Vasquez 1 Angelique Vasquez Professor Susan Lago English 1100-41 17 December, 2013 Identity Crisis The process of introducing

ones self to another for the first time starts with names being exchanged and then quickly followed up by profession or current occupation each has instead of what we are passionate about. Richard Sennett emphasizes that any activity in which you invest so much of your energy, your creativity, your intellect, and your resourcefulness will, for better or for worse, affect your life far beyond the scope of that activity (Sennett 307). How do people identity themselves with something that is an always-changing external environment? In todays work environment we do not have that security of a stable job for years to come. However, I will still introduce myself to a stranger that I am a full-time student as if that is all who I am. Since I was twelve years old I was told by pretty much everyone in my family that I absolutely needed to go to college so I may receive a college diploma and have a successful career. A bachelors degree is one of the, as Carnevale puts it, best weapon a job seeker can wield in the fight for employment and earning (Carnevale 297). A bachelors degree the best weapon was true a couple of years ago because having a college diploma put someone a step ahead of everyone without one. But as society developed the economy changes and competition for jobs become fiercer. The requirements and educational level has raisin for many work fields. My mother graduated from Berkeley College with a B.A in businesses administration. She then went into a well-paying job as a title assistant in Title Company. Unfortunately, after only a couple of years she was laid off and for the last four years she has been a bus driver for NJ transit. I love hearing her stories on how the economy was at a much

Vasquez 2 better state when she was growing up. She said When you wanted a job you just had to go get one, your education level did not matter as much as what you can actually do. After four years of working over time she is now on the list of top paid at work and can now take it easy. Even though my mother is not working in the field she studied for she tells me constantly that she doesnt regret going and receiving her Bachelors degree. Richard Sennett shares a story about a father named Enrico and his son, Rico and the different struggles these two faced working and supporting their families. Enrico lived out the typical American dream. He started from a poor immigrated community but worked hard to provide for his family and was also able to save up some money throughout years. Enrico ended up being able to own his own ranch house for him and his family. He was just a janitor but he knew this was his job. He knew he will have this job for years to come and even knew exactly how much he would have by time he retired. In this passage No long term Richard Sennett explains that today, a young American with at least two years of college can expect to change jobs at least eleven times in the course of working (Sennett 312). Someone who has at least four years of college still cannot guarantee anyone that they will have a stable job and in the same location for years to come. As a college student Sallie Johnson had planned to begin working in her field and not attend graduate school after receiving her Bachelors degree in Sociology. She graduated and became part of the smallest full-time occupational category, which was being employed as a social science researcher. Miss Johnson had not received enough training in research methods, computer applications, and statistics as part of her undergraduate major to obtain positions in the science workforce. This affected her pay, her ability for promotions and the comfort of having a stable position. A couple years later she went on to graduate school and there she

Vasquez 3 obtained internships as a social science researcher. In the graduate programs she received training to learn additional social science and research skills. She explained to me that she wish she would of taken the advice she was giving and gone to grad school right away instead letting time just pass her by. Miss Johnson sometimes just sits and thinking of how further along she could have been by now if she had received her Masters sooner. Carnevale is able to supports Sennetts statement of the effects of what at least two years of college will have one someone by giving plenty of percentages and statics of unemployment rates depending on the degree level and major. It is stated in College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings that unemployment rates for psychology and those in social work is a merely 7.3% because they are growing industry sectors (Carnevale 298). His numbers are based on college graduates from all around the United States. Carnevale had not clarified if the percentages change depending on location. There is a higher employment for this field in California (13,150) than in Michigan (2,120). In California, employment per thousand jobs is 0.92 while in Michigan it is 0.54 (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Because the employment rate in California is higher does not mean my self-worth will be much higher there as well? No it wont, I will still be the same person if I was there or in Michigan because I am more than my profession. My next interviewee was a man name Mark Cruz who as well studied in the field of sociology. He works as a resource coordinator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. You can see in his face that he is extremely satisfied with his choice in majoring and receiving his Masters in sociology. You hear so many stories and as just a student you believe them so I never thought of actually finding a job that employed the concepts, theories, and methods that they thought us as undergraduates he explained to me. Mark went to college with five of his

Vasquez 4 close friends. They all studied in Sociology, one dropped out mid freshman year, two dropped out of college by the end of sophomore year, and only one as well as Mark went on to completing a graduate program. He was only able to keep in contact with one of those five friends. This friend reached all the typical job descriptions such as: providing financial analysis, workforce planning, quality assurance, and employee evaluation. But it was difficult for him to find work in his field having only a Bachelors degree, as of now he is currently employed in a food service occupation as a pastry chef. After these interviews my thoughts of majoring in Sociology have not changed but it has opened my eyes to the requirements I need to have a successful career in this major. I am Angelique Vasquez, I am more than a college student and more than a weekly paycheck. People may face different struggles than others within their work environment or furthering their education. However, these complications are things anyone can overcome and make something better of it. All work fields/career choices are examples of an always changing external environment. What does not change is who we are inside, like our personalities and our interests.

Interviewed: Beatriz Hernandez (my mom): NJ transit bus driver Sallie Johnson: Social science researcher Mark Cruz: Pastry Chef Questions asked: How would you describe the changes you have seen in the workplace? Was it hard to adapt to these changes? What was your major in college? What degree did you receive? Is your current occupation the one you thought you would have years ago? Do you regret going to college or wish you had done more there? Are you your job or more?

Vasquez 5 Works Cited Bureau of Labor Statistics. N.p., 13 June 2012. Web. 2 Oct. 2013. <http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes211029.htm#st>. Carnevale, Anthony P., Jeff Strohl, and Ban Cheah. "College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings: Not All College Degrees Are Created Equal." 2013. Writing and Reading across the Curriculum. By Laurence Berhrens and Leonard Rosen. 12th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2013. 297-305. Print. Sennett, Richard. "No Long Term: New Work and the Corrosion of Character." 1998. Writing and Reading across the Curriculum. By Laurence Berhrens and Leonard Rosen. 12th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2013. 307-16. Print.