"Would you like fries with that?" ...

05.09.2013

Today I almost let myself have a Facebook argument. I hate that someone else's words can annoy me so much that I bust out the caps. The topic that threw me over the edge was the fast food strike by employees in the industry wanting more money.

I feel the $15 per hour they are asking is absurd. Their job is to flip hamburgers and drop fries. Not rocket science in the least. I personally never worked in fast food or the restaurant industry. Nothing about taking an order or preparing someone else's meal has ever been appealing to me. Instead I worked retail. The lesser of the two evils, in my opinion. I will never know what is actually like to work in a food environment, not because I have a fancy degree or a rich husband. I will never work with food because I aspire for more.

I do not have my dream job by far, but I work hard for my paycheck. I chose not to attend college for probably the same reason these strikers did not attend ... Money. I did not grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth. My parents did not start a college fund for myself or my brother at conception. I am where I am today because I work for it.

Where did my journey begin ... My first job (other than babysitting) was JC Penney when I was 17 making $6.25 per hour. I worked there for 3 years before I left to start my career with Tuesday Morning. I call it a career because I moved through the ranks pretty quickly starting as a cashier making $6.50 per hour (I took a 75 cent pay cut). A year or so later I was promoted to Assistant Store Manager making a whooping $7.50 per hour and it was only part time. About six months later I was promoted again to Full Time Assistant Store Manager training to get my own store. Can you believe I made $22K a year! I thought I was making it. Looking back how the hell did I survive! A year and a half later I ended my career with Tuesday Morning and walked into the world of Gordman's, starting out in the Home Department at $9 per hour. Three months later I was promoted to a key carrier and given a 50 cent raise. I was with Gordman's for two and a half years working my way to Office Coordinator and Trainer with an ending salary of $12 per hour.

At 25 I switched gears and moved to the corporate world. I will forever be thankful to three people, Craig, Mary and Joyce. Craig told me about the position and even emailed Joyce to tell her about me and why I was a great candidate. Mary and Joyce interviewed me and although I do not think Joyce was impressed, Mary saw something in me. I was with this insurance company until my department was relocated to Colorado after three years of employment. Although I remain in the corporate world I moved from insurance to technology. Like I said I do not have my dream job, but I am lucky. I do not have a degree. I only have my desire to move forward and achieve more to get to the next level.

The argument that these people cannot afford college is invalid to me. As you read above, I do not have a degree. I live in a $1000 a month condo. I drive a 2009 Lexus IS 250. I pay all of my own bills. I take vacations. I buy name brand/designer clothes, shoes and handbags. No one said you need a degree to succeed. You need drive and determination to succeed.

In no way am I minimizing a college degree. My closest friends are currently working towards their master degrees. I will be the first to tell you I am J for jelly. I also will be the first to say college is important. I could be a lot further in my career if I had a degree. Or I would be in a completely different place. Who's to say.

What I will say is $15 per hour to say "Would you like to super size? Fries with that?" is ridiculous.