6 Jobs Everyone Should Experience Once In Their Life
Think about the last interview you have had.
What did the interviewers ask about?
Was it your relevant coursework? No.
How about your overall GPA? No.
What about your community service? Of course not.
Employers only care about your previous work experience. That is because actual experience is where you gain the necessary skills it takes to be a well-rounded employee.
On average you will have anywhere between 12-15 jobs in your life. Knowing that statistic there are 6 jobs to try that will mold you into not only the best employee but a well-rounded individual.
Table of Contents
The Food Industry
In my opinion, this is by far the most difficult industry to work in. The experience you get out of it will shape anyone into a well-rounded individual.
Working in the food industry provides a fast-paced and stress-inducing experience that will scar you for life. And everyone should experience it at least once.
Skills You Will Learn In The Food Industry:
Communication
Ever watched Hell’s Kitchen? No? Well, have you ever tried cooking with a significant other or friend? There is a commonality between the two. Constant arguing. It a clear example of how proper communication is a building block to success.
Whether you work as a fast-food cook or a server, the kitchen is only successful if communication is strong within the restaurant.
In the food industry, you will quickly learn the powerful skill of being able to communicate with team members.
Teamwork
Working in the food industry will teach you how to be a part of a team.
From the initial order to the food delivery, the process is a chain and everyone needs to play their part in order to give the customer the best service.
Whatever role you play in that chain will teach you how to communicate and work with your fellow co-workers. It is a skill you will carry with you throughout your career.
Tolerance
In the food industry, you are bound to find yourself dealing with troublesome customers. Believe it or not, some people can be pieces of shit. Especially when it comes to the hardworking people that serve them food.
The food industry will teach you how to tolerate even the worst kinds of people. You will learn how to suppress your frustration all while fulfilling the customer’s request to the best of your ability.
The customer-first attitude is something everyone should have if they ever want to succeed in their careers.
The Ability to Work Under-Pressure
While working in the food industry you will learn how to work under pressure.
Whether it is in the form of a large order or a rush hour, you will experience a moment where you will need to be operating at 110%.
Working under pressure will teach you how to prioritize your work as well as how to complete a job task when odds seem to be stacked against you.
The Ability to Bounce Back
Obviously, working in the food industry is no cake walk (food pun). There are going to be points where you hit road bumps. Customer complaints, mistakes, exhaustion, you name it.
However, all these hiccups will teach you how to bounce back. As difficult as a situation can be you will learn how to stay positive and finish what you started!
Working in the food industry will give you the confidence to overcome any obstacle that lies in your way.
Human Decency
By far the most important skill you will learn working in the food industry is the human decency so many individuals unfortunately lack.
After working in the industry, you will soon have a different view and appreciation of how hard some people work to earn a living.
You gain an appreciation for not just food services but all other services provided to you. And as difficult it may be when someone inconveniences you, you will have the decency to still treat them with respect…something you don’t often come by these days.
Retail
Retail can be boring work. However, everyone should do it at least once. It is a building block to your career within a product orientated industry.
It will be your first glance into how businesses operate and the role everyone needs to play in order for the business to succeed.
Skills You Will Learn In Retail
Customer Service
Again, the ability to interact with people is always a skill that you can apply to any career path you choose. Interacting with customers is what drives the success of any business.
Retail is one of the best places to gain experience interacting with customers. The sole purpose of most retail workers is to create a great experience for the customer by helping them find what they want all while building the store’s brand by establishing short-term positive relationships.
The Ability to Sell
In retail, at some point, you will learn how to sell! To broaden this, even more, you will learn how to persuade.
In some retail positions, you may even have the chance to make a commission based on your ability to sell products. Selling isn’t for everyone, but I know a lot of great salesmen and women whose selling roots were planted in retail.
Whether it is getting a customer to sign up for a credit card or persuading them to purchase one more pair of pants, you will learn how to persuade a customer.
Accountability
In some form or another, you will be held accountable for certain aspects of the store you’re working in.
Examples of having to be accountable include showing up on time, surveying your store, monitoring products/customers, hitting sales goals, etc.
Skilled Trades
Skilled trades are the clearest example of hard work paying off. These kinds of jobs will mold you into a hardworking individual. You will leave each day knowing you earned every penny you made.
Skills You Will Learn In Skilled Trades
Hard-Work Mentality
Be warned. Skilled trades are tough. Many are strenuous on the body and can even put you in dangerous situations.
However, you will become a hardened individual who will be able to face life’s most difficult challenges.
Skilled trades are a perfect example of how hard work pays off. Mostly because the work is HARD! You will never succeed in your career if you’re not up for a challenge.
Problem Solving
In the skilled trade world, you are bound to come across a variety of problems that can affect you and the job you’re completing.
