Personal Narrative: My First Job

Being taught unfamiliar knowledge at a new job may be a frightening experience. Especially when it is your first job ever for that matter. When I thought about work, the first idea that came to mind was extended periods of time, repetitive assignments, whining clients, and ill-humored managers. Albeit some of these perspectives might be valid, the work field taught me some imperative life lessons. Taking these lessons as an early teenager prepared me for the wonderful and awful times for future work involvement.

To begin, I wanted to work to procure a living and ideally get some personal satisfaction all the while. The job offered life lessons and assimilation that I brought with me outside of the working environment. This all took place at Tropical Smoothie a couple of years back. My first day was the most stressful day of my life. I could continue on forever on how rude and needy my co-workers were. I was put on the spot at the cashier as if I knew what I was doing, but since it was my first job, I had no idea. When I asked for help, every single co-worker would be too busy making smoothies or doing prep. Indeed, even my trainer was managing telephone calls and requests nearly the entire time. I already wanted to quit after my first day of being there.

After my first week, I was worried to the point I feared going into work.

I could not handle the amount of weight they were putting on me. Therefore, after two weeks, I officially quit Tropical Smoothie. To this day, I do not know whether it was a beneficial choice to give up. I have come to the realization that every job is tough and annoying. But what I did learn from this experience was that surrendering a valuable job should never be an

option.

Consequently, to survive work, practicing patience is key. I learned that persistence is one of those qualities that cannot be taught, but once learned, is a valuable trait to have. Co-workers will envy, no matter the situation or job. Within any business, being dedicated to your employer and co-workers enables a healthy work environment. At the very least, I learned to be dedicated to doing an absolute job and taking personal pride in that, even if I was prepared for another occupation someplace else. I accomplished one of my main goals, working with others. I figured out how to hold my tongue, be diplomatic, and be professional.

In conclusion, I picked up plenty of helpful life lessons from Tropical Smoothie at the end of the day and even though I hated the job, I still received advantages from it. I learned to control how I treat other people, my gained social skills have led me to “top seller” at my current job. I also learned to set boundaries for how others treat me. Crappy co-workers plus service job equals a negative work experience. It is normal to hate your job considering that usually, every other person feels the same. Pretty much everybody is crabby and ready to snap, that is part of the workforce in almost all cases. So, I am grateful for this experience driving me to a superior; more clear mindset when it comes to my current and future employment.