Working as a Young Adult

by Maggie Z.

I love my job. It gave me the mentality that other than the money, it's also important to do a good job and take advantage of the skills.

Yovanne is a young adult who works in a Chinese restaurant in Chicago. He has been working there for four years, cooking and dishwashing.  

“I got a job because I wanted money,” Yovanne said.

Like other young Latino men, Yovanne needs the money in order to make up the difference between what the rest of his family makes and what they spend on their basic needs. It’s a responsibility he takes on willingly. 

“I wanna be able to provide for my family’s needs, for example, having food on our table and a roof over our heads,” Yovanne said.

 Even though Yovanne wanted his money to be able to help fulfill his and his family’s needs, he was also able to grow and improve in what he lacked, including learning to be more social with strangers. 

“I was already a very talkative person, but I wasn’t talkative to strangers. I would talk to people here and there when I wanted. Now, I  have to greet the people and start small conversations,” Yovanne said.

Kevin, Yovanne’s cousin, is also a young adult who works in roofing. He has been working there for a few months and is also working on finishing his high school diploma. 

“I wanted to learn about the construction business and the environment while I earn money to work towards my career,” Kevin said.

Like Yovanne, Kevin also needs money to be able to support his family and to help make his parents' dreams come true. The long-term goal is to get them a home and make sure they don’t struggle with money. 

Aside from the money, Kevin is also gaining more independence and skills toward his future career. He is saving up money to be able to pursue a career in trade school and become an electrician. Kevin wants to be an electrician because he wants to pursue a career that will challenge his mental and physical abilities. 

While Kevin is working in roofing, he is learning to manage criticism and turn it into a learning opportunity. For example, when he was learning how to cut stone on an apartment complex roof, his boss was telling him where and how to put the cement. Kevin made a mistake, and his boss called him out on it. Although Kevin was upset that his boss told him something he already knew, he learned to set aside his ego and listen to what his boss was saying.

“The fact that I'm doing this voluntarily because I wanna pursue a career in this type of work—I have to push through,” Kevin said.

Despite the pressure of having to help their families, both Yovanne and Kevin have learned valuable skills that will help them in the long run.