Employment

I've had quite a few jobs throughout my lifetime, but I must say out of all of those jobs working at Jamba Juice was the best. My position was a Team Member and my duties included cash register, stock, store cleaning, customer service and food preparation. Working at Jamba Juice was the type of job where you were excited to come into work, I would even cover anyone's shift who asked me to. The other Team Members and Leads were a pleasure to be around and made the work environment fun yet productive. It didn't hurt that we could make our own smoothies and drink smoothies all day.

While working at Jamba I gained a lot of customer service experience and learned how to interact with customers regardless of if I was in a good mood or having a bad day. My role required a lot of face to face communication and helped me gain confidence when speaking to strangers which is going to help me a lot when it is time to move on to internship. Jamba Juice taught me how to properly operate and communicate in a business setting and I have been using the structure and skills I obtained through my employment and applying them to many aspects of my life.

Though I have had many jobs, like Jamba Juice, that I have thoroughly enjoyed and learned from, there were a few that did not have that same outcome. One of those jobs was DSW (Discount Shoe Warehouse). Unlike my optimistic outlook on Jamba, I would come into DSW everyday vexed with a pessimistic state of mind. My role was a Sales Associate and I was responsible for store up-keep, stock, assisting customers, and sales. What made my job so hard to enjoy was the pressure they put on the employees to get people so sign up for rewards cards. How many people I got to sign up a day affected how many hours I was given for the week, so if I didn't sell a lot, I didn't really get to work. Though I did not enjoy this job I learned how to stick through things and keep doing the best I can and also gained a lot of patience and the ability to use my resources because I had to think on my toes a lot.

Book Overview

I just finished reading the book "Freakonomics" by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. "Freakonomics" creatively studies economics instead of boringly stating facts. I feel like the authors wrote this book to get people's minds working and really cracking down on why our society is the way it is in this present time when it comes to money, education, jobs, or social status. The smallest choices like naming your child could potentially affect their futures.

Though I enjoyed the creative economic overview, a lot of the content I found to be upsetting. Anything from African Americans addressing themselves as nigger's to women naming their daughters unbelievably growth stunting names like Temptress and Shithead (shu-TEE-ed). Things like this definitely left a bad impression on me. A lot of the information pertaining to African Americans I found to be offensive, and I felt like the book was extremely one sided. 

The chapter that generated the most discussion in our Book Groups was Chapter 6: "The socioeconomic patterns of naming children". Everyone was able to relate to this chapter easily because we all had a few names to give as examples of what not to name our kids. The chapter talked about how your name can affect your ability to land a job over a person with the same exact resume just because of your name. 

Reading "Freakonomics" did spark a little more interest in economics for me, but all the misunderstood words and one sided views let me know I'm probably not going to read this book again. It was interesting, but not enough for me. A lot of the studies upset me. "Freakonomics" is definitely a good book just not my particular interest. If your interested in economics this is going to be one of the best books you can read because it does a lot of economical research in a thought provoking interesting way. 

Freakonomics

In our Business Communications class we have been given the book "Freakonomics" by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. I usually have trouble keeping up with assigned reading in school because I save the reading for last and end up behind. I deviated from my usual reading habits by reading first instead of saving it for last. I also try and relate the stories to my personal life to spark more interest. 

Annotation involves note taking, writing down any thoughts that may have come up in reaction to the reading, looking up words that I do not understand, and sometimes highlighting key points within the text. Though I have not written in my book yet, I do all of these things on a separate piece of paper which makes it easier for me to execute my role for the week because I already have my comments, summary, questions, and vocabulary.

Anyone who has trouble keeping up with reading should try annotation and relating the stories to their personal lives. It is so much easier to read something you are truly interested in. I read on the weekends in the morning or whenever my daughter takes a nap. The amount of time spent on reading varies depending on my interest in the chapter. I can sit and read anywhere from half an hour to an hour and a half, usually not more then that because nap time doesn't reach two hours for my little girl. 

The annotation skills I have developed during program are going to help me out a lot when I get back into college and have another chance to demonstrate my reading abilities.

Rent vs. Healthy Child

"Milagros Reyes took her baby boy to the hospital for a hernia operation, but had to rush away a few hours after surgery to get back to work. Her 6-month-old son, bandaged and scared, was crying as she left, but she feared that a missed day might get her fired from her $7.79-an-hour factory job." (Dugger, 1992).

Government assistance can only take you so far, when you're a single mother, you have to work. But where is the line drawn between working and the well being of your child? Yes, the rent needs to be paid, food has to be on the table, and clothes need to be bought. But in all circumstances your child must come first. 

The fact that this woman felt she had to choose between her child’s health and her job is ridiculous. When it comes to children I believe employers need to be more understanding. What would of happened if this 6-month-old were to have passed away? Would the job still be as important to her as her child?

Though I understand things happen and sometimes women are left alone to care for their children you have to take into consideration that you knew what you were signing up for the moment you decided to keep the baby.

