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Some Lessons From The Assembly Line By Andrew Braaksma

1175 Words5 Pages

Working in a physical labor job may seem like an easy way to make money during the summer for students but in the article "Some Lessons From the Assembly Line" written by Andrew Braaksma and published in 2005 he discusses many reasons why his time working as a temp worker in a factory was "anything but a vacation" (Braaksma 2005). The plush lifestyle of a student with lax, customized schedules, haphazard homework attempts, and a rich social environment is a walk in the park compared to what those that work these jobs endure year-round. In two months, Mr. Braaksma learned hard lessons about what hard work entails and the fragile nature of factory jobs. They can be gone in the blink of an eye. An experience like this is vital in giving real-world …show more content…

The author mentions that his friends compare their easier, more relaxed summer jobs to his factory work. They fail to understand why he considers the fall semester and his return to school to be a respite from the summer vacation. In his article, he states: "There are few things as cocksure as a college student who has never been out in the real world, and people my age always seem to overestimate the value of their time and knowledge" (Braaksma 2005). The hours are long, the effort is great, and the pay does not seem to come close to adding up to the time invested and the blood, sweat, and tears that go into ensuring the job is done correctly and the machines are functioning …show more content…

He will continue to work hard in the summer and embrace the luxurious life he leads throughout the school year (Braaksma 2005). I applaud his willingness to venture into the realm of hard work through physical labor and I have a profound appreciation for the life lessons he has learned. Pursuing an education is a big choice and as I mentioned before, not a plausible option for everyone. Education is important and I stress to anyone that has a dream or aspiration to find a way to make it a reality. However, having been in a position myself where education is not an option at that time in their life, I encourage people to consider a position in physical labor jobs if they feel they would enjoy that type of work. I would urge them to do research and be knowledgeable of the expectations and demands of the position so that they go into it with a realistic idea of what is expected of them. Every job has both benefits and drawbacks and every person has a

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