Why All Jobs Have Value

By Lorena Roberts on July 31, 2017

The likelihood of you working the job of your dreams is pretty low at this point in your life. If you find yourself waking up every day and you’re having to convince yourself not to call in sick, you’re clearly unhappy.

But that doesn’t mean that the job you’re working isn’t going to serve you well later on. There are a lot of skills that come from working at a place that isn’t your final destination. My mom always told me that working in fast-food was the best way to motivate me to go to college — or else I was going to have to do what I hated for the rest of my life.

Whether you’re a cashier or a car salesman, or working at a call center, washing cars, moving boxes, or getting by on pet-sitting, there are valuable lessons to be learned at any job. It’s important you look for what you’re getting out of the job you despise and remember that you don’t have to work there forever.

If you’re having trouble figuring out why your job is valuable to you, here are some possibilities.

1. You are learning what you don’t want to do

This is a pretty lame thing to say, and it’s probably not what you were hoping for. But if you’re unhappy with your job, there’s got to be a reason why. Think about why you hate it and make a list of things you want to be different at the next job you take. Maybe you want more transparency with management, or maybe you want something as simple as free coffee.

Though this is the overarching theme of our article, there are many more things you can learn from the job you’re working (that you might hate).

2. You are gaining skills you may not have otherwise

If you’ve found yourself a job making the coffee at IHOP, well, at least from now on you’ll know how to make coffee. You know what I’m saying? No matter what, the thing you’re currently doing is teaching you something. Even if you’re answering the phone, you’re dealing with people and the public (and let me tell you, that’s not easy).

The skills you’re learning, no matter what they are, will serve you well at some point in your life — even if it’s only to motivate you to get a better job.

3. You are gaining references

As long as you show up with a good attitude and put in the work, you’re gaining a good reference for your next job. Make good connections at this job. Meet people you may or may not want to keep in contact with. Prove that you’re a good worker and worthy of being promoted every day (even if you don’t want to stay with the company at all). When it comes time for you to apply for a job you really want, you’ll have work experience and references to back it up.

4. You are part of a team

If there’s one thing that working in a fast food joint did for me, it taught me how to be part of a team. Communication was key. And even though I absolutely hated coming home after closing, smelling like bleach and small child, my next jobs were much easier because I already knew how a workplace should function — as a team.

I learned to stay out of the small-minded workplace drama, go in, and make my $7 an hour so I could come home with a paycheck that filled my gas tank for the month. I know what it feels like.  But all of a sudden my academic group projects got easier, and I had a lot more appreciation for other people.

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5. You will appreciate the small things and learn a different perspective

If anything, working at this job is going to give you the perspective you didn’t have. I’m not as frustrated with fast food workers in the drive-thru like I used to be. Sometimes you’re just tired, and people make mistakes every day. It’s nothing worth getting upset over. Working my minimum wage job taught me to have more patience for people who do that as a life career. I’ve lived it, so I know how crappy it can be. So I cut them some slack.

If there are any tips I can give you …

It’s to show up on time every day and act like that’s exactly where you want to be. Prove that you’re worth more, and (eventually) someone will notice. One of the best things you can do for yourself is making yourself look really good. It’s a humbling experience, working a job that sucks, we all know it well. Do your time and move up in the world.

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