Why You Should Get A Part-Time Job In The Service Industry

Why You Should Get A Part-Time Job In The Service Industry Image via Pexels However, as an undergrad student, I did work at a daycare center. Yep, that’s part of the service industry. Working with infants and little children was a rewarding experience which taught me more than anything patience and how to manage extra stress, and gave me a renewed appreciation for life. The ‘service industry’ by definition means “the provision of services and products to consumers.” In this definition, one can learn a few things right off the bat. The main thing is that the service industry is truly about ‘service’ and ‘serving.’ These are two ideas that seem to be increasingly missing from the larger part of society. You’ll rarely find a person who doesn’t find a special personal association with food, coffee, travel or sources of entertainment. And wherever you go in the world, you will need someone to provide these things for you. Sometimes, we don’t know what it is like to be on the other end of receiving until we actually are. So here are some reasons why you should consider getting a part-time job in the service industry while in college and some important skills you’ll learn if you do: 1. You will learn how to handle people with grace. This is probably going to be the biggest benefit to you as a person. Wherever you go in life, you will have to deal with people. Some will be nice while others will be unpleasant. And this holds true for your co-workers and the customers you serve. Learning how to handle difficult customers with kindness and grace is a skill that will bode well for you in life. 2. You will learn not to take things personally. Every rude comment that comes your way (hopefully, it will be few and far between) is not always aimed at you. A mother may have been dealing with a sick infant all day and may just be physically tired. A father may have recently lost his corporate level job and doesn’t know what he is going to do next. A teenager may have had a tough day at school or is anxious about an upcoming exam. You will learn to treat everyone with kindness and that a smile can go a long way. 3. You will learn respect. Naturally, work gives people respect for themselves. But in a service job, this type of work helps you to gain respect for other people too â€" coworkers and customers. When you go out to eat or go on a coffee run right before class, you’ll learn what it means to be a bartender or a waiter because you’ve been in their shoes. 4. You will understand what it’s like to be on time. You know how difficult it can be when a coworker is late for work and you have to cover for her or when they’re too hungover from a late night party that they don’t even show up, much less call in. When someone else doesn’t do their job, you feel it. So you make sure you’re on time as often as possible and work as hard as you can so no one will have to cover for you. 5. You learn about teamwork, delegation and improvisation. In service jobs, issues usually come up that need immediate and quick solutions. You don’t get to hold an impromptu board meeting or vote on passing a resolution like you would in a corporate position. One way or another, you learn to make things work, improvise when things aren’t working, and do well alongside others to get things done for the sake of the customers … and really because you have no other choice. 6. You learn true humility. When you work a service job even as a college student, you realize that so many people have had a hand in your success. There’s that one teacher who inspired you to be your best. Or that janitor at your middle school who patted you on the back and told you that you were going to be something big one day. A part of humility is learning that no one really cares about all this stuff about you. Customers only want to know that you can work hard to provide them a great cup of coffee with a side of enthusiasm. 7. You will better understand the value of a dollar. Service people usually work minimum wage jobs. That means they have to stretch every dollar they make until the next pay period. Thats also why so many people are fighting for higher wages. If you are able to go to college, be grateful because some people who would like to go simply cant afford it. When its all added up, their yearly income is not enough to sustain them and their families, much less pay for college. So this is a problem that many people have to deal with and working alongside them will give us a better understanding of their struggle. (Perhaps by seeing a problem first-hand, we could begin to do something about it.) Working in the service industry in some capacity during your college years will help you gain a new appreciation for your life. You’ll begin to see all people as equal and deserving of respect and kindness. And when you go to apply for your corporate job after graduation, your employer and co-workers will know that you have coveted skills that will help to carry you and their company a long way.