“Looking for Work” is a narrative by Gary Soto in which he looks back on some of his experiences as a nine-year-old. Gary Soto was a Mexican American who wanted his family to be more like the families he saw on television every morning. In his quest to become more like TV families, he felt that one of the first steps would be to be more wealthy, and so he began looking for work. He earned money doing odd jobs around his neighborhood and at the end of the day he had earned thirty cents; all of which he spent going to a community pool with his friend, Little John, and his sister, Debra.
Like Gary, I also decided that I needed a job this past summer. I had been keeping an eye out for “Help Wanted” signs for a while, but once summer hit, I knew that I had to start being a little more proactive about my search. I filled out application after application, and heard nothing. I had applied to seven different places by July; everywhere from summer camps, to coffee shops, to Baby Gap. Even babysitting jobs had hit a complete standstill. I envied my friends who were good enough swimmers to become city lifeguards and make over ten thousand dollars for the summer while I had to make my graduation money last as long as possible.
Gary Soto began looking for work in the 1960’s, while my search began some fifty years later. The wages that Gary was making weeding flower beds might not seem like much today, but it was probably well worth it for him at the time. And I could relate to that, since any amount of money that I made babysitting this summer seemed like a fortune to me. Although fifty years have past, not much has changed. Kids like Gary are still selling lemonade on the corner, washing cars, or peddling ice cream on the beach; just at a slightly higher price.
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