These types of jobs require the ability to think on your feet and problem solve. Every job is different, regardless of the type of service you are providing. With that comes difficulties that will influence how you execute the job.
You learn how to overcome challenges and certain situations. You will learn how to adapt and how to complete any task even under the most difficult situations.
Handiness
No matter what skilled trade you go into, you’re guaranteed to learn a handy skill that you can apply at some point in your life.
Everyone should have a specialty skill. Being educated in a skilled trade will benefit you down the road when you need the exact service you once offered to others.
From flooring to landscaping, trades provide you skill and an area of expertise through grit and determination.
Small Business
Before jumping right into the corporate lifestyle, everyone should experience working for a small business. Basically, any company that operates with 50 or fewer employees.
Working in small business involves teamwork and delegation. It provides you with the opportunity to learn multiple aspects of a business as well as a variety of skills that pertain to the industry the business is a part of.
Skills You Will Learn In Small Business
Networking
Every small business in some way relies on networking. Networking provides small businesses with the opportunity to get their name out there in an effort to create relationships with other industry leaders.
That being said, every employee plays a role in networking. You will learn how to communicate with other industry leaders in an effort to establish a relationship.
Networking may even be your key to landing your dream job.
Problem Solving
Small businesses face plenty of challenges each day. Being small, you’re at a disadvantage to your competitors who have a larger budget and operate at a higher level.
Because of that, the business you are working for will rely on you to overcome problems throughout your day.
You will learn how to overcome daily issues and problem solve. It will give you a taste of how to overcome daily business issues that arise in the office.
Multi-Tasking
In most instances, small businesses can’t afford a sufficient amount of employees where everyone can focus on only one aspect of the operation. With that comes the challenge of multi-tasking.
In a small business, you will find yourself doing multiple jobs at once. And just when you think you have time to breathe, your boss will throw something else on your to-do list.
This is a good thing because you will learn how to multi-task and complete multiple projects at once.
Delegation Skills
With multi-tasking comes delegation. At one point you’re not going to be able to do everything yourself.
This is where you learn how to delegate. Turning to your fellow co-workers when you are in need of help.
Being able to delegate work to the right people is a crucial skill you need in order to be successful in any situation.
Big Business
Big business is usually everyone’s overall goal. Big business provides employees the ability to grow and focus on one area of expertise.
Once you land a position at a big firm or corporation you’re going to have different experiences that will teach you how big business operates.
Skills You Will Learn In Big Business
Interpersonal Skills
No matter the industry you choose, at some point you’re going to have to assess your performance.
When this time comes around you will learn how to gather and portray summarize your job performance and results.
Being able to assess your strengths and weaknesses will help you grow as an individual and employee.
Time Management
Big business requires time management skills. It should come to no surprise since employers always ask about your organizational skills during interviews.
You’re going to be expected to perform at a high rate. Remember you are an asset of the business, so if you’re not putting in the right amount of time that benefits the company you will get the boot.
Big business teaches you time management in the form of setting expectations and hitting goals.
Cooperation
Clearly, not everyone works in the same way that you do.
With big business comes a lot of different employees. Cooperating with everyone and getting to know how everyone works and operates will set you up for success.
Not everyone is the same and having the ability to work with a variety of employees, customers and even clients is an attractive trait to have throughout your career.
Active Listening
This is a skill that refers to the ability to hear others out.
Humans are stubborn creatures and we often think our way is the best way. Again, tying into cooperation as well, is the ability to actively listen to others.
It is a skill that will teach you how to resolve a conflict by listening to everyone’s opinions.
In big business, you are bound to run into conflict at some point. Because of this, you will learn how to actively listen and come to solutions.
Owning Your Own Business
I am a firm believer that everyone should at some point try to run or start-up their own business.
Trying to create your own business, whether it is for pleasure or profit, will teach you a set of skills that will mold you into a great employee.
Skills You Will Learn Operating Your Own Business
Budgeting
You’re going to learn how to budget. When operating any business you will have some sort of expense you need to pay in order to stay operational.
From allocating money to investing, being able to budget will set you up for success personally and professionally.
Customer/Client Relations
With every business, you need customers or clients. That being said you will learn how to create relationships with your target market.
You will learn how to segment and relate to the people you are targeting. This is all in an effort to build your brand.
Being able to build and maintain relationships is crucial to your business success. You will learn how to talk to people!
Innovation
Owning a business requires coming up with a unique selling point that distinguishes your product or services from the rest.
In order to succeed you need to be different. And being able to think differently than your competition is, in essence, the ability to be innovative.
Learning to be innovative requires a certain mindset and creating and operating your own business is the perfect breeding ground for learning this skill.
It is by far one of the most attractive traits all companies look for. Being able to think differently and come up with new ideas is attractive in every industry.