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☆ I work at Starbucks and the tip screens have changed everything — but I won't hate you if you don't tip
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

When I first started working at Starbucks in October of 2021, tips were either cash or added through the app. Now, with the introduction of tip screens, everything is different and even though my tips have doubled, I feel really uncomfortable asking customers for more money. I've also had customers be kind of rude and say things like "I'm not going to tip you." I honestly don't really care if people tip or notI don't have the kind of job where I'm reliant on tips to make a good living. To customers I'd say: I'm sorry you feel pressured to tip and I won't hate you if you don't.

☆ I hate asking for tips but I need them as a minimum-wage worker. It feels so awkward to swivel the tip screen around to customers.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

This service worker gets paid below minimum wage, but doesn't like asking for tips. They said it feels so awkward to swivel the tip screen around to customers. It makes me feel so awkward to swivel the tip screen around to the customer — it's one of my least favorite parts of my job. First, I don't think our customers realize that we rely on tips to make the bulk of our paycheck and we're not even paid minimum wage. It's hard to know what to do these days with the tip screen popping up everywhere.

☆ I hate asking for tips but I need them as a minimum-wage worker — sometimes it makes me feel so awkward
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

This service worker gets paid below minimum wage, but doesn't like asking for tips. They said it feels so awkward to swivel the tip screen around to customers. It makes me feel so awkward to swivel the tip screen around to the customer — it's one of my least favorite parts of my job. First, I don't think our customers realize that we rely on tips to make the bulk of our paycheck and we're not even paid minimum wage. Editor's note: The Illinois state minimum wage is $13 an hour.

☆ I have a fake personal assistant. It started almost by accident, but for 10 years has made people take me more seriously.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jamira Burley, 34, works in the tech industry and has a fake personal assistant named Matt. For the last 10 years, I've had a fake assistant. I created my fake personal assistant, Matt, a decade agoIt happened almost by accident. My fake Matt is actually based on a real MattThe real Matt is a close friend who doesn't know that he's the inspiration for my fake assistant. As a white man, he moved through the world with a confidence that it seemed like he was almost born into.

☆ I love working on a cruise ship. I get free housing and food at the buffet, but it's definitely a strange way to live.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

I've seen that firsthand, since my mom started working on cruise ships when I was 4 years old. Around the same time, I was visiting Singapore when my mom's cruise ship docked there. There are plenty of perks of working on a cruise shipI don't pay for housing. But working on a cruise ship isn't all positiveIt can be difficult, because working on a cruise ship means you're never not at work. I do love working on a cruise shipI also love sharing it to my 500,000 TikTok followers.

☆ For a Bride With Chronic Illness, a Wedding Cut Short
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

I didn’t picture us getting married as much as I pictured us being married. In that picture, Alex wasn’t stopping by the pharmacy on his way home from work to pick up my medications. I wasn’t rationing pills depending on my pain level, and he wasn’t holding my hand when I cried over yet another failed intervention. The future I saw was spotless, unmarred by chronic illness — but our union was imminent and I was still sick. My internal monologue in the weeks leading up to our wedding was filled with my fears and, therefore, exhausting.

☆ I wear pigtails as a server to get higher tips from men. It's gross, but it works — and I need to pay rent.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Hannah Pemberton, a server in Ohio, uses the viral "pigtail theory" to get more tips at work. "I should be tipped based on the fact that I'm a great server, but that's not how it is," she says. I've noticed that braiding the pigtails makes my tips climb even higher, so now I do that. I've noticed people tip the most when I'm wearing light makeup, so I do that even though I like wearing bolder makeup when I'm not working. The truth is I should be tipped based on the fact that I'm a great server, but that's not how it is.

☆ I lied on my résumé to get a better-paying job — and I think others should do the same
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Insider recently spoke to an accounting employee who lied on their résumé to get their current job. They lied about work experience and software proficiency after staying home with their daughter. "I'm glad I lied on my résumé," they said. I also lied about my software proficiencyThe job I was applying for also stated a requirement for knowledge of a specific software system that I had simply never used before. Plus, I love where I work now, and I don't think I would have been able to get the job if I hadn't lied on my résumé.

☆ I'm a travel influencer who's sailed to Antarctica 3 times. It's a notoriously treacherous journey — but it's so worth it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Drake Passage is an ocean passage ships take to Antarctica. Alyssa Ramos, a travel influencer, has crossed it three times back and forth — and keeps going back. As a travel influencer, I've always had those bucket list destinations that are just dreams to me. The Drake Passage is a body of water between the southern edge of South America and the lonely continent of Antarctica. You just have to accept that you're going to throw up and be prepared with anti-nausea medications.

