This thing called a diploma (or, in defense of being a waitress)

Given that this blog is called "Confessions of a Degreed Waitress," I feel I should discuss how possessing a degree has affected my serving job (and, how being a server has affected the way I view my degree).  This particular post is one I wrote several months ago, but I've been sitting on it for a while rather than posting it, as my thoughts about the scenario I will here discuss have fluctuated greatly over this period.  But there's no sense in holding back these thoughts any longer, I guess.

In the midst of my year(+) of serving, I graduated from college.  At least once a week, someone I'm serving will pop the question (no, not that question), "So, are you in school?"  I guess because I give off that "in school" vibe.  Just kidding.  I'm just of that "in school" age (23 years old).  When I explain that I just graduated college in December 2011, I get something along the lines of one of these two responses:

Supportive and suggestive

Guest: "Oh, congratulations!  What's your degree in?"

Me: "I have a BBA in International Business."

Guest: "Nice!  What do you want to do with that?"

Me: [insert whatever career or educational path I've been thinking about that month here]

Guest: "Oh wow, good luck with that!"

Then they usually proceed to throw in their two cents with suggestions that usually aren't helpful at all.  Buuuuuuut……thanks for trying………

"Wait, you've already graduated?"
"Yeah.."
"Then what are you still doing here?!?"

[I can't even count the number of times I've had this conversation.]

OR

Condescending….at first...

Guest: "So what are you doing waiting tables?!?" [in this "Are you crazy!?!  You're an idiot for being here waiting tables if you actually have a degree" kind of tone, as if the university automatically hands you a "real" job along with the diploma but I just chose to be stupid]

Me: "I'm still trying to figure out what I actually want to do with my degree."

And then the guest either says,

"Oh, well that makes sense!  It's a great idea to figure all that out while you're actually working. Especially in this economy!"

Way to dig your way out of that grave, "guest."  And THANK GOD for a bad economy--I can get away with having almost no clue what I want in life for a little while longer.

OR he says,

"Well, get out there and do something!  You'll figure it out along the way!"

While there certainly is merit to this statement--a lot of merit, actually--I still hate this comment.  To be honest, this comment somewhat offends me.  I think it's just the tone of voice, really.  Throughout the entire conversation, it's always there, carrying this implication that waiting tables is a complete waste of my time.  That there is nothing to be gained here whatsoever.  That it is a skill-less job, beneath my credentials as an educated woman.  That it will have nothing to do with my future education or career choices in life.  That I'm making a stupid mistake by being in a restaurant rather than in the "business world" with a "real job."

I swear, if one more church friend tells me she'll pray for me to find my "real job" soon,
I will show her the "real muscles" I've built from carrying super heavy food trays over my head for over a year.
[photo credit]

On the contrary, I have probably learned more about the practices of dealing with people, of being a good salesman, and of providing stellar customer service while I have worked in the service industry (hence the name) than I have in the classroom.  And I've learned a lot of other things, too...

...my strengths and weaknesses as both one who serves and one who leads.

...how to effectively delegate tasks and hold my peers accountable for their successful completion (concepts I was previously rather weak in).

...a heightened sense of humility and understanding as I interact with coworkers who are just barely getting by in life (whereas I have been blessed with a more fortunate upbringing and financial situation).

...how to rectify problems with customers as efficiently, pleasantly, and thoroughly as possible.

...how to better accomplish multiple tasks, for multiple tables simultaneously.

...awesome new skill sets.  I mean, I'm a bartender, too.  I'm now the most popular person at a party. 

With the exception of the last one, of course, being a waitress--and a pretty darn good one, I might add--has made me better suited for my future career than I had been at the time of my graduation.

There's so much more to say, honestly, but I'll save some for another post, another day.  Though, I will say this: Waiting tables has been one helluva journey, and it really has changed my life.  

[ degreed waitress ]