"Before overseeing products at the tech giant, which has a market cap of about $270 billion, he spent his early 20s waiting tables at Sizzler, a steak house chain, making just $4 an hour. Far from something to hide, he says the experience shaped his work ethic and people skills-and ultimately helped him climb Silicon Valley's corporate ladder. "I think everyone in the early part of their career should work in the service industry somewhere," Patel tells Fortune."
""What happened while waiting on tables is-and it wasn't even a conscious thing-that I was an introvert, and I realized if I don't talk to people and don't entertain them and give them a good experience, I'm not going to make a tip," Patel says. "And if I don't make a tip, then I'm just working a lot of long hours without the return.""
Gen Z faces a difficult job market, with 16- to 24-year-old unemployment at 10.5% and a rising share of NEET youth. Low-wage service work can provide practical training in hospitality, customer service, communication, and accountability through direct customer interaction and tip-based incentives. Early customer-facing roles can push introverted workers out of comfort zones, improve people skills, and build a disciplined work ethic. Such frontline experience can translate into advantages when seeking leadership positions in technology and other industries. Grounded self-belief and practiced confidence compound those advantages over the course of a career.
Read at Fortune
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