☆ My job went remote — so I got 2 more and started traveling the world in secret
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Some people are using remote work to do things they couldn't before, like traveling or taking extra jobs. (We went fully remote at the height of the pandemic, and we're now back to one day in the office per week.) Once I secured flight benefits, I started traveling moreBut with all the hotel costs, it was still expensive. I talked to other airline employees, and they told me I should get a part-time position at a hotel to get hotel benefits — and that's just what I did. I got a position at an international hotel conglomerate, which meant that I could work just 15 hours per month on average and get hotel benefits.

☆ I'm a plastic surgeon. More people are 'bundling' procedures — here's when it's a great idea and when it can get risky.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Dr. Robert Westreich is a plastic surgeon in New York who specializes in facial surgery. Westreich told Insider it seems like bundling surgeries escalated during the pandemic. In the last few years, I've noticed that patients are more interested in "bundling" plastic surgeries than ever before. For it to get risky, the surgery time would have to last longer than six to seven hours, and 90% of the time with plastic surgery, surgery doesn't last that long. For patients who are considering bundling plastic surgery procedures, I would advise taking the time to choose a doctor (or doctors) who fit your case and making sure you really understand the after-care instructions.

☆ I'm a cart girl on a golf course. I wear pigtails and red nail polish to get higher tips from men — even if it grosses me out sometimes.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

I saw people talking about the "red nail theory," which is basically that if you have red nails, men are drawn to you because red is a sexy color that symbolizes desire. I've heard about "red lipstick theory," which is the same as red nail theory but with lipstick. I've even thought about combining the red lipstick, red nails, and pigtails, but I haven't done it yet. But on the other hand, it really makes me uncomfortableLike, the red nails and lips are one thing. I don't wear pigtails to every shift and I don't always get my nails done red, because I don't live to please men.

☆ I worked from Vegas without telling my boss. It was perfect — until I had a surprise Zoom call in a casino.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Insider recently spoke to a 32-year-old nonprofit worker who went to Vegas while working remotely. They didn't tell their boss, and everything was going smoothly until an unexpected Zoom meeting. When I started working entirely from home, I didn't think I would find myself taking a Zoom call from a Vegas casino while trying to make my boss think I was in my home office. I feel like she's judging me every time my Zoom background is something different than what she knows to be my home office with all my plants behind me. My coworker said she'd set up a quick Zoom for us to check what our boss would be able to hear.

☆ I lied on my résumé and got the job that kickstarted my entire career. I don't regret it, but I wouldn't do it again.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

She had no experience, so when a music video producer role came up, she faked her résumé. When I was 29, I got a job producing a music video for a country music star, based on a résumé I sent in that showed I was tailor-made for this job. I brought a proposed budget for the music video that I had almost completely copied from a budget I found online. Lying on my résumé worked out for me, but I wouldn't do it in 2023Even though my résumé was an exaggeration, I did a great job producing that music video. Having that credit to my name helped me get my next job, producing a pilot for VH1, which snowballed into other opportunities in my career.

☆ I wear pigtails as a waitress because men tip better when I do. It grosses me out, but the money is worth it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Then she tried putting her hair in pigtails to get higher tips from male customers — and it worked. I was making so little money because the minimum wage in Utah for tipped employees is $2.13 an hour. In it, women realized that if they wore their hair in pigtails, they made more money in tips. I think it plays into a fantasy men have of schoolgirls and the innocence they think comes along with that. You might get weird comments from men or some negativity from women, but you'll get higher tips.

☆ I'm an airport baggage handler. We're not sitting around when your bags are late — we're hustling as hard as we can behind the scenes.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Rachel Bacha is a 23-year-old airport baggage handler in Boise, Idaho. If they ask more questions, I'll tell them that I'm actually a baggage handler. People are usually really surprised because they don't think of a young woman when they think of a baggage handler, but I really love my job. I never thought anyone would be interested in what I do as a baggage handler, but that's what makes TikTok so cool. I think my work as a baggage handler has changed my future path.

☆ I sell feet pics. It's easy money, and I get lots of requests — from oily toes to visiting Walmart barefoot.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

She didn't have time to get a second job, and she said feet pics are "pretty easy money." Along with juggling my social life, academics, and working at a lab on campus, I also sell feet pictures (more commonly known as "feet pics") online. I always knew people sold feet pics online because the idea of it has been part of the cultural zeitgeist for years. Through my feet pics hustle, I make a couple of hundred dollars each month, which I use as spending money. He knows that I sell feet pics, and it doesn't bother him.

