“No. you’re too small to work, You don’t know how to work.”
Those words were said by my own mother.
When I was 16, I decided that I wanted a job to make money for myself to be able to buy the things that I wanted. I was very determined to succeed in this goal I chose. I spent hours searching my neighborhood and online for places that were hiring at my age until one day I found one. A Wingstop by my house was opening up and was hiring anyone who walked in. So, after school, I walked there and applied for a job. I filled out my availability and my basic contact information and was hired on the spot. But the only problem was that, due to my age, I needed a document from school and my parent that authorized me to work.
My mom had this document, so after celebrating finally getting hired at my first job, I went home to ask my mom for the document. But she refused and told me no, she wouldn’t let me work. I pleaded with her because this was an opportunity that doesn’t happen often for me, and I was ready to work now. But she was not having any of it. She told me straight and sternly, “NO. You will not work at all so long as you are in my house.” I asked why, and her only reason was, “NO. You’re too small to work; you don’t know how to work.” These exact words set me on a mindset to prove her wrong in every way.
The following year, when I turned 17, I was more determined to get a job. I was looking everywhere I could, even places that weren’t hiring at my age. I just needed a chance, and I got it. My only chance came very late in December when I was offered a restaurant job, but the hours were nightshift. I was determined that this had to happen by any means, and I made my plan to work after school from 6 pm to 2 am almost every day. On my first day of work, it was amazing. I was learning, I was doing my part, and I was contributing meaningfully. I was happy, and I was making money, and I was finally able to afford the expensive things that I wanted. I proved my mom wrong, and I finally got a job.
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Good work. This could be the seed of a bigger story. Was this first job a transformative experience? How did it help you grow and what did you learn? Is there an educational aspect to this story? Not necessarily that it happens in the school environment but that you really changed and grew and it has formed you in some way.
— OR — yes give some of the effects on your educational life? HOw did you handle school and work? Was that balance doable? It sounds super difficult to be up til 2 AM every night of the week! How did you keep up with the home work?
Then you would need to think CSD – Concrete Specific Details: What was that restaurant job? What restaurant? What job did you do? What was that first day like? OR What was a single meaningful event at the job that taught you something?
RE: the conversation with Mom. Was there a bit more to this dialogue between you and her? Where did the conversation happen? RLW and pay attention to the dialogues in our readings.
And a minor detail: Did she say “small” or “too young”?
ONLY ONE CATEGORY PLEASE!!!!