Blog #7 Parent's Jobs

Parents. The people who brought us into this world. But who were they before we came along? Who are they now and how have they changed? Recently I have talked to my mom about her career and how it has become apart of her. Over twenty years ago she became a telephone operator for Verizon. She is the person that will say,“What city and listing please” when you call 411 for a phone listing. Yeah, that’s my mom. I believe that a career can become a part of a person’s identity. I see this through my mom and her career. This is because she has been shaped by the people at her job. Most of the people who work with my mother are Hispanic or African American. Over the years, I have seen how working at Verizon has shaped my mom. She now talks like an African American and thinks she is “black,” most of her friends at work think she is to. It is quite funny to hear her talk and interact with them. When she gets together with them, it is like a light switch is flicked on and she is a different person. She has the whole talk and walk down to hang out with them; I get a really good laugh out of this. I also see how her job affects her mood at home. Lately her job has been very stressful and she is constantly watched, due to her company wanting to down size. When she comes home, she is still very stressed and will sometimes make simple things at home stressful. Such examples of this is cleaning the house, making dinner, and others. Therefore I believe that a persons career can affect their personality and how they act at home. I love my mom and how she is now. I guess I’m glad that she got a job at Verizon twenty years ago because I don’t know who she would be if she did not work there; I don’t know who I would be if she didn’t work there.