Paper #4

Financial Stability
	In the early 1900’s both of my great-grandfathers made their way to America by boat from Italy.  At the time one of them was barely two years old while the other was fourteen.  America was called the land of opportunity and it was, but that did not mean things would easy. The elder of my grandfathers worked as a pattern maker in a factory.  The younger of the two had several jobs throughout his life.  At one point he worked for Carnegie Steel and sold newspapers.  Having to support a family during the depression was not an easy thing to do.  Although he has passed away now the echoes of his stories still replay over and over again, “…uphill both ways in the snow…”.  During my childhood a weekly Italian dinner was always held at my great-grandparent’s house for the whole family.  There was a small corner store at the end of the street and my grandfather would pass out a dollar to all the great-grandchildren to walk to the store with.  Being as young as I was it didn’t mean much to me at the time, but now that I’m older and understand the value of a hard earned dollar especially one he worked so hard for the sacrifices he made for our family are more and more apparent.
	Today the legacy left behind by my grandfathers of taking pride in our work is evident in all members of my family.  I was always taught that I could be anything I wanted to be.  There was never a question of whether or not it was a “woman’s” job.  Having a hard work ethic is something that learned often as a child and strived towards forever.  The process of learning the true value of work starts when children begin school.  Working hard for the reward of a good grade is one of the first experiences of what work is really like.  When children are encouraged at early ages to do well academically the value of the reward begins to be placed higher than the sacrifice of the work that went into making the grade.
	People work to be able to fulfill their wants and needs.  Food, water, and shelter are our basic needs.  But these things are not free, they must be earned.  Work is needed to ensure these needs will be fulfilled.  Although having just enough to get by is suitable for some people, most people do not stop there.  Today, the average family has much more than just these basic items.  Almost everyone in the working class of America has at least one car in their family.  Televisions, computers, and stereos are examples of things most Americans could not imagine living without.  But without work possessing these things would be impossible.  Over time prices have also become more expensive so more work is required to obtain the same things that were affordable years ago for a lower price.  Take a college education for example; it is much more expensive now than years ago when my parents received degrees.  But it is much harder to get a high paying job without a degree.  For most people living in America these are the usual predicaments about work.
	In the future I plan to work to be able to support my family.  Both of my parents have college degrees and earn an income to provide our family with everything we want and need.  I would like to have the ability to know that with my income alone I will be able to support my children.  I know that my parents support me in my goal by their sacrifices to send me to college.  The idea of relying on the man of family to bring in all the money while the woman’s job is to stay home to care for the children is extremely old-fashioned and undermines the capabilities of the woman.  Through the example of both the men and women of my family and societies view of woman in the workplace today I feel that this goal is extremely feasible and almost essential for my future.