Page 466 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

employment. One day while walking into a grocery store
with my mother, I noticed a “help wanted” sign hanging

in the window next door. The store was a children’s

clothing resale shop, and I wasn’t in the least bit

interested in hanging children’s used clothing. But in

order to get my parents off my case, I filled out an

application. A week later I went in for an interview and
the week after that I was employed.

I should have been excited to have finally found a job,

but all I could think about was how working in a clothing

store had no relation to the career I envisioned for my

future. I could not get excited about children’s clothing
like I could about books and writing. I doubted that my

experience working at the store would ever benefit my

future as a publisher, editor, or writer. I reluctantly began

working at the store still wishing that it was at a place

that better fit my interests.

Two days after school and every Saturday and Sunday, I

worked at the store running the cash register, tagging

merchandise, and hanging items on racks of clothing.

I remember that on the first day of work my four-hour
shift felt like an entire day. By the end of the day, my feet

were sore and I was exhausted. A week later, I would

have been thankful for only a four-hour shift. On top of

working at the clothing store, I also began babysitting for

a family on my street after school on my days off from