Studs Terkel's Hard Work

Employee are workers who work part-time or full-time under a contract of employment, whether oral or written, express or implied and has recognized rights and duties. Work is a means of income for our life hood. It is undeniable that most people work in order to earn money, while others do for self-improvement and for the contribution to the society. The work provides us with an inner creative joy. Work saves us from the dullness and boredom in our everyday life. Each individual needs to work for various reasons, no matter whether he is the son of the millionaire or of the worker struggling with poverty. “Hard Work is a key to success”, is a well-known proverb. Hard work helps us to develop our potential to the maximum and strive for excellence

Every day, we confront the same environment, same workers and same task which makes us mind dull and boring. An employee with a good job have abundant opportunity to improve themselves with experience, ideas, and skills from what they do. A job that drives employee to improve themselves are more preferable than a job without any improvement opportunities. In Studs Terkel’s “Who Built the Pyramids?” a character Mike Lefevre works in a steel factory as a laborer. It’s obvious that Lefevre is negative towards his work, he thinks “how are you gonna get excited about pulling steel? How are you gonna get excited when you’re tired and want to sit down?” (P 38). In reality he is gloomy and he thinks he can’t get better. He knows he will face the same workers, the same boss and does the same work every day. His work is boring, trying, and he loses his passion about his job. He seems hopeless about improving himself from his pathetic job.He can’t find a good job where his mental strength would be equally valued as his physical strength due to lack of education and skills and knowledge. If his job was challenging and he had to involve his mind along with muscles, then he would probably love his job. When the job is challenging and have opportunities to improve employee then job are likely to be more productive and have positive impacts an employee idea and credibility. If you don’t work to improve

Every one does, better future and better opportunity encourage employee to work hard. Providing employee an idea of their potential career in future motivates employee. This encourages employee and make them realize that their position is a step for better future and opportunity and is not a dead end. Employee with career path are satisfied and are the best performed. However, Lefevre doesn't think so, because he is not satisfied with his work. His work is tiring and boring. He thinks “If you can’t improve yourself, you can improve your posterity. Otherwise life isn’t worth nothing. You might as well go back to the cave and stay there” (P 38). He seems hopeless about better future and better opportunity from his job. Even though he hopes he can improve his son's future by providing him with a quality education which finally will lead him to a better future and better job. If Lefevre was given an idea of his potential that he can get better future and opportunities from his work, then probably he would be satisfied and would have good work ethics. The aim of having a better future and getting better opportunities in job motivates employee and ultimately leads them towards