Is Going Back to Food Service Post-Grad Bad?
So you got your Bachelor’s Degree! Can’t wait to start at Starbucks on Monday…
There is an expectation that when you get a degree there is an upward trajectory of wealth and happiness for your life. That is why so many people do end up getting a degree, even if it means that they’ll be thousands of dollars in debt. In the past, this was true for most people. Today, it is only true for a fraction, a crumb if you will.
The bachelor’s degree to corporate job pipeline is a lottery. Furthermore, if you did not major in business, sports communication, or engineering and did not have an internship at some white-collar company, then you might as well not even enter in because they are slim pickings.
And this isn’t just me being petty, this has been studied.
It’s a hard knock life for those who even have a degree to find a decent paying job after college. Many entry-level jobs start at 50k if that, which if you live in a busy city, isn’t exactly comfortable living.
No one talks about the number of people who have to go part-time in the foodservice before even landing the job that they want. And so this is where I am.
I’ve applied to over 100 positions, too many times coming into the final round and got nothing. But I need money, that I know. And so I applied for the first time back in the foodservice.
Remember:
This is not where you want to be. This is not where you’re meant to be. But it is not your fault if you happen to be. You’ve done the work, you are doing the work. Change can be slow. Progress even slower. There is no shame being where you are in life fulfilling coffee orders.
As long as you remember where you want to be and continually work at trying to make it there, all will be well.
This is a stepping stone to the next place in your life.
But for now, if someone else scoffs at you for having an apron over your head instead of a tie around your neck, tell them that your journey is different from there’s and the way you get there is not the same…
and then under your breath manifest that one day you’ll be calling the shots.
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This message has nothing to do with anyone who chooses to be in the food service. If you love what you do, go ahead you do you. This is for people who envision a different career path for themselves and see this as short term.
