Michelle Collier_0037581
Mrs. Watts
Eng. 3
31 July 2014
Embracing Opportunity “Everyone has an equal chance to succeed. Success in the United States requires no more than hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance: ‘In America, anyone can become a millionaire; it’s just a matter of being in the right place at the right time’” (Mantsios 283). This quote from “Class in America” was written by Gregory Mantsios who is the director of the Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies at Queens College of the City University of New York (Mantsios 281). While most people in America would agree with his statement, Mantsios has labeled it, along with three other claims, a ‘myth’, which he then sets out to debunk with what he …show more content…
America is known as the land of opportunity, because regardless of the parent’s economic level, tools and opportunities abound to help many people improve their earning potential; even if that means taking a low paying job in a fast food restaurant and sticking with it until they are able to move up into a management position, then using that as a spring board to continue up the economic ladder. Tamar Jacoby, who wrote “This Way Up: Mobility in America” which appeared in the Wall Street Journal, tells us about “Shana Gonzales, a franchise restaurant owner whose father was a coal-miner in Arizona. Her first franchise job, in the early 1990s, was at a Taco Bell, where she worked as a part-time cashier while attending community college. More than 20 years later, she owns and operates four fast-food restaurants in Atlanta that generate $3.5 million in annual revenue” (Jacoby). This is one of many such amazing something-from-nothing success stories. Jacoby goes on to tell us that “60% of McDonald’s owner/operators began their careers as hourly employees” (Jacoby); that means opportunity abounds in the fast food industry; its too bad so many people think they are too good to work at McDonalds. Jacoby finishes his point by saying, “As millions of Americans know, even in a knowledge economy, countless valuable career skills can be learned outside a college classroom. Americans have a host of postsecondary options other than a four-year degree—associate degrees, occupational certificates, industry certifications, apprenticeships” (Jacoby). Many companies, especially fast food chains, promote from within; which is something Mantsios does not give enough credit, along with the power of a good
Mrs. Watts
Eng. 3
31 July 2014
Embracing Opportunity “Everyone has an equal chance to succeed. Success in the United States requires no more than hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance: ‘In America, anyone can become a millionaire; it’s just a matter of being in the right place at the right time’” (Mantsios 283). This quote from “Class in America” was written by Gregory Mantsios who is the director of the Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies at Queens College of the City University of New York (Mantsios 281). While most people in America would agree with his statement, Mantsios has labeled it, along with three other claims, a ‘myth’, which he then sets out to debunk with what he …show more content…
America is known as the land of opportunity, because regardless of the parent’s economic level, tools and opportunities abound to help many people improve their earning potential; even if that means taking a low paying job in a fast food restaurant and sticking with it until they are able to move up into a management position, then using that as a spring board to continue up the economic ladder. Tamar Jacoby, who wrote “This Way Up: Mobility in America” which appeared in the Wall Street Journal, tells us about “Shana Gonzales, a franchise restaurant owner whose father was a coal-miner in Arizona. Her first franchise job, in the early 1990s, was at a Taco Bell, where she worked as a part-time cashier while attending community college. More than 20 years later, she owns and operates four fast-food restaurants in Atlanta that generate $3.5 million in annual revenue” (Jacoby). This is one of many such amazing something-from-nothing success stories. Jacoby goes on to tell us that “60% of McDonald’s owner/operators began their careers as hourly employees” (Jacoby); that means opportunity abounds in the fast food industry; its too bad so many people think they are too good to work at McDonalds. Jacoby finishes his point by saying, “As millions of Americans know, even in a knowledge economy, countless valuable career skills can be learned outside a college classroom. Americans have a host of postsecondary options other than a four-year degree—associate degrees, occupational certificates, industry certifications, apprenticeships” (Jacoby). Many companies, especially fast food chains, promote from within; which is something Mantsios does not give enough credit, along with the power of a good