☆ My flight got canceled right before Christmas — so I rented a car with 3 strangers and drove 20 hours home
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

When Maynard's flight from Florida to Ohio got canceled, he rented a car with strangers to get home. I've always liked having adventures, but I never thought I'd find myself driving 20 hours across the country with three total strangers to make it to Christmas. After the flight cancellation was announced, I made my way to the airline help desk to try to get a refund or another flight. Greg mentioned that he was going to go secure a rental car just in case there weren't any flight options, which I thought was really smart. Bridget (back right), and Abby (front right) in a rental car.

☆ I got stuck in Southwest's holiday meltdown. My 'quick' trip took 41 hours, I never made it to my destination, and I don't know when I'll see my bag again.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Lucky for me, it's only a two-and-a-half hour flight from Los Angeles, where I live and work. I was put on a flight out of Burbank Airport, another airport in Los Angeles, which took a $50 Uber ride to get to. If I could at least make it to Las Vegas, I'd probably be able to figure it out, since Las Vegas is such a major hub for Southwest. Courtesy of Brady Goodman-WilliamsThe Las Vegas airport was a nightmare. They knew my bag had made it to Denver, but they didn't know when it would come back to Los Angeles.

☆ I take a week of 'vacation' every month to travel the world without telling my boss — and I'll keep doing it even if I get caught
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Insider recently spoke to a 38-year-old who travels for a week each month without telling their job. "But I've found a way to make my love for travel and my job work together." Since May 2021, I've been taking vacations for at least one week every month without telling my employer. I used to only travel once or twice per year because I was so constrained by my limited vacation days. But now, I've found a way to make my love for travel and my job work together.

☆ I took out $200,000 in loans for law school but never passed the bar. Now I'm stuck with all of the debt and none of the prestige
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

President Joe Biden just canceled $10,000 in student-loan debt for many federal borrowers . Rafael Regales took out $200,000 in loans to go to law school. When I started law school, I was 32 years old. So I started going to law school at night in hopes of earning my law degree and getting the job I wanted. Law school is expensive — the average law student takes out $160,000 in loans.

☆ I'm a bikini barista. The tips and customers are almost always great, but I keep tasers nearby just in case
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Shay Harmon, 23, works as a bikini barista in Washington State. My sister mentioned being a bikini barista, and one of the selling points was that I could wear my festival outfits to work. I want people to know what it's like to be a bikini barista: the good, the bad, and the ugly. We make a base wage at the coffee stand and then tips on top of that. They know they're not just coming for the coffee — they're coming for the view, and they need to compensate the girls for that.

☆ I worked from the beach in Mexico for a week without telling my boss. I thought it would be easy, but I'll never do it again.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Insider spoke to an advertising employee who went to Mexico for vacation but chose not to tell their coworkers. They said after the stress of faking it and taking video calls at 2 a.m., they'd never do it again. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect their career, but Insider has verified their identity and former employment. I thought working on vacation would be the fairly easy — but it wasn'tAt one hotel in Mexico, the WiFi kept cutting out, making it really difficult to get my work done that day. I remember thinking: "I'll just stay out and stay up until it's time for the call, then I'll do it and go to sleep."

☆ I wear pigtails to my waitressing job because men tip better when I do. It grosses me out, but the money is worth it.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Then she tried putting her hair in pigtails to get higher tips from male customers — and it worked. In it, women realized that if they wore their hair in pigtails, they made more money in tips. I've thought about why me and so many other waitresses have found such success in wearing pigtails to work, and it kind of grosses me out. If you're flirty and bubbly and wearing pigtails, they really like it. The comments I get while wearing pigtails do make me feel weirdI mean, I know everyone has their own fetishes, and I don't want to judge them.

☆ I've been 'Jesus Christ' on Twitter for 14 years — and thanks to Elon Musk, I'm now verified
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

When Elon Musk took over Twitter, he let Twitter Blue subscribers get "verified" for $8 per month. On Twitter, I'm Jesus. I've had the 'Jesus' Twitter account for 14 yearsEven though I've had it that long, I wasn't ever sure I'd be able to get it verified. I bought the Twitter Blue subscription, and when I finished confirming Apple Pay and reopened Twitter, I was verified. I usually keep my personal beliefs away from the Jesus account, but I had to tweet that.

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