Funny, someone at work yesterday and I were talking about this. I worked restaurants for years. Like, more than a decade. They’re really crazy, fun, interesting places to work.

But Jesus. The people that gravitate to/stay in that life are a…certain type. The work is grueling and the atmosphere is usually pretty high stress. And the drinking culture is not great.

But dammit if it isn’t fun. It’s something everyone should do. It takes a lot of work to put a dish in front of someone in a restaurant, and understanding that process should be necessary to eat in one.

My warning would be to stay conscious of how much you’re getting sucked in. Pay attention to the stress levels. If you’re talking about and stressing over your job even after work, consider if it’s worth it. The pay isn’t exceptional, but the workload is pretty damn high. The skills are valuable, and it’s a good way to change yourself—but that change could very well be for the worse. Just be conscious of that. And when pills and cigarettes and excessive drinking cross your path, be careful. Because it’s easy to pick up a habit that is very hard to break.

But have fun. It’s definitely something I miss sometimes, but I don’t think I’d be able to go back at this point. I’ve done it. Didn’t think I would ever get out of it. But glad I did.