I would consider myself to be pretty experienced in working some of the most basic jobs for teenagers. Having worked in two restaurants, a retail store, and an office, I’ve experienced and learned a lot about life in just a short period of time. Looking back on my past jobs, I’m so thankful that while I was young, I had the opportunity to work in different fields beyond the field of my future career. These experiences changed many of my perspectives on the world and gave me skills that will help me thrive in my future career as an educator. As a result of my experiences, I truly believe that everyone has the ability to benefit from working at least one minimum wage job in their lifetime. Here’s a list of three important things I learned while working minimum and low-wage jobs:
1. Humility
I would define being humble in the workplace as acknowledging my own mistakes, accepting feedback, and asking questions. By accepting that I am not the best at everything, I have been able to work on my weaknesses and be more grateful for my strengths. On the flip side, I’m now more patient and appreciative of the employees at any store or restaurant I’m at because I can emphasize with the challenges they face on a daily basis.
2. The Ability to Handle Criticism
Working with the public undoubtedly involves receiving feedback that can be excessively cruel or unwarranted. At first, being the perfectionist and people-pleaser that I am, this was extremely challenging for me to deal with. Yet, I quickly learned to be more gentle with myself and treat each interaction as a learning experience. Most often, these nasty critics are working through their own personal issues so I shouldn’t take their remarks personally. Looking at it now, I see that this is a skill that is applicable to all areas of life from one’s time of birth to time of death so I’m glad I learned it in a low-stakes environment while I was still young.
3. All you can change are your own thoughts and actions
As a result of working in public service, I quickly accepted the reality that each day can bring new obstacles to overcome. I’ve learned that I can’t predict what I will have to face or change how my co-workers or bosses may respond to such challenges. Therefore, I’ve evolved to now find excitement in unpredictability. I’ve also learned that the best way to work with others involves patience, empathy, and keen listening skills. Since I can only control myself, ensuring that I prioritize completing my work and I own up to my mistakes have been my ways to earn respect from all others in the workplace. I’ve realized that this mindset would have been way more consequential to develop as an adult in a professional work setting.