Finding Value and Pride in Monotony
During my senior year of High school I started working at a school as an assistant custodian. I maintained this job for a little more than four years and it soon became one of the best working experiences I ever had. It wasn’t interesting or exciting by any stretch of the imagination but it did allow me to make a decent wage and focus on my studies.
My duties were fairly straightforward and static which included, replenishing vendor machines, cleaning floors, taking out trash, and sanitizing restrooms. However, despite how “routine” the job became I rarely grew bored or tired with it. I am a highly detail-oriented person and I soon realized that in order to get the most out of that experience I needed to always strive to be a better version of myself each day. In addition to completing what was required of me my goal was to be more efficient and effective the following day or week and looking back at how I improved helped make it enjoyable. The fact the job allowed me to do this through consistent duties and low oversight was my one of my favorite things about the job.
However, the most important thing I learned from working there was that the work was humbling and important. When I first started there I was old enough to be a student and it was a little uncomfortable being in a space cleaning up after those I could’ve considered my peers, which felt compounded due to the negative stigma around janitorial work. But soon I learned that every job has its place and unique value. Being responsible for providing a clean and safe environment to support others is what I took pride in with this job. After learning this lesson I’m confident I can apply it and find some semblance of value in the jobs I come across in the future.