Is It Really As Simple As 'Work hard and you will make it'?

Myth of class mobility?

Published on May 30, 2005 By joeKnowledge In Current Events

If I said it once, I must have said it more than twice; working hard is not enough. Working hard is a key element to 'making it', but it is not THE element nor is it the only one.

The way I look at it, this is how it works:
Hard Work: 50%
Oppertunity: 25%
Take Risk: 10%
Connections: 10%
Other: 5%
(Other could be anything from winning the lotto to some odd beating event happening)
(Yes I pulled those stats out of my ass.. but I told you that already)

Hard work helps to get you there or gives you a chance to take advantage of an oppertunity or an inside connection, but the reality is that you can make it without hard work based only on oppertunity or connections (Or other).

In fact you can work hard all your life and still be poor. The US is based on captailism and taking risk, but the reality is that if you take a risk, you can end up poor... I guess that is why Poor People are Stupid. It is not whether you will make a mistake, it is about how fast can you get back up or fix it.

Never the less, it would sem that Americans believe that working hard is enough:

According to the Times, Americans have a hard time accepting the notion that their society isn't terribly fluid. "Americans have never been comfortable with the notion of a pecking order based on anything other than talent and hard work," the authors write. "Class contradicts their assumptions about the American dream, equal opportunity and the reasons for their own successes and even failures. Americans, constitutionally optimistic, are disinclined to see themselves as stuck."

It's interesting that both the Times and Wall Street Journal are running series related to the relative health of the "American dream." These follow a set of stories in a similar vein, about workers and families facing increased economic insecurity, in the Los Angeles Times.

My key thing, even when it comes to Social Services, is that without giving people an oppertunity to add to the hard work that they should be doing, there is NO hope. Taking a risk literaly means becomig more edebted or worst. (and there are no real 'connections' to be made to find out where an opertunity exists)

It is not about ending Social Programs, it is about making them better. The people I met on public asssisance actually want to work and want good jobs. Most were kicked off of public assistance (like myself) when we found a job that paid us more than 67 dollars a week (mine pays about 100). What do some do? Find a part time job taking scrap metal to the junk yard or giving out free newspapers at the subway station.

There are always going to be people who abuse the system and drive Excalades while excepting food stamps, or people who have kids on perpose just to get aid (or catch deadly deseases or purposly hurt themselves to collect money) but without oppertunity to make something of yourselves, we all loose. We must give an oppertunity to those who work hard to make it.

So between living like your on The O.C. and being poor and stupid, is it really just about working hard and you will make it?

Comments (Page 2)

Dr Guy

on May 31, 2005

And by the way 30k a year is working poor,

With a family of 4, perhaps. But I think several around here would disagree with you for a family of 1 or 2.

mick_k

on May 31, 2005

Hard work without the ability to promote yourself will get you nowhere. If you just work hard it creates an expectation of you to keep producing at that level but you will not necessary be rewarded for it. I used to work 80 hour weeks, took on extra work to not only get my project done on time but to make sure other projects I was not on were completed as well. I figured that by working hard I would eventually get rewarded for it.

Unfortunately all it did was create an expectation of me to keep working the long hours, and then pilling even more extra work on me since I did that before. Eventually you get burnt out and need a break. But when you actually do go home after an 8 hour or 9 hour day then they notice that your production has gone down and look down on you. It doesn’t matter you are still producing more and still working more hours then anyone else all that matters is that you are not at the same level you are now expected to be at.

Then you have people that will walk around chitchat. Tell everyone about every little thing they did and make sure people notice. They are the ones that do get promoted, not because they work hard but because they make themselves visible and make it known that they are “working hard”.

Gideon MacLeish

on May 31, 2005

I believe hard work is the key ingredient. But another key ingredient is knowing how to sell yourself. I'm working on that angle right now.

We all have skills to sell; it's knowing how to present them that can make or break you. In my case, it's a transition between a work history that consists largely of manual labor jobs to a more "white collar" occupation. A look at my volunteer and community activities over the years indicates that I CAN make this transition; it's as simple as focusing on unpaid work opportunities and the 5 1/2 years I DO have of administrative experience.

I have to point out, though, that LW's right...your spelling and grammar could well be your achille's heel. I suggest you check out the book "the elements of grammar" from your local library and rely heavily on spell check before you finalize any documents. This advice could well be a career saver.

