Job Status

I want to update you all on a journey I’ve been on since I was 16; my job history!

Disclaimer for this post: in no way am I trying to diminish the value of each of the jobs I had or put one above the other. I am simply writing about my journey through jobs in high school and college and how they were either good or bad for me. In no way do I mean to disrespect my previous bosses, managers, or place of employment. These were simply my experiences. (Locations and coworker’s names left out of the post to avoid bias).

I have had a job since I was 16. The minute I got my drivers license, I got a job! Thinking back, I don’t remember if my mom made me get a job or if it was recommended, but I also remember being proactive in wanting a job. I mean, I was 16! I wanted to be an adult! When I was first applying to jobs, I applied to all the places that I lived close to. These happened to be Noddles & Co., Qdoba Mexican Grill, Panera Bread, and Maurices.

The first place to give me an interview with my very sad and short resume was Qdoba! Little did I know, this was a start to a very long journey with Qdoba. I started at Qdoba, working about 10-15 hours a week, mostly weekends. I learned so many life lessons in my years at Qdoba; everything from responsibility to customer service, I dealt with it all. I worked here for 2 years before making a short exit from the job. I was working more and more hours during high school, but I felt as though I wasn’t appreciated enough. This stemmed from many feelings. I felt as though I often took shifts on a short call, did extra work because others didn’t and eventually didn’t feel as though I was paid enough for the work I was doing. When I sat down with my boss and asked for a raise (with giving reason), I wasn’t granted it.

I felt discouraged and underappreciated. This is when I decided that it was my time to move on from Qdoba. This next job is a job that I am not fully proud of. I wasn’t at my best, nor did I put my best foot forward. My best friend at the time worked at Subway, so of course I wanted to work with her. I was hired on, but hated the work. It wasn't for me. I felt many of the same feelings I felt at Qdoba. After 2 months of working at Subway, my previous boss at Qdoba called me and asked if I would come back with a raise and at a higher position. I was thrilled.

I went back to Qdoba; it was a place I knew well. I loved the people and it was familiar. I was promoted to a shift manager with a $1.35 raise (making $10 at this point). It was great! I finished another year and a half at Qdoba before I left for college. I was working a lot, but I enjoyed it. I made some of my best friends because of Qdoba. I learned so many life lessons and had some crazy run-ins and situations with customers. Man, did I learn how to put up a strong ‘the customer is always right’ face. I have to give almost all of my understanding of the general public to Qdoba. My bosses here taught me so much about front of house situations, back of house money situations and food safety.

At this point, I was moving to college, so I yet again said goodbye to Qdoba. I was told I could always come back on breaks and during summers, so that’s exactly what I did! I didn’t have a job my freshman year of college and I am grateful for that. I was in a new state, with new friends and a whole new school schedule to manage. But, I did take advantage of working during the breaks and summers.

This leads me to my first summer home from school, when I decided to move back home permanently and transfer to UWW and live at home. I worked at Qdoba all summer long. I had long hours and late nights, but I finally got another raise! It was going well. I decided that because it was summer, I could get another job to make the most of my time. This is when I was hired on to a waitressing job at Mama Mias. I loved waitressing and I loved working with my friends. I worked pretty hefty schedules at both Qdoba and Mama Mias, but I was making money and having a good time! I worked both of these jobs through my sophomore year of college and into that summer.

Around my junior year of college, I was getting pretty worn out from the jobs. I had a falling out with some of my coworkers and friends at Mama Mias and decided it was time to move on. The job was great and I would absolutely go back to serving, but the environment wasn’t for me. This is when I started back on my job hunt again. I applied at a few restaurants and coffee shops in my area. I was really hoping for another waitressing job, but at the one interview I went to for a nicer seafood restaurant, the employer forgot my name in the middle of the interview and was on his phone the entire time. I wasn’t too thrilled. I knew that wasn’t for me. I also applied at two coffee shops in my area. I had good interviews at both, but I knew for sure which job I really wanted.

I had always been a huge fan of coffee, but I wasn’t necessarily ‘coffee shop material’, until I was hired at Birch & Banyan! I was hired in January of 2019, while also still working at Qdoba. I was balancing the coffee shop, Qdoba, and classes (including student teaching in Lake Geneva, a hefty 45 minute commute). I was exhausted. I was working 40+ hours a week and a full time student. I felt like I never slept. And if I’m being completely honest, I didn’t feel like I was even making that much money for working as hard as I was.

This is when I started to feel extremely stressed out. I wasn’t working out or focusing on school as much as I should have. I would close at Qdoba and get home around 11pm and open at the coffee shop the next morning at 5:30 am. This was not healthy. I knew one had to go. During this time, I was also finding it hard to work at Qdoba. I was going on my fifth year of working there and the store managers kept changing. There wasn’t consistent management and I didn’t feel appreciated. I worked extremely hard and still got told it wasn’t enough. This was my sign to leave.

I felt lackluster at this time…. I didn’t know what to do. I was making more money at Qdoba than the coffee shop, but I didn’t want to continue at a place where I was stressed all the time. By either an act of God or sincerely good timing, I was offered a higher position at Birch & Banyan. Whether this was because I was a good employee there or my boss saw my stress, she offered me the manager position at her shop in December of 2020. Partially because she was expecting a baby girl and needed some extra hands while she was out. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t cry when my boss told me this… because I did. She offered me fair pay and awesome opportunities and expectations.

I officially handed in my two weeks at Qdoba and felt free. I was ready to have my life back; stress free. Ever since then, I’ve been working at Birch & Banyan on its own. Another slight preface: I am not saying the following things because I still work at the shop or because I want to be on my bosses good side (I honestly don’t even know if she reads this). I am saying the following because this is how I honestly feel and felt at the time.

Having only one job while finishing school has been such a blessing. My stress levels decreased significantly. My health was getting back on track and school was my main focus. I felt me again. I do have to show appreciation for the shop and my boss for all of this though. If it wasn’t for the job opportunity, I wouldn’t be here today. My boss understood my problems and listened to me; I felt like that was a foreign idea because I never saw it anywhere else. My coworkers at the shop were the most genuine and understanding people I had ever met. This is not to diminish my coworkers elsewhere, because I made some amazing friends at my other jobs. I just felt at home at the shop.

I think the moral of the story when it comes to looking for a job is to put yourself first. If I could go back and tell younger me some advice I’d tell her to focus on myself and work somewhere where you feel appreciated and your work is shown. I would also tell my younger self to stick up for herself. Tell your superiors how you feel and if you need a break. There is no shame in needing a mental health day or cutting back your hours because you feel stressed. I had put so much on my plate at times that I didn’t even know who I was anymore. When moving to the coffee shop, I did take a slight pay decrease from having two jobs, BUT I gained back my mental, physical and emotional health. Bottom line is you have to find a place that works well for you. If you give it your all, you should be compensated and appreciated.