If you want an eye-opening look at some fundamental aspects of humanity, try your hand at any one of these professions. They'll help you understand more about the people around you and allow you to appreciate what's really important in life. Try to work at least one of these jobs in your lifetime!
Waiter
This is an obvious one. We all rely on waiters when we go out to eat, yet how often do we actually tip accordingly? There are so many life lessons that waiting on others can give you. You’d be surprised what you can learn after memorizing eight complicated orders, cleaning up their mess and then getting terribly underpaid at the end of the day.
Retail Employee
If you want a job that builds character, try working in any retail setting. After you work hard for a measly hourly wage, you’ll never treat retail employees in places that you shop the same way ever again.
Supermarket Cashier
Food is a necessity for any human’s life — so why do we treat the people who sell us food so poorly? Ask any grocery store clerk for a true account of memorable customer interactions and you’re guaranteed to get some horror stories. The best trait you’ll learn working in a grocery store? Patience!
Tech Support
We often forget that the person we’re talking to on the other end of a help line is an actual human being, not a robot. This is another job where you can see the true colors of someone shine through. Take a deep breath and try some common courtesy!
Substitute Teacher
Remember how much you’d pick on any sub you had in school while growing up? Looking back, you did some pretty horrendous things to them. Put yourself in the shoes of a teacher: you’re terribly underpaid, work long hours and have to deal with a bunch of brat kids to boot.
Bartender
It’s a scientifically proven fact that wasted people are some of the worst types of people out there. If you can survive working a crowded weekend night as a bartender, you can do anything you set your mind to.
Housekeeper/Janitor
If we all knew what it was like to clean up after others, perhaps we’d be less sloppy when staying in a hotel or going out in public. Just because we’re not the ones responsible for keeping a certain place clean doesn’t mean that we should be totally mindless about our actions. A stint as a housekeeper or janitor would make this lesson abundantly clear.
Valet Driver
If you want to experience differences in class and get a perspective on how money changes people, working as a valet driver is an eye-opening opportunity. Driving cool cars is also a plus.
Work With Kids
Sure, kids aren’t for everyone. But working with kids will teach you invaluable lessons of patience and responsibility. Also, the parents of the kids are the real nightmares to deal with.
Freelancer
The ability to create your own schedule and work at your own pace can be an enlightening one. It’s also inspiring to prove to yourself that you can survive on the merits of your own work alone. Everyone should face a challenge at some point in their professional life.
Volunteer Positions
This isn’t exactly a paid career path, but everyone should volunteer at least once in their life. The experience of selflessly giving back and doing good for others is a vital one to any well-rounded existence.
Taxi Driver
You’ll run into people from ALL walks of life and get to wander cities while doing it. Dealing with people in a hurry from all over the world is an eye-opening experience and will expand your world view.
Factory Worker
We live in a consumer culture where we want what we want, WHEN we want it. But where do all of our goods come from? Working behind the scenes in a factory or manufacturer setting will give you this eye-opening perspective.