While there can be cons to working at an amusement park such as unpredictable weather, rude guests that ruin your entire day, and not getting along with your crew members, there are perks to working in the entertainment industry. We often don’t hear about these perks because the cons are sometimes more interesting than the perks, but let me be the one to tell you, it is so worth it to work at an amusement park. Yes, there are some things that can make it seem like your job isn’t worth it, but there are some very special perks that come with the job, and here they are.

At the beginning of the season, you’re paired with a group of strangers and are expected to work together all summer. Sounds intimidating, right? It can be at first, especially if you’re shy like I was when I first started working at Six Flags St. Louis in 2013. As the season goes on, though, you’ll find yourself breaking out of your shell and starting to talk to these strangers, eventually becoming friends. Working at an amusement park has introduced me to so many amazing people who I’ve made countless memories with, some that I’ll treasure forever and some that I’d rather forget.

At Six Flags, we always said that our crews are like our family, and it’s true, in a way. You work with these people (sometimes) all day most days during the summer, growing closer, and hanging out sometimes after work. Pretty soon, you know almost everything about the people you work with, and that is easily the most rewarding thing about working at an amusement park.

Sure, there are some guests that are just down right awful, mean, and nasty, and that can ruin your whole day, and make you want to quit, but there are a lot of park guests out there than can make you say “and that’s why I love my job.” Over the years, I’ve met many guests whom I’ll never forget. They’ve shared stories with me about how their kids look forward to coming to Six Flags every summer, stories about how the park is a way to bond with their children, along with countless of other stories. Whenever I would come into contact with these guests, I would always tell them that while working at an amusement park isn’t easy, you always meet people that make you love your job even more, and that it’s because of them that I love working at Six Flags so much.

While it may not seem like it sometimes, working at an amusement park can provide you with skills that you can use later in life in school and even in your future career. Since you deal with all different kinds of guests, you learn how to talk to people, how to be patient, and how to cater to the needs of a guest to ensure that they have the best day possible when they visit your park. Also, trust me on this one, even after spending just a month working at an amusement park, you will no longer be shy. You’ll break out of your shell and begin talking to almost everyone you see, this can benefit you later in life and can even make your job more enjoyable. If you work in a department that handles cash or credit cards, you’ll learn how to operate a basic cash register, card reader machine, and you’ll even learn how to count money, which can come in handy if you ever find yourself working in retail! While there are many other skills and traits you can learn in this industry, these are some of the most important that are guaranteed to help you later in life.

I worked at Six Flags from 2013 to the beginning of this year. It was the first job I’ve ever known, it was my home away from home every summer, and I met many amazing people and made countless memories. Although I don’t work there anymore, I do stay in touch with many of the people that I’ve met over the years, and the skills that I’ve learned from Six Flags have benefitted me in school as well as my other jobs. If you are unsure about working at an amusement park this summer, let me be the one to tell you that it is so worth it. You may hear some horror stories about the weather, rude guests or rude crews, but I promise you there are many other good things about it that will outweigh all that bad stuff. Trust me, you won’t regret it!