Between the ages of 15 and 19, I had a whole slew of jobs. Some were alright, while others were downright horrible. So, I’ve decided to rate them on a scale of one to ten: with one being the worst, and ten being the best.
Job #1: Legoland California Resort Lifeguard
Rating: 2/10
You may be thinking, “Wow! Legoland? That sounds like a really fun place to work.” You would be incorrect. As a lifeguard, I had to stand (not sit) in the hot sun for 8 hours straight watching children play in the cool water. It was taunting.
Not only did I frequently suffer from heat exhaustion, but I also had to regularly clean feces (and other excrements) from the water. Yuck. Luckily, if a child did relieve themselves in the water, I was able to end my shift early.
Another negative part of the job was that during our team meetings, my coworkers and I discovered our bosses were secretly recording us while on the job. Why would they do that? To present those videos on a large screen during team meetings and tell us what we did wrong, that’s why.
Although the job was overall a negative experience, I decided to add on two points because the employee lunches were awesome. Honestly, the best-grilled cheese sandwich I’ve ever had. And that was enough to get 16-year-old me through the day.
Job Number Two: Sub Zero Ice Cream
Rating: 6/10
My second job in high school was at an ice cream shop. But it wasn’t just any ice cream shop, it was nitrogen-based ice cream. That meant we had to make the ice cream from scratch in front of the customers.
This job was definitely not too bad. It was during the pandemic, so we didn’t have a lot of customers. I was also able to have ice cream or a milkshake for every shift, so that kept me around a little longer.
The only complaint I have is that Sub Zero was in a town on the coast of southern California, which meant I had to interact with the most challenging customers of all: tourists. They would come from the beach all burnt to a crisp and drag sand into the shop. I quit the job as soon as summer started simply because of the tourist season.
Job Number Three: Cold Stone Creamery
Rating: 3/10
You may have noticed that ice cream shops are a trend on my resume. However, my experience at Cold Stone ended this trend in a heartbeat.
Being a naive freshman in college, I assumed that getting a job my first semester wouldn’t be too bad. Well, it was in fact a bad decision. I mainly blame this low rating on the fact that I did not have a car, so I had to walk home for 20 minutes in the dark after each of my shifts.
Aside from the transportation flaw, the customers were probably the worst I’ve ever dealt with out of these three jobs. I mean, how can people get so mad about (overpriced) ice cream? One customer yelled at me because I had to charge him extra for his ten extra toppings. What did he expect?
The only reason this job was rated higher than the one at Legoland is because the ice cream was actually pretty good. I got a free, small cup (which actually ended up being a large) every shift. Overall, not that bad of an experience but it could have been a lot better.
Looking back on those jobs, I realize how grateful I am to have one I actually enjoy now. At least they make for a good laugh!