My first 11 months in the workforce

When I was 15, I really wanted to go to France with my French Club. My parents said I could go, but I had to get a job to pay for it. I was living in a small town. We had a Subway, but they wouldn't hire me because I wasn't 16. That was the same story with the grocery store and the pharmacy. I couldn't drive, so I had to be able to walk there. That left the two family restaurants. Faye's was closer to the house and I knew they were looking for employees.

I was employed at Faye's Whippy Dip (yes laugh now) for exactly eleven months. Those eleven months taught me a great deal about myself and about the world.

I was a waitress, and of course did the usual waitress things: waited tables, cleared tables and washed dishes. Faye's was a small town family resturant. In the summer we were usually bust serving ice cream to base ball teams and local. In the Fall and winter we were usually just frequented by our regular crowd. There were some days were were lucky to see more and our table full of coffee regulars.

Winter was rough because we were only making $2.10 an hour plus tips we split. On a night where were only had maybe ten tables total lead to not making very much. If you worked the breakfast and lunch rush you did well, but those of us working nights sometimes struggled.

Our bosses were a weird combo of too lax and demanding. They expected high quality work out of us. They expected us to always be doing something while we were on the clock. That was fine, but at the same time they would leave us (yes teenagers) on our own for hours at a time. I wouldn't trust a bunch of kids to run my business! This of course lead to trouble a few times, but somehow we all managed to keep out jobs.

The one big thing I learned about myself was that i was stubborn and strong. Yes I had moments where I just wanted to give up. One morning one of the owners daughters told me to do one thing, the other told me to do something else. I listened to the daughter that scared me most only to get in trouble with the other sister. Even with those moments, I didn't quit.

Most people we hired didn't last long. Some didn't make it through their first two weeks. Others only stuck around for a few months. I managed to hold on for eleven months. I was offered a better paying and less stressful job at the nursing home (dietary staff) when I turned 16. I had I not had another job, I probably would have stayed there all the way through high school.

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