“What do you want to be when you grow up?” such a simple question to a naïve child. Thinking back to when I was a child my answer to that question was instantaneous, a teacher. Now when asked that same question that came so simply before I find myself racking my brain for an answer, so many options, and so little clue. I honestly can’t even think of a general answer to that question. A lot of people have some kind of idea about what profession their like to go into, I however do not.
I work a minimum wage job at pick ‘n save and I have more than handful of coworkers over the age of forty that are still cashiers working for a little over minimum wage. One of my biggest fears in life is not being able to make enough to support the lifestyle I wish to have and that I’ll have to become a homeless person or be living out of my car.
Coworkers of Barbara Ehrenreich in Nickel and Dimed may have not had the same opportunities as she had to go to college and the minimum wage jobs are all they are qualified to do. While no one wants to have to work a minimum wage job for the rest of their lives, try to imagine life without someone to do those “undesirable” jobs. While teens work a good portion of minimum wage jobs, there’s still a need for adults at these jobs. At my job I need my older coworkers to help me out to train me and help me when I don’t know what I’m doing. Just think about life without minimum wage workers for a minute, it’s almost impossible. There would be no one to clean hotels, serve you your meals at a restaurant, sell you alcohol, or provide public transportation. We need people to do those jobs.
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