One of the hardest times I had whilst growing up was accepting the fact that I was never going to return to full time study. Over the years that followed my final expulsion from the public education system I toyed with the idea of returning but never did maintain it long enough to acquire any sort of accreditation or qualification. The one thing I did get from every attempt was a new social circle, which would eventually have to be sacrificed for a work social that would take the place of my study calendar. It was a vicious cycle. Whilst working at McDonalds Coogee Beach I did all I could to deny the inevitable; that my high school crowd was moving on without me. I can still remember finishing my shifts at 4:30 in the afternoon and racing back to my old Eastern suburbs hiding place; The Windy Spot was appropriately named and its where we all used to meet after school to gossip and smoke cigarettes. It didn't take too long to see that my friends were hardly in the business of waiting around till the late afternoon for someone who wasn't in their classes anymore. Soon enough I stopped wasting my time and instead began to focus on the social backdrop of my workplace, which seemed to have a more mature party like vibe. It didn't take too long to realise that most people there were all talk, but I was still a fourteen year old kid who looked up to anyone who appeared to know what they were doing. Unfortunately for me noone knew what they were doing. It never occurred to me that people in their mid-20's who worked at McDonalds full time probably didn't know what was best. God bless their cotton socks for trying. And while it would be some time before I was pulled into the fold of the tight knit group I had plenty of former employees and school friends who all lived locally to keep myself occupied with. My transition from the school yard to the burger station was complete and although it hurt to let go of something so dear to me there was no denying that a whole new world was exposing itself.
To be continued...
To be continued...
7 outside opinions:
I love that you loved your McDonald's job.
It was a simple time. Simple times. A complete and simple era of time.
Even 29 year olds doing full time jobs elsewhere sometimes do not know what's best. We all learn, though...
Sorry... typo
Simple times and simple jobs are good.
I feel strange about having "ended" my full-time education, though I did get a bachelor's degree while at it. I want to study more, but there's no more I can get from the university. I want to be with the academia, but the academics are too shallow, too insincere for the most part.
Ultimately, there's no use looking within demarcated boundaries if you're looking for a specific thing, I think. You never know where you'll find it.
How was it that you were working tehre at 14? We had to be 16.
@Anu: Aw, don't say that! You know everything. I just can't believe anything otherwise.
@Suki: I've noticed that you've been going through a great deal of new beginnings and closing old doors. It is inspiring to see you so brave and thoughtful about the process.
@CS: The legal age to start working here is fourteen and nine months. I was fourteen and three months when I started working, or something like that.
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