There is so much I have to say about this.

When you two get to be around 25-26, this isn't just a small issue anymore. Unless she wants to be a career server, you need to do your best to persuade her to continue her education. Trust me when I say this- if she does not put forth effort and get a college degree at minimum, you two likely will not work. Dating someone in the restaurant industry is not an easy thing to do, and dating someone who is stagnant becomes really difficult as well. Waiting tables means weekends and late nights, and you will miss out on a lot of time together. When the rest of the world is off, she will work. Holidays and sporting events, she will work. I have been there- I have been her. It's not fun.

Let me explain - I had dropped out of high school and served in a extremely high-volume restaurant. At the time, I was 18. I was always a good student, but I was more concerned with making (what I thought) was a lot money and having the freedom to do whatever I pleased. For several years, that worked out and I really enjoyed it. At 22, I met a great guy (he was 25 then) with a degree and a really, really terrific job. Around this time, I quit serving and started bartending- working until 3AM 4 nights out of the week. And almost immediately, we moved in together. He mentioned plenty of times he was worried about my goals and our future together and rightfully so. I was so tired from working all night I would sleep until I worked again. Issues that wouldn't exist outside of a restaurant/bar lifestyle were really prevalent in our relationship. He really nagged me and pushed me, and I used to really dislike him at some points for it. He even went down to the community college with me to enroll.

I was 21 then. I turn 25 in May. Every day I just want to squeeze him and say thank you. I graduate in Civil Engineering in 13 months. Please do this for her. She will never be more thankful.