I strongly believe that by the time of college graduation, everyone should have had at least one real, paying, low-level, preferably suck-ish job.

I know it doesn’t always end up this way, but ideally speaking, as soon as you graduate college, you'll land some (probably) entry-level position in something that has to do with what you’ve studied. But there are some things you’ll want to learn before you end up at that ideal gig. There are two parts to any job: the base skills of working and the specific skills needed for each job. I believe you should definitely learn those foundational skills before you take a job doing the thing you want to make your actual career.

I've found myself doing all sorts of jobs over the past few years: cleaning, waitressing, babysitting, dog-sitting, house-sitting, donkey-sitting--just to name a handful. Here are some lessons I've learned through my hodgepodge work experience that I'm glad I learned before having a real job in the field I want to pursue:

1. The classic “value of a dollar.”

After I started working regularly and buying my own things, prices stopped being in dollars. A shirt didn't cost $15 anymore, it cost two hours worth of work. To fill up my car with gas cost four-and-a-half hours. Money takes on a different perspective when it's yours and it’s hard-earned.

And that helps you prioritize. I know that if I spend 50 of my own dollars on a new jacket, that's 50 of my own dollars that won't be going toward tuition or food or other important things. Decision-making, prioritization and responsibility is forced upon you once you're making your own money. It sucks, but unless you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth and will never have to work a day in your life, it's a lesson that has to be learned. I think it's better to learn sooner rather than later.

2. How to deal with undesirable bosses, coworkers, customers and personal attitudes.

At the best job with the best coworkers, the best boss and your best attitude every day. Actually, I don’t even want to get your hopes up: that doesn’t exist. Even if you love your job, it will still be hard to get up for work some mornings. Even if you have a good boss and coworkers, they’re bound to get on your nerves occasionally. Even if you’re a cheery person, there are going to be times when you’ll get grumpy and cynical and would rather be doing literally anything else. It can have nothing to do with the actual job or the people; it’s just the nature of working. And sometimes you do just end up with a crappy job around crappy people, and it’s good to suffer through that and learn how to deal with it.

3. Working in general sucks.

Like I said, no matter what, some days you’re just going to not want to go to work. The entire concept of “work” will seem simply miserable and exhausting. You’re going to get tuckered out no matter how much you love what you’re doing. Go into that ideal job you love with the lesson already learned that it will suck sometimes—not because your dream job isn’t what you thought it’d be, and not because you've lost your passion for what you're doing--but just because it’s work, and it’s something you have to do day in and day out regardless of your mood.

I think it’s good to learn what working is like and how much it sucks before you start doing the thing you want to do for the rest of your life. That way even when it sucks, you know how much less it sucks than a suck-y minimum-wage job.

4. Knowing a job well done.

I think it’s infinitely good to know when you’ve done a good job and to build the ethic to want to do a good job, even at a job you're not crazy about.

Cleaning is difficult work; I don't find it enjoyable. But when my boss tells me that a client was especially impressed with a job we did, that makes me feel pretty darn good. Waitressing isn't my favorite thing to do; there's too much room for error, and it’s too easy to upset people for my taste. But when a customer comes up to me just to tell me that I did well, or when someone tips me extra, I feel like I want to be the best waitress in the world. I love being a barista, although it's definitely not what I want to do for the rest of my life. But when people let me know when I make a good coffee or handle a rush particularly well, it makes me just plain happy knowing that I have a skill and people notice when I practice it well.

One of the most rewarding lessons in the world of working is recognizing a job well done and having the will to do a good job even when you hate what you're doing. That lesson, I think, will come in handy once you're finally working a job that you really, really want to do.

5. How to act toward the people serving you.

Many of the stereotypically "suck-y" jobs involve serving (a.k.a. "dealing with") the public. The lessons that this alone offers are endless, in my opinion. Working these kinds of jobs has not only taught me how to serve well and be kind even when people are acting like jerks, but it also gives me a perspective on how not to be a jerk to the people serving me out in the world. Because people are, after all, people. And I know what it's like to be one of those people, and I want to make that person's day better and not worse.

One of my favorite lessons I’ve learned while working is that you can choose to try to make someone's day worse, not affect it at all, or make it better. And choosing to make someone’s day better usually somehow makes yours a little bit better, too.

So, shout out to all the young people working retail, food service, manual labor, or whatever else to earn some money. If you're feeling a little weary and/or bitter about your summer job: don’t fret. Think of this as necessary training that will give you the upper hand once you begin to pursue your actual career.

And if that goal is too abstract, I guess maybe just try counting down the days to your next paycheck. That’ll help you get through your next shift, too.