This post brought to you by National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation . The content and opinions expressed below are that of WebProNews.

In case you haven’t been following, the restaurant industry has some pretty phenomenal stats attached to it. National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation recently conducted a study that highlights the restaurant industry’s competitive pay and pay increases.

Take a look at the latest infographic, which is the sixth in a series from the foundation. This one shows that the restaurant industry offers solid career opportunities — whether it’s for teenagers or people looking to switch careers.

The restaurant industry provides a great start for younger workers. As many as 92% of restaurant employees younger than 18 say their first job was in the restaurant industry. In fact, many of these employees stay in the industry for a long time. Restaurant employees ages 25- to 34-years old have a median tenure of 10 years in the industry, while employees ages 35-to-44-years have a median tenure of 19 years.

On top of that, many who venture out of the industry come back. 60% of restaurant industry employees 35 and older have returned to the industry after stints in other fields.

The restaurant industry also allows employees time to pursue higher education. 64% of bartenders, 49% of restaurant managers and 41% of servers are currently attending a four-year college or university.

A Career for Everyone:

Be sure and check out the previous five infographics looking at various findings from the study: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.