Almost everyone that knows me knows I worked at McDonald’s for almost a year and almost everyone that’s heard this was taken aback that I worked a job I hated for so long. I, personally, never understood what was so shocking. I needed the money, so I worked the job. It was as simple as that.

However, in this day and age, there is so much emphasis put on creating the perfect job and never settling for anything less, that people are unable to realize that you need to start from somewhere to get where you want to be.

There are lessons to be learned, even when working a job you absolutely despise.

I remember the misery I would feel as I pulled into McDonald’s every Saturday and Sunday at 7 A.M. Working the drive-through for 8 hours, boxed in by soda machines and coffee makers wasn’t how I pictured spending my weekends. I hated it, but looking back on it, I realized that that job served a fundamental role in teaching me what working life is like.

Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with prioritizing and pursuing a career that you are passionate about. However, I think it’s just as important to work a job purely for the paycheck.

1. You’ll find out your likes and dislikes

Working a job that you are not passionate about fuels your desire to find out what you are passionate about. Staying in a job that you hate while trying to figure out what you like ensures that you won’t leave your job because you want to escape it, but instead because you are pursuing something else you are actually passionate about.

2. You will learn which skills are universal throughout all careers

Certain skills and responsibilities span all career fields. Most jobs are created on the same basis: contributing to society by identifying an issue and solving it in some form. You might not have a job that contributes in the way you wish to, but you will still learn more about yourself and the world regardless, gathering essential skills along the way. Taking the time to gain knowledge and wisdom can help you in future career endeavors down the road.

3. You will realize there is more to life than a job

When you are at a job you dislike, you have a choice: you can let your unhappiness affect your performance negatively or you can acknowledge that this is only a temporary situation and that it has no bearing on your worth. There is so much more to life than the 9-5. Careers aren’t always synonymous with a hobby or something we’re passionate about, but just because our job doesn’t entail doing something we love, doesn’t mean we can’t still do it.

At the end of the day, a job is a job. No matter what job you have, there will always be aspects of it that are sub-par or just plain awful; but to be a person who still thrives regardless of their stage in life and can find value in what others see as pointless: that is someone who will reach true success.