I Work Hard For The Money
It’s that moment on a Saturday night, when all you hear is the bill machine vomiting its mountain of bills. You know the night isn’t going to be pretty because you’re about to get slammed as soon as you hear hungry customers coming in to fill their overwhelmingly large bellies. I always think to myself: Why I am doing this? Is there any point to putting myself through this Hell which I am about to receive?
The answer is simple…..
I do it so I can support myself while going to school, so I may try and make some sort of significant damage towards my student loans, and because I want a bit of spendable cash to have somewhat of a life (which sometimes I don’t).
If you are one of those students who does all these 3 things:
- Goes to school full time
- Works 3 or more times a week
- Supports themselves financially
then you’re not the only one. I feel your pain and struggle. It’s hard, I know, but it’s worth it. Or is it?
Just kidding; it is! I work hard because I want to get out of the kitchen and pursue my dream job of becoming a teacher. Restaurant life ain’t pretty and I’ve been at it for almost a decade now. Sure, you sometimes get free meals and a nice cold one at the end of the shift, you make friends along the way, you talk about food and create some wicked dishes. I love food, I love cooking, and I have a huge passion for it.
It’s not so much fun when you have a line up of picky customers who want to change the menu you’ve created because they don’t see a fit to it. I understand you have your allergies and gluten intolerance, but if not—try it! That’s why you go out for dinner. There is nothing worse in a kitchen than when you’re slamming busy, and the customer decides to make so many variations to their order that it actually looks like the procedure to a science experiment. Get something else, because you are making every other customer wait for your specific dish.
It’s okay to say no onions or tomatoes. Just imagine, though, if you had to make it while sweating in every known and unknown crevice of your body, your work space surrounded by six burners, an oven to your back as well as heat lamps in your face, and you’ve burned yourself multiple times but you have to suck it up and keep going from 5 till midnight. Oh, did I say no air conditioning?! Yeah, it would be nice to have just to cool off your parts….
Anyways, the life of a student isn’t always all it seems. Some us don’t just go to school and have hours of homework to complete during our weekends off and have it all paid for by Mom and Dad. If that is you, then just remember you are so lucky to be where you are at. I wish that were the case for me. But no, like many others I work 3 to 4 times a week for 8 hours on top of full-time schooling and homework.
I don’t regret it! It feels good to step back and see my accomplishments and say I did this for me and on my own, with the emotional support of friends and family. I have a wonderful partner at my side who supports me along with our fur baby (dog) Baye. I love my UVic Life, and I couldn’t be happier to be in a more supportive and close knit community.
One more thing…. no matter how hard things may get, take a breath, go for a run, or call a friend up for drinks or coffee. It makes it all better.