Their Wages Low, Single Mothers Get Little Help
By CELIA W. DUGGER
Published: March 31, 1992
http://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/31/nyregion/their-wages-low-single-mothers-get-little-help.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

Young Single Mothers

A stigma is a a negative stereotype associated with a lifestyle choice. One stigma in particular that is brought to my attention constantly is the assumption that young single mothers are fast and irresponsible. I am 21 years old with a 17 month old daughter and I have felt the judgmental eyes of disapproval staring me down every time I walk outside with my child. Men think I am easy or that I "get around" simply because I am a young single mother. Women look at me with disapproval as I walk down the street or in the mall pushing a stroller and make the assumption that I am not responsible enough to care for her just because I've only been alive 21 years.

 When you watch TV you don't see many shows displaying young mothers or single mothers, most series promote marriage or dating and if they do have children the parents are usually in their 30's or older. The only show I see displaying women like myself is, "Teen Mom" or "16 and Pregnant" on MTV. Though I know that these shows help young women like myself avoid the hardship of having to give their life up to be responsible for another, it also makes us feel hopeless and builds further on the stereotype that we cannot care for our children.

 I understand you should wait until you are ready, finish school, have a home, transportation, a good job, and preferably a partner you vowed to be with for life for the stability of your child, but life happens and there is nothing worse then being in a situation you cannot reverse while constantly being arbitrated by society.

I know I'm not going to wake up one day with a million dollar check in my mailbox, so I get up everyday go to school, do my homework, further my education and provide a good path for my daughter to follow one day. I'm not a young single mother who spends all her time in the club or out looking for a new man, I work hard to fight the stereotypes associated with my choice in keeping my child and refuse to ever let her or myself down.

Year Up Pledge

In my Business Communications class we were instructed to create a post representing the pledge we will make to ourselves throughout the Year Up program. Below is the pledge I wrote specifically focusing on my growth areas that need to be addressed and resolved in order for me to graduate.

I pledge to graduate from Year Up by:

• Maintaining perfect attendance
• Respecting core values
• Maintaining good grades

I pledge to advance my Tech Skills by:

• Asking more questions in class
• Spending more time with the book
• Working more with Windows operating system

I pledge to eliminate self doubt by:

• Participating more in class
• Practice public speaking
• Study more to reassure my knowledge

I pledge to maintain a B- or better in all my classes by:

• Turning in all assignments on time
• Not rushing through homework
• Study, Study, Study!

Year Up has completely changed my study habits and the way I approach school work, I find myself more dedicated to my school work then ever before but I know there is room for improvement so this pledge will reassure that I reach my goal of completing the program to the best of my abilities. This way I can never say I didn't give it my all. 

My Side of Town

When I turned 8 years old I moved to the hills of  Hayward, Ca. The community I reside in was built new, all the homes are two stories and usually when people come to visit me they assume that I'm "rich" just because of the location that I live in. Everyday it never fails that you run across some deer, a mob of turkeys, or even horses trotting up the concrete hillside. You never see public transportation because the buses won't make the trip up the hill and there is almost always tons of silence.

I was often expected to be a stuck up spoiled person just because of where I lay my head every night. Although there are many wrong perceptions and assumptions attached to my neighborhood, there are also lots of things I took from living here. Nothing is given to you, and my mother worked hard for years just so that she could be able to buy our family a house like the one we live in. I appreciate things more then people would think because I know what it's like to live somewhere where you have no food, no internet, no phone, no car, and no real sense of safety. When I was pregnant I lived in Lodi, CA, a city in the middle of no where with nothing to offer me. I had no groceries or income and used to have to steal to feed me and my developing child. I was so far from my family and friends that I had no one to help me, the people around me were all doing drugs and I never felt safe. Moving from one bad place to another and still with child, I then moved to East Palo Alto, Ca. A city where a day never passes without hearing various sirens and witnessing several fights, killings, and drug deals. Although I was thankful my daughters grandma let me stay with her while I got back on my feet, I knew this city was not the place for me to stay. I finally moved back in with my parents in Hayward and have been there ever since.  Living in this suburban setting I'm not limited when it comes to diversity. There are not a lot of African American's in my neighborhood but I grew up around many different cultures. Even though we do not communicate, it's nice to see the faces of the people who live around me once in awhile when I'm checking the mail, driving by, or taking my daughter on walks.

Much good came from the area in which I reside, but there are also expectations that I know I will never meet. I tend to hear that I'm "White Washed", "Spoiled", or "Rich" just because of my address and anyone who knows me well can see that I am none of those things. I dress like an "urban chick" from Berkeley, Ca and I listen to music that most people would think I'd never hear of just because I live in a suburban area. I will admit that when I was younger I was an extremely rebellious child and part of that was because of who I felt I was despite of my neighborhood. I didn't have friends around me growing up that I could just walk to so instead I would constantly drive or get picked up to go hang out because I never wanted to be home. Everyone says they wished they lived in a house like mine, I always rolled my eyes and shook my head like, "no you don't". I am an extremely free spirited cultured individual despite of the cookie cutter manufactured neighborhood I live in.