A hidden gem in the Omaha area is Dairy Chef in Elkhorn, Neb. Having a constant line of customers, it’s easy to see that the community loves its ice cream and food. But over this previous summer, I got to see a different side of the business when I started a job working at Dairy Chef. From this new job, I learned or improved a lot of important skills, and that is why I am so glad I had the opportunity to work there. 

The most important skill I learned was how to interact with customers. From taking their order, delivering their ice cream, or creating small talk, there was a lot of customer interaction involved in my workday. The most customer interaction I had was when I was at the window, also known as taking orders. In this position, I had to make sure I could hear the customer clearly and get their order exactly how they wanted. Small talk was another important thing. The customers always love to have a short conversation, even if it’s as simple as, How was your day? It created a comfortable space, which is what everyone wants. I also had quite a few unique interactions that ranged from new customers who didn’t know the menu to a deaf man who ordered off his notes app on his iPhone. Some of these experiences did challenge me, but they also helped me learn how to handle certain situations at work and beyond the job.

Memorization was another skill I had to use as part of taking orders because I had to know the menu of both food and ice cream. New and old customers would always be asking for recommendations. Knowing which ice cream was most popular or what toppings were on the cheeseburger really tested me, but proved to be very helpful with customers. Although I never had to make any of the food, I did need to know what came on everything, which I also had to do when I made ice cream. 

While working there, I also had to find the perfect balance of work and my personal life, which turned out to be another important skill. As a teenager, I didn’t want my entire summer to be filled with work, so I learned how to manage my time and take on the responsibilities of working. Finding this balance was super important for me because I love hanging out with friends and family while enjoying my summer. One thing I did was to switch up my hours. Personally, I always wanted to get a certain number of hours a week, which was anywhere between 15 and 20 hours, because most of my paycheck was going into savings for my future. So, with how flexible my work schedule was, I could request certain times of the day instead of always doing the same shift, such as a night shift. Having these flexible hours greatly helped me because when I was gone for a week on a vacation, I just picked up more hours the following week. That’s how I made time for work while also making sure I still had time to hang out with family and friends. Sometimes it could get tiring, but once everything balanced out, I had an amazing summer.

Now that summer is over and I am still working until Dairy Chef closes for the season, this challenge goes into balancing work and school. Lots of students don’t like working during the school year, but I personally love it. It changes up my week and also gives me a chance to become close friends with my coworkers. However, homework and extracurricular activities tend to take up some of my time outside of school. Finding the right nights to work and even working on weekends sometimes has really helped me keep up with both work and anything school-related. I work fewer hours now than I did in the summer, but I have found a good balance. 

Whether it’s learning new skills, such as balancing a busy schedule or communicating more effectively, working as a teenager can be very beneficial. I got real-world experience that I might not have gotten until later in life. I also learned how to manage my time between all that’s important in my life, and even met some new people. In the end, working in food services has really taught me a lot about the real world, and I am very grateful to have these experiences. So Dairy Chef really is a gem to me for more than their ice cream!