Many parents use the horrors of working in the fast food industry as a scare tactic to keep their kids in school. It sure worked on me. Actually, it worked so well that I couldn't even stomach the thought of applying to a fast food chain for a part time job in between semesters of college...until I had to.

This past summer, after a month of applying to job after job without response, I finally bit the bullet and applied to McDonald's. I felt embarrassed even just going in for the interview. It was probably one of the lowest points of my life. However, despite how degraded I felt working at the most notorious of all fast food restaurants, I'm thankful for my experience with the company.

The McDonald's I worked at sat dead center in one of the most impoverished areas that I had ever been in. As a girl from an upper middle class household, being employed at this location was the most eye-opening experience of my life.

I hated constantly interacting with rude and seemingly uneducated people who treated me like I was nothing; and the insolent customers were a picnic compared to some of my co-workers and managers. Fuming, I would tell anyone who would listen that I hated being "talked down to by people with a grade school education." It was true that I was more educated than many of the people that I was coming into contact with daily...but I was also more privileged.

What I failed to realize in my first few shifts at McDonald's was that I was beyond lucky. Most of the grouchy customers who came my way probably had poverty weighing on them like a coat made of iron. They weren't uneducated by choice, but by necessity. Working to stay alive had taken precedence over school work. In addition to this, the people I worked with side by side didn't have the advantage of living on their parents' money. I was making money to have fun; they were making money to pay rent and buy food.

I quit a month after starting. I couldn't stand working nine-hour shifts with no breaks and not being allowed to even get a sip of water while on the clock. As I walked out of that restaurant for the last time, I didn't think twice about the people who were stuck there, unable to leave. The customers needed the dollar menu; the workers needed to put up with the terrible working conditions for a paycheck; all I needed to do was walk out and enjoy the rest of my summer before continuing my education in the fall.

Working in fast food taught me some invaluable lessons. First, you don't know someone's whole story solely by how they appear on the outside. Someone may come off as inconsiderate, but more often than not, there's a story behind the seemingly rude exterior. Secondly, there is always someone worse off than you. Even on my worst days at McDonald's, I was able to come home to my apartment and know that my bills were taken care of and my parents were there for me when I needed them to be.

I've always known that I am lucky, but now I know how lucky. I'll always remember to think before complaining and to put a smile on my face for even the most abysmal people because I have it good.