Instructor: Kyunghee Pyun
Course title: HA 214 – Art in New York (or many other courses)
Lesson title: Realities of Labor: Your Part-time Jobs
In every course, I have an ice breaker activity to introduce myself. I wrote a post introducing myself and summarizing a career from being a graduate student, research fellow, part-time instructors, on-demand writing opportunities, and full-time faculty.
Then I ask students to talk about their various jobs so far. See this prompt that I usually use in my online discussion forum.
Tell me about yourself. Your name, major, year (semester 5 for example), high school you’ve attended, part-time jobs (if application; past-present; full time?), and your hobbies. How did you go through the pandemic (2020-2022)? Most of you were in high school, weren’t you? About 200 words. Please add two replies to your classmates’ posts.
To this prompt, students write about their previous and current jobs. Then in the online forum and sometimes in in-person classes, we follow up by asking more questions to each other. I once found a student who worked at Chipotle for two years during his high school. He was making a steady income by working 4-10 pm after school. He said college life is tough to maintain his part-time job at Chipotle. His manager does not like to accommodate his course schedule which varies day to day. Students working many hours want to keep their course schedule predictable and recurring. However, they do encounter some disruptions in some semesters as their “required” courses for their major have certain blocks of hours. They do get frustrated when their signed up courses are cancelled due to low enrollment or changed due to an instructor’s availability. Some students delay their graduation by taking extra semesters to deal with this “schedule” issue.
Some students work for their family business. Recently a student told me that her family has several nail salons in Brooklyn and in the Bronx. Once she graduates, she wants to manage one as her own. Right now, she goes to a branch when it needs a substitute that day. A male student said his family owns a HVAC and plumbing company. He has worked since the age of 14! He is now a photography major at FIT.
During these conversations, we talk about hourly rates, benefits, or absurdities at the workplace. Many international students also learn from others what type of documents/procedures are needed to get a part-time job. Some international students may work for their relatives, but they are not allowed to work in the United States (F-1 visa status).