March 23, 2011

  • 30 day photo challenge, day seventeen

    A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.

    Burgers? Seriously, I went with burgers? No, actually; I didn't. I've already used a picture of Red Robin back when I was posting a picture of my night, and I wanted something a little different even though the answer is technically the same. So I googled "red robin burgers" and boom, here's a picture of burgers.

    So why is the answer Red Robin, I claim that you ask? Well, let me tell you a story. Back in December, I was in need of employment (for a variety of reasons). I desperately needed something completely different, because where I was working at the time was just driving me into the ground with mediocrity and boredom. I hated it, not because it was a bad place to work or a poor company, but just because I couldn't take any joy in the work anymore. So I happened to be leaving work and spotted a "now hiring" sign outside of the Red Robin that was being constructed. On a complete whim, I turned around, parked, and walked in the door to fill out an application. Four hours later, I was officially hired as a server. 

    As bizarre as it may sound, these last three months have been some of the most fun months of my life. Some days, I hated that job; customers can be insanely rude, tip horribly, and at the end of the night you wonder why you're wasting your time. But it wasn't about the work, it was about the people I worked with. For the first time, I was working with a large, diverse group of people my age who just loved to enjoy themselves and figure out how to make any situation fun. They were totally different from me, and it didn't matter. I made friends with random people and got to know a broad range of life stories. Everyone came from somewhere, but you just met them where they were and moved forward from there. I know it's cheesy coming from someone who had never worked in the restaurant industry before, but for me it was the most eye-opening three months of my life. 

    My last day at Red Robin is Friday; I got hired at Guitar Center to sell full-time in the pro audio department. It's a better gig for me and my level of expertise, and it will be significantly less stressful than the long hours of running around at Red Robin. But I'm not gonna lie and say I didn't hesitate for a few minutes and wonder if it was really worth it. Is it worth getting a significantly better job but losing the love I have for working with such a diverse group of people? I've come to the conclusion that it is, but it wasn't an easy decision. Red Robin surprised me more than I could've ever expected, and I'm a much better person because of it.