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Tanashia Boon Professor Susan Lago ENG-1100 College Writing October 8, 2013

The Effects of Working In todays economy, many students have given up their dream jobs that would offer the most satisfaction and instead take jobs that would offer stability ad more earnings. Many potential employers are now looking for more practical jobs than jobs that would please them. Carnevale mentioned in College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings, that depending on career field and degree level, there is a risk of unemployment among recent college graduates (Carnevale, Cheah. And Strohl 297). This may be true but Carnevale failed to mention one important fact: Are they people happy? In No Long Term: New Work and the Corrosion of Character, Richard Sennett describes the changes in the workforce through the story of a father and son. Because he had a stable job, Enrico has been a janitor for many years and was able to live a pleasing lifestyle. His son, Rico, on the other hand, who started out as a technology advisor, had to move four times in the 14 years since his graduation. Rico thought like many us, acquiring a degree would help him live out the American dream. Today, many of us college and high school students still think in this way. We have been brought up to believe that a college degree will instantly land us our dream job and we would be able to live a perfect life, in a house with a white picket fence. Although this sounds ideal, it is not realistic. Rico had dreamed of living a life different and more lavishing than his father, but he was not able to do so. Because of his job, he had to move

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around plenty times and has spent less time with his family. This ultimately, affected his happiness. In an interview I had with Ms. Laura Dennis, a retired 8th grade language arts teacher, she mentioned that having a job is not about making the most money; it is about doing what you love. Laura had to drop out of school due to the birth of her daughter. She started out as a bus driver, hoping to make enough money to support her newborn daughter. She was content with his job, but she still saw the need to do more with her life. Laura went back to school to get her degree. When asked, how many jobs have you had since graduating, she responded too much! She had changed jobs many times, and worked some jobs that paid below minimum wage. She finally found a job she loved and it was about 10 years ago, that Laura began her first teaching job. It was shocking to find out that Laura had once worked at an employment agency where she was paid more money than teaching. She had given up a job that offered more money and benefits, to take a job with less money. She did this because she was less concerned with the amount of money she made, but with how much she would be happy with the job. Even though she is retired now, she still goes back to some of the schools she taught in, and volunteers her time with the students. In College majors, Unemployment and Earnings, Carnevale mentioned that education has been one of the most stable employers for recent college graduates (Carnevale, Cheah. And Strohl 298), but he failed to consider the geographical aspects. In my city, many qualified teachers, who have taught for many years are getting laid off. Even with a degree and experience in a work force, it still may be difficult to secure a job. This is a scary thought because being a teacher is my future. In an interview with my aunt, she stated today, nothing is guaranteed. Just because you have a job, doesnt mean you will be able to keep that job.

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Many high school and college students, along with others searching for a job, are now taking on jobs that offer more money, than jobs that would actually please them. But in the end, these potential employees might end up getting more than they bargained for. Like Rico, a high earning job, might cost them their family and friends. Today, many people looking for a job have lost the desire to take up a satisfying and pleasing job. During my interview, Laura Dennis had quoted a scripture from the Bible that states what profits a man to gain the world and lose his soul? Our generation have become so obsessed with making money, that we forgot what truly matters. We cannot take on these high paying jobs at the expense of our happiness.

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Interviewee Name: Cassandra Willis Position: CNA Have you always wanted this particular job/position? No, I always wanted to be a nurse but circumstances wouldnt allow that to happen for me. What are the changes youve seen and experienced over the years? The benefits went down, wages went down and the workload went up. How many jobs have you had? 2. Before this, I worked at Pathmark when I was just starting out. How are the entry level workers now different from when you just started out? For them, its all about the money. If you had the opportunity to do it all over again, would you make the same decisions? Now, I wouldve gone back to school to become a nurse. Would you say that you are happy at your job? Yes. How long have you worked at this job? I started out in 1985, so you do the math [28 years]. How would you describe stability in the workforce today? Today, nothing is guaranteed. Just because you have a job, doesnt mean you will be able to keep that job.

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Interviewee Name: Laura Dennis Position: Retired elementary school teacher How many jobs have you had over the years? Too much! How long have you worked at your most recent job? For almost 30 years, I believe. What made you stick to teaching? I think it was a lot of trial and error for me. I changed jobs so much. From working in a hair salon, employment agency, fast food, bus driver, retail, you name it! But I think teacher was the only job I really loved. So I stuck with it. Even though I worked some jobs that paid a little more, my heart was stuck on teaching. They say when you find something good, you hold on to it. And thats exactly what I done. How are the entry level workers now different from when you just started out? From what I hear, many teachers now are not even teaching! Theyre just sitting these kids beings computers and television screens and letting that do all of the work. It seems like teaching had become a new form of babysitting. But they expecting a paycheck at the end. Im writing a paper on how many people entering the workforce now are more concerned with their paycheck rather than being happy at their job. Do you have anything you would like to add to this? Yes. I just cant wrap my head around it. Why would people work at a job theyre completely unhappy with, all because of the money. It doesnt make any sense to me. Today, people are doing some strange things just to make a quick buck. What profits a man to gain the world and lose his soul?

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Work Cited

Sennett, Richard. No Long Term: New Work and the Corrosion of Character. Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum: Twelfth Edition. Laurence Behrens & Leonard J. Rosen. :New York: Pearson, 2012. 307- 315.

Carnevale, Anthony P., Ban Cheah, and Jeff Strohl College Majors, Unemployment and earings: Not All College egress Are Created Equal. Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum: Twelfth Edition. New York: Pearson, 2012. 297-301