Site Description
While I was visiting my cousin, Selinee, at her school we took the opportunity to go to her job and have our interview there. Her boss said it was okay since they were not going to be busy in the office that day. She works in the Facilities Department at Lehigh University. It’s a small building and so is the office Selinee works in. Since the office itself is very small everything feels close and tight. Makes it feel like you are trapped. It feels like this since everyone has their own nook but they are close to one another. Two out of about seven books are specifically for work study. They are right in front of the boss’s office. There is little room in the nook so it felt extra small since there were two of us sitting there that day. I told her she was lucky because she was sitting next to a window because there were not many in the office. This way she can see the outside and not feel as trap as someone who sits away from the window might feel. All around the office I saw paintings and frames to liven up the place I assume. Next to us there was a painting of a cornucopia with colorful fruit inside and next to the painting was a frame with a picture of a garden. By her boss’s office there was a shelf with office supplies, folders, and binders. Other than that it was a generic office.
Informat Description
The person I interviewed is my cousin Selinee Tejada. Although we are cousins she looks nothing like me. She is kind of small but that day she appeared taller only because of her hair. Selinee had her hair in an afro which made her head look huge since she has a lot of hair. This made me laugh since her head doesn’t match her body because of how big her head looked with her afro. She has a light skin tone, almost white, and because of this with her hair she says people always assume she is Puerto Rican. This is because people usually assume that white skin toned hispanics are puerto rican. It was cold that day so she came in wearing a heavy black coat with fur inside. Underneath she was wearing a mustard colored sweater with black sweats and black sneakers. The only things she was carrying was her Maroon bookbag and her ID which she has around her neck in a lanyard.
Excerpt
Q: Describe what you do here.
A: We’re usually given different projects to work on. Since I’m starting to learn AutoCad I can’t do as much as the other work study students do. So at first I was just stamping different architectural drawings and filing them accordingly. I’m asked to scan different images or archives and digitally file them. It’s mostly independent work I do here along with AutoCad. In the beginning when I first started I tried not to bother my boss about learning the program so I was mostly just on Google and trying to figure it out myself as I go. But if I do have questions I have a specific boss who I bring up all of my concerns to directly but there are also 3 other ladies in the office. I mostly work with the other work study students on Fridays when we all have to organize and label some old drawing but that’s about it.
Q: Do you have any issues with the job?
A: I don’t really have any issues with the job. My schedule isn’t bad and my bosses are nice. The only real problem I’d say I have is that the pay sucks. I don’t really get paid much but that’s about it. Like I know people who have to cancel work to study or whose job gets in the way of them studying but for me it’s not as bad.
Q: Is this not a problem for you since you are able to do homework at work?
A: I actually can’t do homework there
Q: Really? Why not?
A: Yea, when they hired me they said doing homework there wasn’t a thing
Q: Why didn’t you look for another one then?
A: Because this one relates to my major and either the other jobs are taken or it could be the same thing.
Q: So other work study jobs don’t allow this either?
A: Yea, I know some people that are allowed to do homework and some that aren’t
Q: So you have to cancel sometimes just to study and do work?
A: I can but I can’t.
Q: What do you mean?
A: I’m allowed to but I can’t really cancel since I need the money and I don’t really have time to make up the hours that I didn’t work. The days I’m suppose to work ids the only time I really can work.
Q: Since you mentioned the pay isn’t that good and that you need to make money, have you tried to get a job thats not work study?
A: Yes, but it’s hard since either places aren’t hiring or its too far from my dorm and where I take classes.
Q: Would you say having the job affects your academic performance?
A: Not really, I mean it is harder to balance school and work so it sometimes affects my school work. But like I said before, it doesn’t affect me as much as other people I know who it does affect them more since their jobs can be farther away or they aren’t allowed to do school work like me. It does affect me but I just think it affects everything and not only my academic performance that’s why I say a little. It also affects my personal life since I can’t do other things I’d rather do since I have to work and also because I have to catch up on work.
