Last year I took redundancy as the director of a small finance business, and was really taking some time to consider what my next move was.  Over winter the market was slow, and although I had interviews and coffee-meets lined up, I was crawling the walls with boredom and although I wasn't willing to jump into the first offer that came in, I had had enough of being at home.

An old friend who manages a pub was desperate for staff so I responded to her Facebook post, and we agreed that I would pour pints for her two days a week.

I can identify with a lot of the author's sentiments, but this is in London (UK), so there was also the added dimension of the shameful British class system.  Management were paid well below a living wage, and had to work 50-60 hours to pay the rent.  Customers spoke to the staff as if they were trash, and the concept of tipping was treated as if it were vulgar.

I'm back at work in my industry now, but with a broader appreciation of how to be a good customer.