Work is a Major Contributor in Shaping an Individuals Life

            

             Simply put, work is a major contributor in shaping an individual"s life. Our lives revolve around the work we do and the rewards that we get from our work. Work provides the individual not only income to live by, but also identity, value, social belief, social relation and respect. The type of work we choose to do determines our status in society and measures our level of success in life.

             In this society, being without a job is almost like being invisible. Every one has to be involved in some type of work whether it is for self or for someone else. We do work to survive. The only means we have to get what we need is money. And money is earned, not given. Money is most commonly earned through work, which makes work the center of our life. This being said, it would be easy to assume that studying and analyzing the history of work can lead to understanding ourselves as society and as individuals. For example, two hundred years ago, most people did not go to work; instead they worked at home on the farm. In the 1800s about 90 percent of Americans were farmers. People did not use clocks. They worked with the sun and seasons. People made a living by growing their own and trading. They did not rely on wages. As industrialization hit America, within a century most farmers came into cities and became part of the industrial wage system. As a result, they had to adapt to changes that affected their lives. People started doing work for others for income that they can use to get what they need. The work was no longer at home. With that came job security, hard labor, and unfair working conditions. As people became more and more dependent on working for wages, their lives were altered in ways that influenced their values and family structure. Women started working outside so the family can get more income. Then children followed. In the mean time, people need to acquire the proper skills to fit the jobs in the factories and mines.

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