School is done. Summer's here. Now go get a job.

Like any normal teenager working toward gas and summer movie money, I had a variety of summer jobs while in high school. There was the summer of Old Navy, which was fine except after the fiftieth time hearing that damn soundtrack they play throughout the day everyday over and over, you want to tear off your ears and throw them at the pre-adolescent customers who loudly sing along while scrounging around in the pile of shirts you just folded. That job lasted about a month. That was also the summer of Wendy's and the time I discovered the goodness of french fries dipped in frosties. But there is one summer job in particular that has a special place in my memory. It can also be found in the part of my memory that has anything to do with grease.

When I was 16 years old I had my first real job working at Hurricane Harbor (or Wet 'N Wild for those of you resistant to change). But my job wasn't anything nearly as glamorous as being a lifeguard. Instead I worked in the food service sector at the Surf Side cafe as a cashier/burger assembly gal/chicken strip fryer. Here's an unsolicited tip from the inside- it's probably a good idea to bring your own food if you visit ANY venue where the the food service management is around 17 years old.

Anyway, working at Surf Side was an interesting experience. I learned how to work a cash register, assemble a hot dog griller, wash stainless steel dishes with that pink industrial strength sanitizer and clean a deep fryer (all things I would later put on my resume when I got my next summer job at Wendy's ). And so I learned a lot of useful information that summer about food service and work in general. Here is a list of the top 10 things I learned from my first summer job:

10) Ranch dressing should only be eaten when it comes from an individual package and not a vat labeled "Ranch Suce" (that's right, ranch suce) that sits out next to the fryer all day. This is true for most saucy condiments that should normally be kept cold.

9) A clogged floor drain in the kitchen can get you closed down during a health code inspection.

8) It's okay to stay out past curfew as long as you call first and tell the parents it's because you have to work late.

7) People will still send back food and expect a refund for a $2 meal if their french fries are cold.

6) Cleaning greasy floors with hot water and a squeegee just gives you wet, greasy floors that will inevitably make you slip and fall while carrying something heavy and greasy.

5) If you can count change, you get to work the register and not in the back. This prevents you from leaving work with the smell and shimmer of grease stuck to your arms and face.

4) People who smoke pot during their lunch breaks can get away with it if they are smoking with your supervisor.

3) Forget the diet and go with the deep fried menu options that require very little hands on assembly (i.e. chicken strips, french fries, tater tots). They are a much safer bet over the burgers or grilled chicken when ordering food at a theme park.

2) Don't bother telling your manager about people stealing out of the registers if he is a junior in high school and planning to go out drinking with the alleged thieves after work.

1) If the dude taking your money at the cashier looks like he hasn't showered that day, don't expect the people making your food to be any cleaner.

I share these lessons learned in hopes that you can learn from them as well. They will take you far in life- or at least keep you from getting food poisoning after your day of water park-filled fun.