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Thread: Should I forgo the restaurant job?

  1. #1
    PhillyDancer1982
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    Should I forgo the restaurant job?

    Lately I've been very busy working several different jobs. I work weekdays at an insurance office, volunteer for a political campaign, dance on evenings and/or nights, and work at a restaurant. Although the hours and pay at the insurance job are rather small, I consider this my #1 job priority because my manager is paying for me to attend insurance school in January to obtain my licenses for life and property & casualty. Seeing the lifestyle that my manager and coworker live, I think it is safe to assume that there is money in the insurance industry and once I become a fully licensed agent, that I'll be able to make a wage I can actually live off of. I also consider dancing a partial priority, because although it will not lead to a career for me, it pays enough money to allow me to keep my rent paid, maintain my cars, and basically allow me to cover living expenses while also allowing me to build a savings cushion. I took on the restaurant job because I thought I'd make decent enough money that eventually I could stop dancing and pay for living expenses via serving insteada dancing. The political campaign has a lot of potential for job references but admittedly I haven't committed much to it lately because of all the jobs I've been doing.

    Now on to the restaurant job. I'm confused, because they haven't made me a full server yet as agreed upon. I do not know if this is because the college boys(who the owner has commented "thinks they're hot shit, God's gift to the restaurant") spoke up more assertively than me about serving, or maybe I'm just not "good enough," or whatever. As a result, I've been making a lot less money than I was told that I'd make. The hours are a bit of a sticky situation, too. I work 4pm-11pm, so although I get out early enough to still hang out at a bar with my friends for a little bit, I have to head straight from my insurance job to this one and as a result I'm often tired. I worked 8 days in a row for Restaurant Week last month, missing the best days money-wise at my club, and then when the owner paid me the next week it wasn't as much money as I'd expected. On the other hand though, I don't wanna burn bridges or look like a "quitter." But then again, I'm sick and tired of making non-career jobs an "investment." By investment, I'm saying that in the past, I've worked all these inconvenient/undesirable shifts, worked for free or practically for free initially, worked with lousy coworkers, all to hope that it would eventually get better. It didn't get better; instead, I would get exasperated to the point of quitting a month later, or I'd eventually get fired, and then feel angry at myself for investing all that time into something that didn't get me anywhere. What do you guys think?

    Two of my good friends say that I should quit the restaurant. My one friend says I should focus more on the insurance job, and also that serving is similar to dancing but less money. My other friend says that they've been treating me less than stellar, with keeping me doing "grub work" for less pay, and telling me to work inconvenient Sundays one night ahead of time. On the other hand, my other friend says that I should hold onto it because once I'm a full server, I might be able to make a few hundred per night and it'd be a way to get outta dancing. I have a guy friend who is a server and makes a decent amount. What do you guys think???

  2. #2
    God/dess greenidlady1's Avatar
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    Default Re: Should I forgo the restaurant job?

    Oh, that sounds tough. I guess it just depends on how much you want to quit dancing, even if you really do? Unfornuately and fornuately, sometimes, dancing conforms us into a more assertive person and a person that does not like to take much shit. Then you go into jobs in which you may get disrespected but in a somewhat different nature. But you find yourself having to "put up" with something you are not use to having to put up with. It's a sacrifice you make but it sounds like the restaurant owners/managers are total dicks. If you can afford not to work there than I would quit and stick with the insurance job. It sounds like that is where you want to be anyhow.

  3. #3
    madmaxine
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    Default Re: Should I forgo the restaurant job?

    Quit the restaurant. My 2 cousins (sisters) worked at a major California chain restaurant & never got more than medium-size customer tips for their troubles. The management even penalized one of them for an illness for which she had properly secured "sick days"....so they both left for better things.
    Time's a-wasting. You can find something much better & less draining.

  4. #4
    Sitri
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    Default Re: Should I forgo the restaurant job?

    People will always need insurance and it is highly regulated which means that although it may take time to get to where you want to be there are a million little laws to protect you.

    It is safe, it is boring, it pays the rent.

  5. #5
    PhillyDancer1982
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    Default Re: Should I forgo the restaurant job?

    Thank you for the advice, guys. I didn't have my home internet connection for a few days so this is the first chance I've had to respond. Yeah, you guys are right. The insurance job is a lot more lucrative than the restaurant job.