To answer your question, though, if you include research, self evaluation, and "thinking outside the box" in the category of hard work, then yes, it IS as simple as hard work.

Good luck!

Gideon MacLeish

on May 31, 2005

With a family of 4, perhaps. But I think several around here would disagree with you for a family of 1 or 2.

Well, as someone raising a family of 7 on somewhere in the $12-15K range without public assistance, I consider $30K a small fortune.

Gideon MacLeish

on May 31, 2005

What LW said. When we arrived here, we had a blowup mattress with pump, an ice chest, a hot plate, dishes, clothes, and $1200 to our name. Buying and registering a car, deposits, and other moving expenses ate up $1000 of that $1200 right away. We plugged away, and 7 months later we're finding ourselves ever so slowly moving towards solvency.

We've thrown newspapers, mowed lawns, collected cans and run errands along the way, but it's also gained me a few references as I continue to look for "stable" work.

Long story short: It CAN be done

CariElf

on May 31, 2005

As soon as you start believing that you are stuck and that you can't do anything to better your situation, you ARE stuck. There are always people out there willing to help. If you don't know any, you obviously have access to a computer and an internet connection, and I'm willing to bet that you have access to a yellow pages. No one is going to show up at your doorstep one day and hand you an instruction manual for life. Go out there and make it happen.

ParaTed2k

on May 31, 2005

JoeKnowledge. Imagine yourself a father of 4. You move your family 1000 miles for a job you have accepted. Your closest relatives are 8 hours away, and your closest good friends are even further away than that. 6 weeks after you start the job, through no fault of your own, you are "let go" from that job.

What do you do next?

You don't have to answer that question here if you don't want to, but the answer you come up with will tell you more about yourself than anyone could possibly answer about you.

-----

on May 31, 2005

Lucas, glad to have yo back. I hope it was not serious.

--went in tuesday, left sunday afternoon, they found 1/3 of my right lung was collapsed...(

) and that my O2 gases were that of a 60 year old who had been smoking for 40 years (or at least what the RT and on call doc said...) that and i also found out that there was a little bit (just caught it) of pneumonia and that i have sleep apnea...so it was one of those times......

-----

on May 31, 2005

and thanks guys....

joeKnowledge

on Jun 01, 2005

little_whip: So, I guess what you are saying is that my middle class dad, who retired back in 1990 while making about 90k a year was only able to do so because he stepped on throats, got a lucky break, or was born in the right family?

What an asinine assumption to make. My dad was born to to a coal mining family in eastern kentucky, the youngest of five children. When he was 18, he and several friends set out hitchiking across the country, determined to find work and vowing to return for their families when they did. (At 18, dad was already married and had an infant son.)

He found a job working at the McDonnell Douglas factory in St. Louis, rented a sleeping room, and for the next year saved every penny and made good on his promise, returning to bring my mother to St Louis.

From an entry level parts inspector job on the factory floor, he worked his way up into management, and in 1969 became the youngest "Quality Assurance Resident Representative" they ever sent overseas, stationing him at Messerschmidt in West Germany where they were manufacturing the cockpits for F-4 Phantoms. We remained in Germany for 8 years.

So that is one person who 'worked hard' and made it. How about the others who 'worked hard' and didn't? I mean no offence to your Dad, but most likely he did have to be cut throat in order to get to that level. To a point, there isn't really much wrong with that.

What I am saying it that he worked hard and made an opportunity for himself, but guess what? There had to be a job that would hire him, there had to be a chance to move up where he worked, there had to be some support (apparently being the people he set out with to go find a job). So in a since, it wasn't him just 'working hard', it was him finding a place to move up in, leaving with people who could help support his decisions, and just plain having a chance to even be hired.

Look, everyone, this is what I am saying:
Hard Work = Making It
?????
No. It is not that simple.

Hard Work = True entry level workplace?
No.

Hard Work = Making It
Misnomer? Yes. It is not as simple as work hard and you will make it.

Even as people posted here, note how the definition of working hard became 'do this' and 'work smart not harder' or 'make sure you are in a place where you can move up in the pay scale'.

