I've held down a few jobs here and there, from lifeguarding to babysitting to petsitting, but no summer job has taught me more than my waitressing jobs. I agree with the majority of the service and food industry in that everyone should have a restaurant job at least once before they assume adulthood in the real world. Being a server and a host has taught me so much about human characteristics; people are different when they're hungry.

I've had to deal with the impatient party of 16 people in a small restaurant with no reservation policy. I've seen the whiny 4-year-old throw crayons at their parents because they aren't vibrant enough to color in the pizza on the kid's menu. I've had this conversation many times:

"Hi, how are y'all doing tonight?"

"Four."

As most of you know, the number "four" is not an emotion. A host's job is to be nice, even if that means ignoring a customer's rude demeanor and impatient sighing when they're told there will indeed be a wait for their party of 16 people at 7:30 on a Friday night in a restaurant that has 17 tables.

After hosting for four long months, I graduated to a serving job, thinking it would be worlds better.

I was wrong. The stress level and a number of times I think to myself, "people are so rude," is about the same. Hosting and serving are completely different jobs, but you're still exposed to the same things: impatient customers who blame you when their food or their alcohol is taking too long (um, hello, do you see me in the kitchen dusting your chicken parmesan in bread crumbs or making your martini? Nope.), tasteless little kids who yell at you for drink refills, and grumpy old men who think their beer is too "hoppy".

Through all the crap, you have to keep a smile on your face and maintain your composure while dealing with people you'll hopefully never see again, all while praying you get a 20% tip.

But with every negative comes a positive. I live for the tables that banter with me, older couples who tell me I'm cute, families who are oh so complimentary of the food that I've graced them with, and young adults who treat me like a waitress, not a servant.

Working in restaurants has helped me see the good, the bad and the hungry. It has taught me patience, tolerance, composure, and, if we're being honest, I've gotten a lot less awkward since I started serving. My multitasking skills have improved tremendously, my knowledge of alcoholic beverages has increased and my memory has expanded.

The ratio of grumpy to nice people is about 50-50, but at the end of the day, you feel oddly satisfied with yourself for feeding and dealing with so many hungry customers. I have learned so much about myself and others and I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything.