#learningtoearn

Although I didn’t buy my first car while working at McDonald’s, I have supported myself in college throughout 3 years en route to a two-year college degree.

At age 22, I had been to a university and community college, both of which I could not return to because of financial and academic reasons, respectively.  I heard about people dropping out of college for a only few reasons; grades and finances.  When the possibility of being ineligible for a return to degree-seeking status became apparent, I panicked for a solution.  I began applying to all sorts of companies in search of a job, most of which I was barely interested in.  I just knew I needed to work for income. 

Working for income was not a phenomenon that I discovered, as many people work for a living, but the importance of being employed was revealed to me during a challenging circumstance as a student in early adulthood.  Without car on an island of a college campus and prospective job opportunities in driving distances, how could I exercise my common sense to work while I was in school? Campus jobs were not ideal resources for me, as they provided less hours of labor than I worked in high school -- I wanted to consistent income.  During a day of uncertainty, I spotted a McDonald’s while riding along in a venturing 2 miles away from campus in a classmate’s car.  I went in, unexpectedly set up an open interview, and was asked to return for orientation. 

When I chose McDonald’s as an employer of interest, I was not aware of the encompassing mission statement and values that McDonald’s conveyed as a corporation. I was an independent academic who became concerned about earning a degree while earning livable income. I needed to work for a company that suited my needs as a student-worker, and as a person who valued education and income equally. I needed a set amount of weekly hours, I needed to work on specific days, and I needed to work specific hours on those days.  Although there was no specific job description at the time of my orientation, I learned that the everyday tasks and operations were suitable for my workplace desires.