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So I've just got my first job offer for a position outside of the service industry. For two years I've been working in a hospital's kitchen, delivering trays to patients. Five years before that, I was short-order, cooking cheesesteaks at a family-run joint. If I take this job, I'll be working a tech support line at my university, for a business that does Networking around the Maine area. I'll be taking a ~3 dollar pay decrease and losing medical benefits. As far as cons go, that's it. In exchange, I'll be gaining experience on a career path that more closely resembles my actual long-term plans and getting a schedule that'll let me breathe while I attend college. The hospital job hasn't challenged me in more than a year, and the corporate way it's run drives me nuts. Still can't help but wonder if it's a big mistake, though. bottles and cans fucked around with this message at 04:43 on Oct 29, 2013 |
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Oct 29, 2013 02:56
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| # ? May 12, 2024 21:40 |
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Are you making GBS threads me? Of course it's not a mistake.
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Oct 29, 2013 03:04
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dino. posted:Are you making GBS threads me? Of course it's not a mistake. This. If you're ever strapped for cash, get a part time job as a server at some lovely chain where they literally expect nothing from you and you'll make more per hour than you do currently anyway.
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Oct 29, 2013 03:08
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bottles and cans posted:Still can't help but wonder if it's a big mistake, though.  $3 an hour is six grand a year. If you can't get medical coverage for yourself for six grand a year, something is horribly wrong. Take it and run like the wind.
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Oct 29, 2013 03:59
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bottles and cans posted:So I've just got my first job offer for a position outside of the service industry. For two years I've been working in a hospital's kitchen, delivering trays to patients. Five years before that, I was short-order, cooking cheesesteaks at a family-run joint. How old are you?
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Oct 29, 2013 04:40
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reserve posted:How old are you? Twenty-three. Thanks dino. 
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Oct 29, 2013 04:43
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Liquid Communism posted:
Its -6000
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Oct 29, 2013 20:55
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Ah, I see the edit now. That's a harder one.
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Oct 29, 2013 23:07
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Black August posted:It appears you need to either be a very savvy and determined human, or a very gross and loving stupid one, to run a restaurant. My last boss strutted into the kitchen during an increasingly rare dinner rush since he ran the place into the loving dirt, coked up to the eyeballs, and started grilling us about how service was proceeding (its loving busy, kindly leave and let us make you some loving money, TIA) while we answered him he apparently got jittery and awkward and reached for the prep bowl containing three pieces of chicken destined for a milanesa, tossing them in the fry-dredge in an awkward up-and-down motion instead of a shoveling motion but whatever it seems to make him happy. After the twenty second or so interrogation he dumps the whole loving thing raw chicken included back into the pan containing the rest of the dredge. Luckily, his inept tossing of the chicken meant there was still a lot of juice to get wicked up by the rest of the dredge creating little cat litter clumps. I am still not entirely sure what he thought we were doing, tossing the chicken in flour and breadcrumbs before frying it. He saw us doing this a hundred times and somehow it just... never penetrated his mind. In summary: agreed, friendo
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Oct 29, 2013 23:50
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On a related note, Papi Tino's Authentic Mexican Cantina LLC is now open for service only two days a week (friday and saturday) because on considered analysis the owner saw most of the money was made on friday and saturday and--are you ready for this brainwave?!--realized he could lower overhead by only being open those two days! Now he can "concentrate on those two days," and not spend every day "worrying if we have enough tomatoes." What a... smart loving guy.
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Oct 30, 2013 00:00
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The food truck's done for the season now, and we somehow posted great profits trying to serve authentic Mexican food in rural PA. It's a boost, but now I have to find an off-season job. I'm thinking of either hitting up a temp agency, or just taking a season off with some old inheritance money I kept stashed away.
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Oct 31, 2013 02:33
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Plan Z posted:The food truck's done for the season now, and we somehow posted great profits trying to serve authentic Mexican food in rural PA. It's a boost, but now I have to find an off-season job. I'm thinking of either hitting up a temp agency, or just taking a season off with some old inheritance money I kept stashed away. I'd recommend trying to find something. Better to have that old inheritance money when you need it, than spend it for no good reason.
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Oct 31, 2013 17:32
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Honestly, invest the money, find a job you don't hate for the off season but won't miss you terribly when you have to go. Boom.
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Oct 31, 2013 18:10
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Look into some of the bigger catering companies in the area. I made a ton of money when I 'took a couple months off' this summer by just being another set of chef hands at catering events. Saw a ton of awesome food and was able to work with some pretty awesome people, too.
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Oct 31, 2013 22:04
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https://online.missouri.edu/degreeprograms/hospitality-management/index.aspx Good idea, great idea or horrible idea? I already have three years worth of undergrad credits from MU, so it's not like they won't take my transfer credits, and the might take some from my AAS, too. But out of state tuition is stupidly expensive. On the upside, I wouldn't be hosed if we had to move. I hate hate hate the idea of taking out more loans, but I really need to finish my Bachelors if I ever want to get a good paying job. Also, that last gig knocked a screw loose in my brain and the idea of "just" going to school and working part time as a fine dining server/bartender/pizza delivery girl/whatever sounds so nice...
