing things the way I thought they should. I had steps in my head that I wanted to follow to get the job done and that's just not how it works in the restaurant business. Customers have various demands. Workers make mistakes. Plans have to be changed. Throughout this job I have learned to roll with the punches instead of being rigid and by-the-book.
I was really nervous when I started applying for different jobs. I was always comfortable with my old ones and I didn't want to give them up. I still miss my job at camp all the time. Thankfully though, I've found that moving on has its benefits. I've learned a lot of new things at my job, about the world and myself. I can't wait to see what else I can learn because I'm sure there is more to be taught.
