Hello, all. It's been a long, long time since I last post. I do apologize for such a long wait. I have been busy working and currently have a day off to write. Today, for my new blog, I want to come to something I have felt is commonly shared buy those of us in their still relatively early thirties: The type of work you are not willing to do for money.
Earlier this year, I lost my job of two years and it hurt me financially. I was used to making an X-amount of money every paycheck and I am no longer near that amount. I took a summer job at a race track. I liked it. I made good tips and I learned a lot about betting on horse and the types of bets. It gets confusing and I am still new to it all and if it were me I would say that it would take a great amount of time until I was even comfortable with grand bets of any sort. Still, working there was better than fast food. Don't get me wrong. It takes a lot to work at a fast food joint. You have to know OSHA's standards and you have to be great with people who are not only important to not accidentally give food poisoning to but to not piss off when you mess up their order. Still, this line of work you have to be at for a very long while to make ends meet with kids you are responsible for. Fast food is a great place for a young teen to start. Unless they get lucky and never have to worry about starting out as a productive member of society. A family business perhaps. As you get older and you haven't yet finished your higher education and you have kids and more bills than you can count, working at fast food is just not an option. It's low pay. When they talk about raising the minimum wage I always come to these low paying jobs where people may be working because it isn't always teens you find at these places. These are the places that could use some help. You may have a different view but it is what I think. Also, when you are older, this kind of work doesn't offer many skills beyond customer service and lower-end food handling. The kind you don't need a permit for (depending on your state of course) whereas you would more likely need one at a restaurant.
This year I worked at one, I repeat one fast food chain for one week. Because it was all I could stand and after my summer job ended, I needed a filler for a much more preferred job. I am not more in a field I have experience in: Sales, marketing, and merchandising. I work at a health food and supplement store. A well known one. While still requiring customer service skills, it requires experience with sales, marketing, and merchandising. Don't get the last two confused. They both require similar and different skills. This, being in my thirties, is something I am much more comfortable with as a job. Though it doesn't offer much pay, it's the skills you gain and maintain that I find more appealing.
I understand that sometimes things don't go this way. And that you may find your self working at a fast food chain just to bring in a check. It is what it is. But you know as well as I do, that a majority of people in their thirties want better work. Better pay. They have duties and responsibilities. They may have kids are still paying off their students loans. God knows those can take forever. They may be, for the time being (hopefully) the only working parent in the house and you can't just let both of you sit and do nothing.
This is my case. Though I would love to not be the only one working and would like to take a break from work for a while, I know it isn't something that is going to happen. I wont explain it here. I just know that while only in the first three years of my thirties, that fast food wont cut it and it isn't something I want to do. No offense to those who may still be in the fast food business, it's a bit degrading. You would have to be in the corporate side of the fast food business just to make a decent wage/salary to pay bills and to feed kids but again this take a few years to obtain.
If you are in your thirties, are there jobs you are willing, not willing to do to make ends meet? What are your limits or exceptions?
Navigating the joys and challenges of motherhood in cozy spaces – a small apartment mom's guide to creating a thriving home for her and her little tribe.
