Flip the Script on Work
Week Ten: Flip the Script on Work
Day Sixty-four
“I think most of us are looking for a calling, not a job. Most of us, like the assembly-line worker, have jobs that are too small for our spirit. Jobs are not big enough for people.” ~Studs Terkel, author of Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do
In 2023, Barack Obama narrated a Netflix show called, “Working: What We Do All Day.” It was inspired by the book: Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Doby Studs Terkel (1974). As an oral historian Studs Terkel investigated, “the meaning of work for different people under different circumstances. The book also reflects Terkel’s general idea that work can be difficult but still provides meaning for workers. It is an exploration of what makes work meaningful for people in all walks of life, from Lovin’ Al the parking valet, Dolores the waitress, the fireman, to the business executive. The narrative moves through mundane details, emotional truths, and existential questioning.” Wikipedia description
Born in 1956, I was raised in the post WWII era of father working full-time and mother at home with the children. After serving in the Marines – ROTC and two years of active service – in Oceanside, California, my parents moved us to San Mateo, California near where his parents lived while my father looked for a job. He found a sales job with the Pillsbury company and stayed with them for 35 years. He retired at the age of 53 as regional director of refrigerated sales on the East Coast and lived off a small pension and played golf. My mother had a BS degree in Business from Northeastern University in Boston (so did my father). With three children and moving to different states whenever my father was promoted, she focused on home base.
When my brother was in high school and my mother turned 50, she tried to find office work. She worked for the YMCA and ran things without much pay or acknowledgement. She also started a typing business and ran that for a few years, typing resumes and reports for students. She loved sewing and had a craft business for a few years in her 60’s with pillows and tote bags she made herself.
In high school, I ran a summer babysitting camp at my parents’ home and worked at Woolworth’s in the candy department. In college, I babysat, worked as a maid at a hotel, and a singing waitress. I have had professional jobs in banking, corporations, non-profits, and academia.
When I home schooled my kids, I worked at Target for a few years, over the holidays, restocking shelves from 10pm – 6am to make some extra money for field trips and travel. I started a small Shaklee business and still have a few customers who order products online. I worked at Johns Hopkins University teaching medical students and nurse practitioners how to do pelvic exams and breast exams.
When my husband died, I taught myself social media then taught others how to get started on Facebook. I started a non-profit, Heal My Voice, and an online coaching business. I am also a writer and an ancestral lineage healing practitioner.
This week, two of the topics will be changing work culture and entrepreneurship. This is where we begin to explore Flip the Script on Work.
Day 64 Prompts:
- What is flipping the script on work?
- How have work and jobs changed during your lifetime?
- What are you doing for work now?
- What do you want to be doing for work?
To read all 100 days of Flip the Script, go to Medium: https://andreahylen.medium.com/