Welcome to McDonald's! What can I make for you?

Shortly after my junior year of high school, my car broke down. Travis the Dodge Stratus, or sexy Travis the Stratus, had a cracked radiator and many other repairs which where not worth paying the price to fix. Therefore, I had to get a new car but to do so, I had to get a job.

As much as I despised the idea of working at a fast-food restaurant, I knew it was my only option. In order to avoid McDonald’s, I applied to Taco Bell. I had an interview with the manager, but I heard nothing afterwards. Maybe it was because I wrote the hours I wanted to work instead of the hours a could work. I knew I couldn’t wait too long, so I applied to McDonald’s. To my surprise, I had an interview and was hired in the same day I applied. That was almost three years ago and to this day, I still work at McDonald’s.

Yes, I still work at McDonald’s along with my three other jobs. Currently, I work one day a week. In all honesty, the main reason I continue to work at McDonald’s is because of how much it helps me pay for college. No, I am not referring to the money I make. I am referring to the money they give me!

Believe it or not, McDonald’s provides tuition assistance and textbook reimbursement to its employees. Given my mother is unable to help me pay for college, this is extremely helpful. Each semester, you can get reimbursed up to 75 dollars for textbooks and each year, you can receive up to 700 dollars in tuition assistance. Thanks to the help from McDonald’s, I have not had to pay for college thus far.

As you can see, working at McDonald’s surely has its benefits, but I would not say it is a great job. Since it does not take much experience or qualification to work at McDonald’s, it is hard to find good workers. Many employees care very little about the job, so they do not put in their best effort. Even managers can act this way. This only makes it more difficult for the workers who want to work hard.

Although McDonald’s is not the most ideal job, I think everyone should work in fast food at some point in their life. Why would I recommend this? Working at McDonald’s has taught me a lot. I learned how to work hard and get my hands dirty, and I learned the importance of working as a team and communication. Most of all, I learned how to respect others. When you work behind the counter, whether in fast food or retail, you understand all the different factors that go into providing service for your customers. Therefore, when you become the customer, you are more patient and understanding with the person behind the counter. You understand it is not their fault the ice cream machine broke. You understand they did not make the rules about the return policy. You understand why they have to ask so many questions, or why the line is moving so slow. In my experience, I have seen a wide variety of customers. Some are kind and understanding while others fight me because adding a tomato to their sandwich cost 30 cents. I feel if these angry customers have been in my position before, they would react differently.

McDonald’s may not be the best job in the world, but I have gained a lot from it. Not only has it helped me pay for college, it has made me more understanding and an overall better person. Maybe if everyone has had this experience, things would be different.