What I think many did not notice is that their parents had to support them in order for them to even take advantage of working hard Were your parents considered poor or working class (pay check to pay check)? How come you 'made it' and they didn't?

From what little_whip said, she had it pretty good based off of what her parents reaped. Question: Would little_whip have to work as hard to 'make it' as someone who started out where her father did? Dr. Guy, would you be where you are if someone, ANYONE, didn't give you a chance or an opportunity?

Bill Gates was mentioned. Obviously he worked hard, but is his OS the best OS? Do many agree that there was a better OS that someone equally worked hard on? Who made it?

Wouldn't my children (if I had any) have to work harder than Frogboy's children with less to make it? If they didn't, is it because they just 'didn't work hard enough'?

The very last question might shock you... While hard work (50% of the equation that I pulled out my ass) is valuable, is it NOT true that I could make it if I had and or most of the other 50%? If I was the child of little_whip's Dad, is it not true that I could just work with the latter 50%

Are many here saying that 30,000 dollar jobs are here for everyone for the taking if you just work hard enough?
Could the American economy support everyone making 30,000 dollars (current value, not a deflated one making it worthless)?

Isn't capitalism based on competition? Doesn't that mean someone, anyone, can just not be on top or even in the middle?

Is City College of New York 3.8 GPA the same as a Harvard 2.09?

I am not saying that working hard does not help or that many people include some factors (like networking and working smart) into what is called working hard, but the reality is that there are totally separate parts of the equation that, if not included or are rather small, could quite mean that no matter how hard you work, making it is not a reality. Without an opportunity (which can surmount to luck at times or just being at the right place at the right time), connections (do you really think that President Bush would have gone to Harvard or even be president for that matter right now without the support of his father many years prior?), support, taking risk (like little_whip's father did, because that was a risk he defiantly took in doing what he did) and just plain other, you will not have the same true opportunity to make it as other in higher social classes. (and face the fact that because you made it does not mean there is room for another to do the same).

Even now, I would kiss Frogboy and take him on a honeymoon just because of his work is creating an opportunity for me to build something off of it. (Plug for Knowledge Net, creating a personal knowledge base using Blog Navigator, and Announce Your Life.com as well as DesktopX projects... end plug)

I could have never seen WinCustomize... but because I did, there is an opportunity for me to build something not only for myself but for others.

joeKnowledge

on Jun 01, 2005

Oh and about the spelling... I thought about that at work today and you guys got a point (especially with the knowledge archive thing). I really let my writing skills slip way too much I took a Civil test for the state (one I should have passed with flying colors) and got a 67 even though I 'knew' everything on the test.

I was very disappointed when I got the result.

I'll take your advice and be more precise (and get that grammar book too)
Can't hurt....

Anyway, back to the thread...
If what people mean by hard work is:
hard work - work smart - opportunity - support - take risk - other (like research, self evaluation, hitting the Lotto, rich uncle, real estate)

Then yes, hard work and making it is true.

It can be done, but how many can actually do it?

Thank you everyone for posting on this blog post!

KarmaGirl

on Jun 01, 2005

And by the way 30k a year is working poor, so is 50k a year. you need to be making 80k or more to be true middle or upper middle class.
150k or better for a real upper middle class single income.

I think that you are a bit off with your definitions.....either that or you don't live in the US. The middle class is defined as households with income between 75 percent and 125 percent of the current median household income. The current median household income is about $42,500. That means that "middle class" is roughly $32,000 to $53,000. $30,000 per year is upper lower class, not too far from lower middle class.

Gideon MacLeish

on Jun 01, 2005

joe,

If we're going to quibble on the definition of "hard work", we might equally quibble on the definition of "making it". You see, I see "success" as having the bills paid and the family fed. That's all. Nothing more. Another man would view success in quite a different light.

Personally, I've been up and I've been down. Right now, I'm down, rending upward. The reason I'm trending upward is that I refuse to STAY down. In short, failure is NOT an option. That's the way to "make it", in my opinion.

Draginol

on Jun 01, 2005

Saying you have to make $50k to not be poor is having unreasonable expectations.

A single guy making $30k per year is not doing badly. As Karma points out, the typical HOUSEHOLD income is well less than $50k.

Working hard is a pre-requisite for success IMO. You certainly don't have to do anything nasty or unreasonable to have a middle-class lifestyle.

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