On the Friday before Labor Day last year, I asked you to tell me your work history. So I can't do that again—though I also can't stop you from sharing your work history if you weren't around or didn't get a chance to last year.
So let's take things back a generation. What did your parents do for a living? Did they both work? Have they retired? Did this affect your attitude toward work in any way?
I'll go first. My dad installed siding for most of his life, with a little roofing thrown in as well. As he got older he transitioned to kitchen installation, though he was climbing up and down a ladder till he was older than I am now, a fact that makes my joints creak in terror.
I worked with him a few summers, just enough to sour me on manual labor for life. Whatever I wound up doing, I swore, it would involve less physical exertion and exposure to extreme hot and cold weather. (Roofing, in particular, is grueling work.)
But he was self-employed, which probably helped make the idea of having a boss feel so dumb to me. (Many of the bosses I had also contributed to this belief.)
My mom did secretarial work when she was younger, and temped on and off when I was in my teens.
Her dad worked a good union job at GM. My dad's dad was a alcoholic truck driver, and his mom waited tables.
OK, your turn now. Oh, and hey, if you have kids, are they working? Are they on the career path that they want to be?
As always, feel free to ignore this prompt and talk about whatever you want. This is your Open Thread after all.