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Nov 2, 2013 09:49
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Any chance of getting a more general management degree instead? It might be more useful to have something that's applicable outside the industry for the inevitable day when you just can't face another kitchen.
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Nov 2, 2013 14:58
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Liquid Communism posted:Any chance of getting a more general management degree instead? It might be more useful to have something that's applicable outside the industry for the inevitable day when you just can't face another kitchen. Gonna echo this opinion. BBA in Management can go pretty much anywhere. Ever. You've already hospitality experience on your resume, so even the middle management bullshit that a business management degree has will be applicable, and it opens up other 'white collar' management positions for exactly what Liquid Communism said.
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Nov 2, 2013 17:46
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Warmachine posted:Gonna echo this opinion. BBA in Management can go pretty much anywhere. Ever. You've already hospitality experience on your resume, so even the middle management bullshit that a business management degree has will be applicable, and it opens up other 'white collar' management positions for exactly what Liquid Communism said. How much do you think one's major matters? I did some more research and I can attend a Virginia state school for way less money than the program I posted- the downside being that I would be hosed if we had to move before I finished. If I do go to school here, the easiest thing would be to get a Bachelor of Music Performance. The nearest school to me doesn't have a large core curriculum (Mizzou did) so going for a management major would add several semesters. Also, there is the small matter of re-learning how to sing after 8 years and remembering music theory.
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Nov 3, 2013 00:05
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I'm talking out of my rear end but I think a Bachelor of Music Performance will be about as useful as my BA in History.
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Nov 3, 2013 00:09
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I feel like any degree with the word 'business' in the title will give you better options than music performance, but I could just be jaded towards the arts and their useless degrees.
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Nov 3, 2013 02:22
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I've been working at a cool lunch and breakfast place (with a bitchin bakery as well) since march or some other month. Started bussing, now I also host, wash dishes, sell ice cream, and do a tiny bit of prep work. It's the most popular place in a little rear end town on the east coast of Florida. The owners are cool, the money is good, I get along really well with everyone, and weekends are always packed. About a month ago we talked about server training and nothing came of it but today they told me that one of the cooks is leaving soon and they want me to take his place. This would come with a raise, followed by another raise in three months, and according to one of the owners and 25 more hours a week (currently working 17-25). The station I'd be taking over is eggs (eggs Benedict is our specialty kinda), salads and wraps, and flat grill which entails home fries, hash browns and other breakfasty sides. I know I need to learn the menu as much as possible, but is there anything else I can do to prepare for line cook training? I'm mad nervous about being on the line since season is coming up real soon.
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Nov 3, 2013 03:51
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Wroughtirony posted:How much do you think one's major matters? I did some more research and I can attend a Virginia state school for way less money than the program I posted- the downside being that I would be hosed if we had to move before I finished. If I do go to school here, the easiest thing would be to get a Bachelor of Music Performance. The nearest school to me doesn't have a large core curriculum (Mizzou did) so going for a management major would add several semesters. Also, there is the small matter of re-learning how to sing after 8 years and remembering music theory. State school credits will generally transfer, as will state school tuition and acceptance to programs if you are a military spouse.
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Nov 3, 2013 03:54
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Roxy Rouge posted:State school credits will generally transfer, as will state school tuition and acceptance to programs if you are a military spouse. Yeah, that's the thing. I don't think I explained it very well. I'm not just starting from the beginning choosing a major. I went to school for three years as a music performance major at the University of Missouri. As such, I have about 70 credits from there- mostly music and core curriculum. All of these will transfer to the Virginia state school I plan to attend. Problem: This school has very little core cirriculum. Most of your courses in any degree program are "in your major." So, I could finish my music degree in maybe three semesters, or start over in business/management and it would take at least 6- and I can't be sure I'll be living here past the summer of '15. Obviously a business degree is better than a music degree or my line of work. However, I also have an AAS in culinary arts and 10 years industry experience. This degree is so that I don't get screwed when upper management jobs require a Bachelors. (I've seen this happen more than once to very well-qualified people.) What I'm trying to decide is if it's worth it to spend twice as much time and money to change one word on my diploma. I'm leaning towards no, but there's a lot that remains to be seen. Also, the military spouse tuition assistance program only applies to "portable careers" which they define as Associates or certificate programs. They'd pay for me to go to school to be a nail technician but not a restaurant manager. Fuckers.
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Nov 3, 2013 14:07
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Don't go to college. You'll be surrounded by bratty children and hate yourself every semester. Instead, leave your husband and move to Paris. Get a cute, somewhat dykey haircut, makeout with shaggy haired part-time poets and trust fund thirty-somethings, get a job at a really nice coffee shop that slings macchiatos and plays 60s bebop all day.
