Mr. Braaksma chose to spend his summer vacations working in the factories surrounding his hometown. Though he chose to work there for the money, it provided something more. Braaksma walked away from these factories with life lessons. As invaluable as his experiences were, making the change never became any easier for him. He describes the transition from his “lush” (Braaksma, 2005) college campus life to a factory employee as “torture” (Braaksma, 2005). The author expresses his relief to be back in school by saying how his friends “never seem to understand why I’m so relieved to be back at school in the fall or that my summer vacation has been anything but a vacation” (Braaksma, 2005). Those who took the more leisurely jobs cannot comprehend why Braaksma finds returning to campus relieving. …show more content…
Though his time at the factory was ruthless, he is grateful for the lessons it had taught him. He expresses his appreciation when he states, “Factory life has shown me what my future might have been like had I never gone to college in the first place” (Braaksma, 2005). This experience had a great impact on his life and because of that, it helped him set a clear goal for his future. Braaksma realized the necessity of his college education and vowed to work hard at his studies. He received the opportunity to experience what life is like for those without a