Summary

• Rachel's growth in Friends is evident through her various jobs, showing her transition from a spoiled girl to a career-driven executive.
• From a waitress at Central Perk to an executive at Ralph Lauren, Rachel's journey in the fashion industry was filled with ups and downs.
• Although Rachel's decision to stay in New York instead of pursuing her dream job at Louis Vuitton was controversial, her character development throughout the series was significant.

Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) went through a whole personal journey in Friends, and the best way to track her development is through every job Rachel Green had in the 10 seasons of Friends. Created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, Friends premiered on NBC in 1994 and came to an end in 2004 after 10 successful seasons. Friends followed the lives of six young adults in New York City as they did their best to juggle their personal, social, and professional lives, showing that adulthood can be confusing and hard but also fun if you are surrounded by the right people.

Over the course of 10 seasons, viewers got to know Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, Joey, Rachel, and Ross quite well, and while they all went through changes throughout the series, the most obvious development was that of Rachel. Rachel was a key player in Friends, being the one who pretty much kickstarts the events of the series when she runs away from her wedding and moves in with Monica (Courteney Cox). Friends is still regarded as one of the best TV shows of all time, and its fanbase has recently expanded thanks to its place on streaming platforms.

Rachel Worked At Central Perk As A Waitress

She kept this job until season 3.

Rachel’s development can be tracked through her different jobs, as they show how much she matured over the years. At the beginning of the series, Rachel was a spoiled girl who depended on her father or her fiancé, Barry, to pay for everything she wanted, so she was met with a huge reality check when she moved in with Monica and left Barry.

Rachel’s first job, then, was as a waitress at Central Perk. Unlike quick-service coffee shops like the modern Starbucks where a customer orders at a register and picks up their own drinks, Central Perk included full-service waitstaff. Rachel would have to wait tables, make orders, clean up after patrons, and run a register at various times throughout her tenure. Though she wasn’t the best at it, constantly messing up the orders, she kept this job until season 3, when she quit in order to pursue a career in fashion, as she had always wanted.

Though it's not her most successful or longest-lasting job, it's often Rachel's most remembered job in Friends.

Rachel Took Many Steps Toward A Job In The Fashion Industry

She still wanted to have a more active role in the fashion industry.

After struggling to find a new job when she had no experience in the field of her interest, she finally got a job as a personal assistant at Fortunata Fashions, which mostly consisted of pouring coffee for her boss. It was unsatisfying for her since it felt one step removed from waitressing, and she still wanted to have a more active role in the fashion industry. After that, and still in season 3, Rachel met Mark (Steven Eckholdt) at the 1950s-themed diner where Monica worked at the time, and he helped her get a job at Bloomingdale’s.

Rachel began working as an assistant buyer, but after her boss, Joanna, died, she was demoted to a personal shopper. Both of those jobs were good fits for her at the time as she was someone with a good eye who enjoyed shopping. They were important stepping stones in her career since they allowed her to remain in the fashion industry, so to speak, and hone her eye for trends. They also gave her exposure to influential clients in the industry.

It was during her time as a personal shopper that she met Joshua (Tate Donovan), which then led to Ross meeting Emily (Helen Baxendale). Her time as a personal shopper showed that Rachel was growing personally and professionally, but she still had some immature traits. She repeatedly lied to Joshua while working for him and harboring feelings for him, but she wanted to make serious strides in her life. In season 5, she got an interview at Ralph Lauren and started working there as an executive, and this is the job she kept until the final season.

In season 10, she was fired from Ralph Lauren after her boss found her at a restaurant interviewing for a job at Gucci, but Mark offered her a job at Louis Vuitton, but it required her to move to Paris. In the end (and a very controversial one that still has viewers discussing it), Rachel left her dream of living and working in Paris aside in favor of staying in New York with Ross and their daughter, Emma, and it’s unknown what her next job was, as it seems highly unlikely that she became a stay-at-home mother.

Rachel’s journey in Friends is an interesting one, which was ruined by her getting off the plane, but ultimately, that doesn’t invalidate everything she did in previous seasons.