As of last weekend, I have officially been inducted into the large group of employees who have experienced working a game day here at UT.

Game day shifts are the ones that everyone wants, and few people finish the season without having at least worked one. These shifts are basically the extreme version of working a double. You have to be at work at 9:30 in the morning to start setting everything up for opening at 11, and you are there well after closing time. I left around 1:30 a.m.

Yes, I was there for 16 hours straight. Unbelievable right?

However, you do get a 30 minute break whenever the managers find time to give you one, or whenever the crowd has shrunk enough to where your section won't be affected if you sit down to breathe and eat momentarily. Oh lucky, lucky you.

I realize all of that may sound like way too much effort for one day's worth of work. In reality, though, you get more than compensated for the time you spend and the work you do on a game day. There is only one reason any of us would willingly give up the opportunity to go to a home game with all our friends, or spend the day/night tailgating and partying into the wee hours of the night. And I'm sure you've guessed it by now.

That's right, money. Lots and lots of freaking money.

If given the opportunity to work the bigger games, you are almost guaranteed to walk out with one month's rent in your pocket. The money you have the potential to earn on a game day is ridiculous. Of course it varies with what position you are working that day, but overall, everyone in the restaurant is going to walk out with more than $200 easily. This game against Northern Illinois was a smaller game, so the crowds and the profits weren't wild and crazy like I'd hoped. Yes, I was still extremely pleased with what I made by the end of the night, but I had expected more. If given the opportunity to work the bigger games, you are almost guaranteed to walk out with one month's rent in your pocket.

For example, let's talk about the turnout for the UT vs. Florida game a few weekends ago. As I'd mentioned, we have different positions to work on a game day.

Of course you have the typical servers and bartender roles, but on game days, we add a few to the mix. You have the beer-tub attendants, who are always girls and are set up at a station surrounded by pits of ice-cold beer. As you can imagine, they usually make a few pretty pennies.

There are also food runners, who do absolutely nothing but run other people's food all day. It's kind of an irritating job for them, but when you are getting paid $10 an hour plus the tip-outs you'll receive from every single server on the floor, you end up making a great amount for your work.

And last but not least, you have the shooter girls. These select few, two for small games, three for big, have the sole purpose of walking around selling shots all day. They get to wear whatever they want, and throughout the shift probably drink a fourth of the shots they sell, thanks to the buyers who are eager to share the wealth with these generous ladies. Overall, it is probably the most desired and most profitable shift on a game day.

During the Florida game madness, most of the servers made between $350 and $450. During the Florida game madness, most of the servers made between $350 and $450. The beer-tub girls made a little less than that, and the food runners even less. Still for one day, that is an amazing amount to walk out with. The shooter girls, as I'd mentioned, ended up with the trophy for most money made in one day. Each of the three girls walked out with $600 dollars, give or take a little.

Yeah. Wow.

As you can imagine, after hearing that, I've been frantically petitioning to be one of the shooter girls for an upcoming game. I prefer the Alabama game, but I'll take whatever I can get.

Even though the game day I worked wasn't the ridiculously strenuous or insanely profitable shift I had imagined, it was still a great new experience for me. It was a great bonding experience with my fellow co-workers, and it really put our teamwork skills to the test. There are times when it's easy to be a server, and times when you really become challenged in your abilities. I was proud to know that I overcame what was my biggest challenge thus far.

Next time, lets hope I can do so with a cuter outfit and a tray of shots glued to my hands.