Getting your first job – also known as your first step into the “real world” according to many parents. For me, it was Panago Pizza. Where I was paid minimum wage ($10.20), washed greasy dishes until my fingers were prunes, and went home smelling like a strange mix of flour and oil every night. Still though, fishing my paycheck out of the big yellow envelope for the first time gave me quite the rush of euphoria.
Recently I had quit my Panago job. But after 8 months of juggling work, school, friends, family, and healthy alone-time, I’ve got some stuff to share.
1. You are solely responsible for yourself.
If the shift starts at 5PM, it doesn’t mean show up at 5. Rather, be fully changed, washed, and ready to make a mad dash for pizza trays when 5 o’clock rolls around.
Safety may not be on your manager’s mind, but you better be diligent about slippery puddles, sharp knives near slippery puddles, flaming hot screens, slamming doors, and tickets catching on fire for your own sake.
Sure, a coworker might tell you it’s okay to have a free pizza, but if it isn’t actually cool with the manager… well, your name is going to be printed on the ticket. Oops.
2. Building good relationships with coworkers is WORTH IT.
Ranting about a sociopath customer who lashed out over a can of Orange Crush to your coworker while doing dishes is the start of a beautiful workplace relationship.
When you’re pinched for time and you desperately need someone to take your shift. “Oh Robeeert? Paaaaaiige?”
When you’re starving and your coworker decides to bring a huge box of cookies to share because they actually like the people they work with.
“Hey, is that Jessica, or is that a pizza with legs?” (My apron was coated with flour, marinara, and toppings. Some probably ended up on my pants since I ran out of places to wipe my hands). Permission to laugh and de-stress granted!
3. Your comfort zone gets bigger without you even realizing.
I am ALL about that personal growth. There are certain things that you have to do when you’re an employee, and when you’re in that kind of situation, you just shrug, do it for the job, and learn to embrace it. That right there in itself, is your comfort zone and tolerance growing like a rapidly expanding universe.
Expressing your opinions to your manager and coworkers is great practice for assertiveness and gaining respect.
Learning to deal with, or even appreciate silence is just as useful as learning to converse with others.
Getting a job in your youth is an enlightening and exciting experience. So if you haven’t already, get out there and feel the rush!