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Nov 4, 2013 00:06
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Well well, so I quit my line job at one restaurant, then got promoted to kitchen manager at my other kitchen. Then a bunch of cooks were fired, quit, or were injured, so I was gradually taking on more work and more hours. All while getting paid less than the line cook position! I finally got sick of the unending bullshit a year after my first job in a kitchen, so I quit the kitchen manager position too and I am moving away from Nola and I am going to school! Isaac Asimov fucked around with this message at 04:10 on Nov 4, 2013 |
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Nov 4, 2013 04:08
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bottles and cans posted:So I've just got my first job offer for a position outside of the service industry. For two years I've been working in a hospital's kitchen, delivering trays to patients. Five years before that, I was short-order, cooking cheesesteaks at a family-run joint. Don't think twice. I turned 30, managing a cocktail bar / thai restaurant working the worst hours for a non vampire. Now (four years later) i'm in IT security in government, great co-workers and i work 10-6 then leave work. I drink less, I sleep (not more) but better hours and my life is so much better. I miss the lifestyle until I walk into one of places my friends work in/run/own and the nostalgia dies pretty quickly.
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Nov 4, 2013 06:29
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I'm jealous, that's what I'd -like- to be doing. Remember a while back when I said I finally escaped 3rd shift? Not so much. It turned out that it's apparently hard to find someone competent who'll work these hours reliably. Who'd have guessed, right? A week and a half back in, and I remember -exactly- why I wanted off this shift. I spend all my not-working time punch drunk from the sleep schedule, and half of my working time wishing a bus would hit me so I can get out of coming in for a sixth day this week. 
Liquid Communism fucked around with this message at 07:22 on Nov 4, 2013 |
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Nov 4, 2013 07:16
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The Midniter posted:I'd recommend trying to find something. Better to have that old inheritance money when you need it, than spend it for no good reason. I know I shouldn't. I've just been working in kitchens continually since I was 16 to help pay for some of dad's medical bills. The only vacation or time I've spent off for more than 3 days in a row was when I was unemployed for two weeks following a detox-induced walkout of one job. I'm only talking like a short trip using like, some of a $5,000 inheritance in a Money Market.
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Nov 4, 2013 20:28
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So yeah, Charlie Trotter died.
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Nov 6, 2013 02:55
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Yeah. Great man.
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Nov 6, 2013 03:54
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Sucks. Somehow unsurprised that a chef keeled over with a heart attack in his 50's, though.
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Nov 6, 2013 18:20
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Liquid Communism posted:
and my chefs knew how lovely I was doing and why, but we were down 3 cooks, so they convinced me to stay, take on more responsibility, longer days... I had a gradual burnout over a month, fueled by an existential/quarter-life crisis. I'm already feeling like a new man though, free from my kitchen cage. I found out the other day that now that I'm gone, my chefs hired 3 college girls to be trained as cooks! gently caress! And that my friend said chef had told him he could get a raise once I left the kitchen(I had been waiting the last month for a raise that chef told me to expect). I certainly learned a lot from this whole ordeal. Anyway, I'm washing my hands of this! Soon I'll be hiking around Colorado, going to school, and living as stress-free as possible.
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Nov 7, 2013 17:08
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That sounds like a hell of a lot more fun than this. I should probably start working on an exit strategy, five years of living just above the poverty line is likely enough, and I really don't want it badly enough to move to someplace bigger on cooking wages.
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Nov 7, 2013 17:37
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If you're going to work in this industry and aren't going to manage in the Beard/Michelin circuit, work for a luxury hotel, or get out ASAP.
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Nov 7, 2013 17:56
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Chef De Cuisinart posted:If you're going to work in this industry and aren't going to manage in the Beard/Michelin circuit, work for a luxury hotel, or get out ASAP. When I worked in the industry, my hands down favorite and more rewarding job was at a small, private country club. I watched a 19 year old server get yelled at to the point of tears by the head chef because he managed to gently caress up an order of tuna twice 
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Nov 7, 2013 19:16
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I work at an upscale wood-fired pizza restaurant, and last night an order came in for two gluten free crusts, with the third pie having a nut allergy note. What an unlucky group of people. 
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Nov 7, 2013 19:39
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Nitram2.0 posted:I work at an upscale wood-fired pizza restaurant, and last night an order came in for two gluten free crusts, with the third pie having a nut allergy note. What an unlucky group of people. Maybe this industry isn't for you if relatively normal orders make your eyes do that.
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Nov 7, 2013 19:44
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EAT THE EGGS RICOLA posted:Maybe this industry isn't for you if relatively normal orders make your eyes do that. I take nut allergy notes very seriously but I just thought it was funny combined with everyone else requesting gluten free.
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Nov 7, 2013 19:49
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Is gluten-free restaurant pizza a thing now? Do you have a separate oven, or just fire away and hope? 
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Nov 8, 2013 01:38
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Splizwarf posted:Is gluten-free restaurant pizza a thing now? Do you have a separate oven, or just fire away and hope? We buy in frozen par-baked gluten free crusts specially made just for this restaurant, but by no means do we sell them as "gluten free" since there is flour everywhere. They go in the same oven. I think they taste like nothing and have no texture but the gluten intolerant and fad diet trend hopping customers love them. :Edit: The last pizza place I worked had gluten free pizza crusts too. They fared better in the conveyor style pizza oven but still sucked to work with since they warped while cooking, stuck to the pan, or arrived shattered in the box. Nitram2.0 fucked around with this message at 07:18 on Nov 8, 2013 |
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Nov 8, 2013 07:08
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