In praise of McDonald's

Kate's oldest is sixteen and has her first job. I was reading through the comments attached to that post and it got me all nostalgic about my first job. I was really lucky, you see....my first job was at McDonald's.

The notion of "flipping burgers" as somehow demeaning is one I've never really understood. For one thing, my grandparents called things like that an "opportunity", and after watching the way Dad worked while I was growing up, I've no doubt he'd see it the same way. Granted, it's a largely unskilled job that doesn't pay well...but you know what? There is no job...ever...for which education has fully prepared the newly hired fresh meat. Ever.

For another thing, McDonald's is not the easy sit-on-your-ass type job that a lot of people seem to think it is. Let me tell you, you've never experienced bust-your-ass-working until you've been the only cook in a McDonald's kitchen when a busload of post-event teenage wrestlers come in ready to eat the paint off the walls. That is panic making.

Things I learned at McDonald's are legion, and I thought I'd share a few.

1) If you have time to lean, you have time to clean. (My kids hate that one)

2) A paycheck received at the end of two weeks' time spent working the entire evening until 1:30-2AM is eminently more satisfying than being handed money for having done nothing, regardless of the amount.

3) Working quickly does you no good if you don't do it right the first time. Somebody will always catch on and make you do it over.

4) Assembly-line manufacturing, be it automobiles or food, can create a truly amazing amount of stuff in a very short time period.

There's more, but Red and I have to go register for our upcoming baby shower. :)