Some of the Most Stressful Jobs Ever Invented: Perils of the Restaurant Business

Each year, Fast Food creates more new jobs than any other industry in America. Young adults, freshly graduated, are rewarded for their diligence throughout their school years with an apron, hair net and name tag. Even the institution of higher education, which once spared our young men from the fate of having to go to war, cannot save its students from the doom of foodservice jobs when they're faced with living expenses, repaying loans, andtoting a degree that doesn't mean as much as it used to when it comes to employment opportunities.

Worst of all, one's experience in any kind of food service position holds little weight outside of that particular industry; in other words, if all you can put on your resume is that you've bussed and waited tables then those are likely to be the only jobs that you get hired for the next time around. Who has the energy, anyway, to seek other employment opportunities after a long day of angry and unreasonable customers,extremely stressed out co-workers, and bosses who want to squeeze every ounce of effortout of you that they can in return for the pittance that they pay you? A good percentage of people in this business simply get off work, drink themselves into a stupor, and try to forget all about it until they have to go back and do it again the next day.

They might not have much leeway to plan more enjoyable activities, anyway. Both fast food and more upper scale restaurants are staffed and scheduled according to demand, which means that the lives of their workers revolve around the business. One might lose hours and fall short of making rent during a slow month, only to be obliged to work 12-hour shifts on Mother's Day and Thanksgiving (aren't those supposed to be holidays?) when the head count is through the roof. When you have a day off, your best bet may be to leave town. If someone calls in sick (and people habitually do, because they're used to an unstable schedule) then you're bound to be called upon to cover their shift. Of course, you can always say no; but managers have many ways of subtly punishing you, like forgetting to schedule that weekend off that you requested so you could go to the Coast.