Before everything started

As many of you know, I left Argentina two years ago. However, what most don't know is what I used to do for a living back home.

I studied Business Administration and started my "career" while still in school. Like many of my colleagues, I began with internships, and mine were all in multinational corporations.

Honestly, I've always liked money, and I figured that since big companies have money, if they hired me, I'd eventually make money too. I wasn't entirely wrong, but I wasn't completely right either.

In Argentina, especially when I first entered the job market, most job offers for business administration graduates were in accounting. At first, I didn't really care (or question) what area of business I liked the most. I just wanted a job, so I took the first one I was offered, which was in accounting.

Time passed, and I changed companies, but I kept staying in the accounting field. After several years, I started to feel awful. Every day felt the same. I spent the whole week waiting for the weekend's freedom, and every month-end felt like a race against the clock.

We always had to make sure the monthly balance was right, and when mistakes were discovered, it meant working at an exhausting pace. It became unbearable.

On top of all that, my husband and I had secretly been planning to leave the country for a while, which impacted me in two big ways:

1. I felt like I couldn't fit in: I developed a mindset of "why bother building relationships if I'm leaving" (I no longer think this way).
2. I began to hate everything about my job, from the simplest tasks to the entire "corporate world."

Why working in a restaurant?

There were several reasons I chose the restaurant industry. When we decided to move to Ireland, the original plan was to do a Working Holiday, save money, and then move to Canada. That didn't quite happen, but that's a story for another day.

After doing some research, we realized that it was easier to find work in Ireland's hospitality industry. Since neither of us was a chef, we wanted to add some value to our resumes, so we signed up for a barista course.

In that course, we discovered the world of coffee, and both of us started to dream about opening a café. We wanted to experience the industry firsthand to make a more informed decision for the future.

Additionally, when we decided to move to Ireland, neither of us had European passports, so the visa we applied for only allowed us to work part-time. Street-level businesses were almost the only ones that offered that kind of schedule.

The biggest shock

I've always had the ability to adapt to my surroundings pretty easily. In fact, my therapist once told me that I was an "over-adapted" child. So, the mental shift wasn't too hard for me and nothing really shocked me. I had lived in France for 6 month before definitely moving to Ireland, and on top of that I had travelled alone, so nothing was like a huge surprise.

What did impacted me the most, though, were the unfortunate comments I received when I started telling people — whether friends, family, or coworkers — about my plans. These comments seem to show as if these people were looking down on low-skilled jobs. But in my mind, I was fully open to learning about a different type of business. And for me any job is valuable, no matter the skills you need to do them.

Once in Dublin, I was lucky enough to land a job with a great team. The best thing was that they gave me the space to apply my organizational skills to streamline processes. I got the chance to look at the numbers and dive into restaurant management. It feels good to know that I contributed something positive to that restaurant and saw the impact of the work I put in.

The biggest challenge

The hardest part wasn't cleaning bathrooms that I didn't even use or organizing stockrooms. The most difficult thing was dealing with customers.

I'm like an open book — what I'm thinking is always written all over my face. If I like something, you'll notice it, and if I don't, it's equally obvious. No matter how much I try to hide it, I just can't. So, dealing with difficult customers was my biggest challenge.

There were some pretty funny moments, too. Sometimes my manager would point things out, often jokingly. We laughed a lot.

Here's a fun fact: if you're a picky, annoying customer, you can bet the servers are laughing at you behind the scenes.

The biggest lessons

1. Above all, I learned to be more patient. Even though I now know for sure I'm not the most patient person on the planet, this experience helped me understand customer perspectives from a new angle. I learned how crucial it is to listen. Clear communication is key, not just with your team but also with customers.
2. I also learned that most people don't really read, or they've already made up their minds. When they go into a restaurant pretending they don't know what they want, they actually just want confirmation of their choice.
3. Lastly, I learned how to make people feel good, even if I didn't know them. A small compliment, genuinely asking, "How are you?" or simply smiling can really turn someone's day around. We had a lot of customers who worked in offices, and many told me that the way I treated them brightened their tough days.

Would I Do It Again?

No. I wouldn't do it again. However, I don't regret the experience. I think it was a necessary stage in my life. Now, I have a lot more respect and admiration for those who work in hospitality because I know firsthand the sacrifices they make.

I don't think it's a job for everyone. Those who build a career in the hospitality industry make real sacrifices, working long hours to ensure others have a good time.

Working in hospitality, at least in customer service, requires a lot of effort — both physical and mental. It's essential to be quick on your feet, knowing how to handle situations swiftly and effectively.

In case you are curious about my job now, I have returned to big corporations, however I decided to be mo thoughtful. I no longer work as an accountant, but I work in sales. I recently discover I really like what I do now and I no longer hate corporate life.

Larilu here!

I really hope you enjoyed this article, as always, I put my whole heart into what I do.

Don't forget to clap 👏🏻 or write a comment✍🏼R! 'm always open to suggestions to improve. Even if you have any questions, I would gladly answer to you.

I hope you have a wonderful day!