There are many things that could change your life if they happened to you. You could get rich, get married, have a baby, or make a bad investment. For me, a life changing experience has been getting and keeping my job at McDonald’s. At McDonald’s I’ve learned self-control, the value of hard work, and importance of setting goals.


Before working at McDonald’s, I had no idea what the term “working with the public” really meant. I know now that it means self-control. Self-control was a big issue for me. Often times, I found myself getting very angry at my co-workers, mangers, customers, sometimes even myself. This lack of control caused me many unhappy days at work and some close calls to getting fired. My boss, who just so happened to be my role model, told me to never allow my emotions to get the best of me. He and my uncle Dewayne, a preacher, told me to separate my work life and my personal life. Once I learned how to separate the two, everything began to fall in place. As time progressed I gained more and more control, and soon I became a people’s person instead of a person people hate to see.


McDonald’s is the last place I want to go to. At times it seems like a business from Hell. It’s so hot that the air conditioning stops working, so aggravating that head-aches became chronic, and time moves so slow that it seems we’re burning up for forever and forever. Customers yell at the mangers because it takes so long for them to get their food. Mangers fuss at us because the food is not up, and the customer won’t stop staring them in their face. We, the frustrated hard-working victims, are ready to stream because we’re trying, failing, and ready to go “home.” But just when quitting seems like the right thing to do, a paycheck is delivered into the palms of my hands. All the suffering and enduring is worth much when a three hundred dollar pay check is lying there waiting to be cashed and spent. The biggest payback for my hard work came not in one of my many checks, but instead in the few words of some of the customers. Whenever I hear, “I like coming here when you’re working,” or, “You have a pretty smile,” I know that my hard work wasn’t in vain, and my prize for working hard is shown through the customers.


In the morning, McDonald’s sets goals for the day. Some of these goals include having a low drive-thru time, and a low kitchen video system (KVS) time, which is the time it takes for the customers to get their food. Even the schedule is considered a goal. The reason for these goals is to keep the employees working at a constant pace and giving them something to look forward to for reaching them. If the KVS time is low, we can get a free meal. If it is real low during Mystery Shop hours, which is when the beginning hours of every shift, we can get money. The daily goals aren’t just said throughout the store, it’s written down for everybody to see and adhere to. Being apart of Mc. Donald’s goals has inspired me not only to set my own goals, but also to write them down and strive to make them reality.


McDonald’s at times seems like the last place I want to be. There’s so many different things that I don’t like about it; however, it is the best place to get a start on life and learn it’s essential lessons like self-control, the value of hard work, and the importance of setting goals.