Become a food server. On nearly every list of recommendations for side hustle jobs, the suggestion comes with the assumption that someone will have a regular job full time job as well as the food server job for supplemental income. The National Restaurant Association lists restaurant and food service jobs as representing 9% of employment in Maryland in 2022, at 240,300 jobs. I talked to Maddie Thornton who holds two jobs, one as a tattoo apprentice at Eclipse Studio in Edgewood, Maryland, and one as a food server at Petit Louis Bistro. I asked what she struggles with. “I sometimes lack confidence in myself/my ability and begin cycling thoughts of self-doubt. I’ve always been one to choose ‘the safe path’ so you can imagine it’s been interesting for me, adapting to a more unconventional career path,” she answered.

One conventional, one unconventional, both with their own challenges. “This part of my life is a reminder of how hard we have to work in order to achieve our goals. I feel burnt out from time to time and must step back to recognize my life isn’t always going to be this chaotic. I always tell myself ‘It’s only up from here’ and it’s true. What’s coming is far better than what has happened,” Maddie says.

For many, the food serving job is just a means to pay the bills while their passion career plan builds. The amount of hours working both jobs is difficult, with full time serving already taking up 40 hours a week. I asked Maddie what her reasons are to keep both jobs. “I’ve always been a planner, especially when it comes to my finances. I knew going into my apprenticeship, I wouldn’t be making any money while I learned. Keeping my serving job, in my mind, seemed to be the smart option to ensure income.”

There’s lessons that are applicable to both despite the two industries differences. “Learning how to handle certain people. In all jobs, you can run into bad eggs, so it’s nice being able to correlate certain situations from one job to help handle a similar situation at my other job.”

I work with Maddie at Petit Louis Bistro, as a food server as well. One day, we both had tables on the outside patio and I saw her server book had a sheet of paper inside, with what looked like affirmations written down. One line read “I will get out of serving.” Another line read “I will get into tattooing.” I asked her later why she had them. “I think it’s important to reflect: on where you’ve been, where you’re at, and where you’re heading. I’m a huge believer of remaining grounded, present, and thankful for all that I have.”

If she could say something to her past self she’d say, “Slow down, enjoy life more.” To her future self, “Thank you for getting it together.”