    Greenidlady1 -- You said that if I can "afford" it, then I should quit the restaurant. Ha it's more like, can I afford to work at the restaurant? When I work at the restaurant, I'm giving up a shift that I could spend at one of my 2 strip clubs, where I'd make more money. During the insanely busy restaurant week, I worked my butt off for 9 days alongside an early-morning insurance day job, and then the owner handed me $480 during payday(9 days worth). $480? That's it? At that time, I was worried about how I would pay my bills with that money. As lousy as this sounds, I was using my dad's very generous birthday money to me, to pay the bills that I coulda afforded on any other month. Gee I'm sure my dad would feel like the money went to good use if he knew(sarcasm). Then two days later, I worked at my club(I was off from the restaurant) and made an easy $600. I coulda hustled harder but I was drained, tired, and hadn't had a full day off in two and a half weeks. So essentially the restaurant was costing me more than making me(if you assume that I'd spend my non-restaurant days at the strip club).

    madmaxine--Luckily the managers at this place are really cool. After being handed only $480 after 9 days of work, I asked to have off on Saturday night. Saturdays were my only definite day available for stripping, and I NEEDED to strip Saturday in order to get up enough money for bills, since I wasn't making much at the restaurant. The manager said "yes" right away and was very cool with it. But yeah, it is a hassle to work for little money, especially when it is smaller than I was told it would be. I guess a serving career just isn't in the cards for me.

    Sitri--Oh yes, I know insurance is a good field to work in. My manager is paying for me to go to insurance school in January to obtain my Property & Casualty license. He is also getting me trained for life insurance too and if I get licensed for that, there will be full benefits available to me. The reason I started working at the restaurant was to find a replacement for dancing: a part-time job that wouldn't lead to a career, however would pay a good wage to live off of. But they didn't train me for serving like the other newbies I started with, and as a result I made peanuts...not enough money to live off of.

    The insurance job isn't paying a whole lot either, but I am sticking with it because it is a CAREER job that will actually lead to something after I obtain my insurance licenses. It is in my desired job field. I will be receiving full paid tuition and an opportunity to get my licenses. The manager has already discussed all these opportunities to me on multiple occasions so I know he's serious about it. Therefore, in my opinion it is a job that is worth devoting time to. With the restaurant however, there was not much mention of me being a server except the owner told me that he could make me a server quicker than the 1yr that I'd normally have to wait(Why would I have to wait 1yr anyway, if the boys I worked with didn't??). And what career path would the restaurant lead to?...Full-time server? Possibly restaurant management?(which is not in my desired field) I'm sure you get the idea.

    I haven't set up a schedule for the restaurant so I'm guessing they've assumed that I've been too busy to keep up with it. Then again, they haven't really contacted me about it either. Maybe they don't need me...that could explain why they didn't let me serve tables or anything serious. I do not know. I'm speculating too much.

  6. #6
    Banned Katrine's Avatar
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    Default Re: Should I forgo the restaurant job?

    You don't need to go to Insurance School to get your P&C and Group licenses. Just buy the study guides and do it yourself. I literally studied for one day before I passed my life and disability licensing test. i broker P&C rather than sell it directly, so I'm not sure about the requirements there.

    BTW, the insurance industry is AWESOME! It gets a bad rap, but its very important to have.
    I work with several P&C guys and they make a good living. Sure, there is BS associated with the job, but lots of opportunity. You can potentially sell life, long-term care, Medicare supplements, etc.... The commissions on these products are very good as well.

    While I don't work directly in insurance, I was recently offered an opportunity to purchase a successful insurance practice from a pre-retiree. Its not what I want to do, but its a great chance to be your own boss if you have the funds to buy an existing business. Its certainly something I've considered down the line.....

    I assume this licensing is for PA?
    http://www.kaplanfinancial.com/kfs/I...vania&state=PA

    I used these guys study guide, read it in a few hours, reviewed it the next day. It was horridly boring at first, but now its gotten more interesting seeing how I can help people, and also the commissions!

    "Have you ever been to American wedding? Where is the vodka, where's marinated herring?" - GB
    "And do the cats give a shit? No, they do not. Why? Because they're cats."-from The Onion

    Quote Originally Posted by Mia M
    If a cupcake was tossed at me... well, I'd only be upset if it missed my mouth

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    Default Re: Should I forgo the restaurant job?

    Philly girl, maybe you should try to bring up the advancement into serving and see what they say at the restaurant. Then if they do not let you, you have areason to quit. It is legit...if the other newbies got to do it and u didnt...therefore make more money....ur in the right. If they are not down for this, just nicely let them know that ur budget is tough and really hoped to make the extra cash with serving and thank them for the opportunity.

  8. #8
    PhillyDancer1982
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    Default Re: Should I forgo the restaurant job?

    ^ Yeah that is a good idea. I never made a new schedule for the place so by now it is assumed that I am not working there. I'm gonna devote time and dedication to the insurance job but not worry too much about any other kinda job. That includes dancing...if it ever got to the point that I had a conflict with dancing that could potentially interfere with my wellbeing or the insurance job, I'd rather quit and go to a different club than stick it out. I've realized over the last 5 years or so that the only jobs worth making an "investment" are jobs that promise to lead to a career, like the insurance job that I have. Thanks for the advice, everyone.

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