Roy Schmidt (103) & Eric Hoellen (118)
This is Schmidt's job, who's been a garbage man for seven years, "You get it in the shoulders and the arms. You have an ache here and an ache there" (104). How often does one encounter those who are put off from any hard laboring jobs? With that in mind, the reason I chose Schmidt's and Heollen's perspectives was because I've seen with my eyes what kind of job and lifestyle that is.
My dad had been a maintenance worker in a hospital/independent living facility for a long time. I remember when, before school started, I would accompany him to work. As a six year old, I'd follow my dad everywhere, watching him paint walls, fix light bulbs, unclog drains, etc. He was the man to call when something needed fixing. Everyone knew who I was in the facility because my mom also worked there as a nurse. And because I was the oldest and the only who went to school at the time, I got to see everyone twice a day, morning and afternoon--before and after school.
Often times, I hated it. I hated waking up so early when my school day didn't begin for the next two to three hours. I hated following my dad in almost every corner of that facility or not having him around at all when people needed him. When my dad was not answering calls, he was in his office fixing 'other' things. I often wondered how my dad could handle all this. In Hoellen's experience as a janitor for over twenty years, "You just don't let it get the best of you" (123).
Other times, I liked pretending I could fix things too. I liked the idea of being called for help because I was good at what I did. Because both of my parents hardly complained about their jobs--yet I could see it exhausted them--I liked the idea of helping people. Sometimes we think that having a job like a janitor and garbage man is the end of the world, but I wonder how many of us would prefer a job like that than being stuck in a cubicle all day. Don't get me wrong, working at a business office is a dream for some individuals, and that's awesome. But I've noticed how often we are too quick judge our neighbor's profession.
But for those who look at their jobs in other ways, they find what they like...why they do what they do. In Schmidt's opinion, "I don't look down on my job in any way. I couldn't say I despise myself for doing it. I feel better at it than I did at the office. I'm more free. And, yeah--it's meaningful to society" (105). And for Hoellen, "I enjoy my work. You meet people, you're out with the public. I have no boss standing over me. People call me Mr. Hoellen. Very respectable. If I'm a good friend, they say Eric. I'm proud of my job. I've made it what it is today. Up in the morning, get the work done, back home. Open the fires and close 'em" (125).
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