Week 2 EOC: Returning Veterans

Veterans are also known as heroes in our country. They come back home in uniform and sometimes with medals for the things that they have done. Spending time with family and relaxing after being away for so long is obviously the first thing on their mind, but what happens when a veteran either comes home to nothing or needs to support his or her family? That is when they start looking for every day work like being a sales associate at a retail store or possibly being a greeter for Walmart like most older veterans do. When a veteran re-enters the work force after being in action it is harder to integrate them. Many of our veterans come back with PTSD, depression, or sometimes physical long-term wounds. Unfortunately, our "heroes" are given the worst or undesirable jobs when they are fortunate enough to land a job. They are given the jobs that do not require much interaction or tedious jobs that are hard to tolerate. It is harder to reteach someone or work with them when they have certain obstacles like PTSD that disable them from completing the simplest tasks. Loud noises may trigger a traumatic experience and in the end cause them to respond in a way that most people do not know how to handle. In some cases it is dangerous for them to be in areas with large amounts of people. Most of the time they don't even make it past the first week without something happening. Today there is more understanding when it comes to hiring veterans but the problems they face when applying for a job are not yet resolved completely. In time I am sure that we will see more organizations that support disabled veterans that find it harder to rejoin the work force and soon will find a way to incorporate our heroes properly back into the work place.

My Voice

       When I wake up in the morning the first thing I think of is what I am going to wear. I get out of bed and run a quick image of the contents in my closet through my mind. After I have decided what to wear I start everything else. Fashion is my life. It is not only the most important part of who I am but the most important outlet in my life. I grew up knowing that I loved fashion. I didn't just stumble upon it one day. Ever since I was a child and could operate a sewing machine, around age 6, I began designing and creating. With my colored pencils in hand and all of the scrap paper I could ever dream of I began drawing. I didn't doodle stick figures and flowers like most girls. I started out with a vision and transferred that vision onto paper. I could create countless outfits for numerous occasions and people.
       One day I started creating things for myself. I would take clothes that didn't fit anymore or that I couldn't stand to wear and would make them into something completely knew. The first thing I made was a shirt. I had some material that my mom had given me and decided that it would make a lovely tank top, and it did. Throughout the years I taught myself how to sew basically Mostly through trial and error I had my successes and failures. It taught me that I could create anything that I wanted to and most importantly that I could do anything that I put my mind to. From that point on I decided that my passion would be my future career.
      Now that I am in school for Fashion Retail Management I plan to absorb as much as possible to become a success in the fashion industry. I will own my own line and boutique some day in the near future. The Art Institutes is the perfect place for me because it is a place for creativity. There are other people just like me that have the same goal in mind; to fulfill their desire in pursuing their passion. I am not just a designer but an artist, a creator, and an admirer for all things artistic.

Best Job VS Worst Job

My worst job was coincidentally my very first “real” job. I started 13 days after I turned 16 at Carter’s Inc. as a sales associate. My days consisted of repeatedly straightening onsies and baby accessories while dealing with unruly children and most of the time their angry moms. At first I loved how simple it seemed but was shown how it would all change. I started to see the different sides of my employers. Some days they would be fine, most days it seemed like I was their way of getting all of their personal anger out. I was later promised a position as a supervisor and was even trained for it. Days before my set promotion date I was told that the position had to be given to another employee. At that point I was fed up with the treatment I started to receive on a daily basis despite my hard work and loyalty and decided it might be time to find a different job after 2 years of hard yet unappreciated work. Both Coach and Michael Kors recruited me while I was contemplating resigning from Carter’s. After a few interviews at both stores and weighing out the pros and cons, I chose Coach. I have been working for Coach since July 14^th of 2014 and love it. The rate I started at was unbelievable and I was also offered aide with my tuition through the company. Aside from the benefits I love what I do and the people I work with. I am now treated with respect and am allowed to exercise my creative abilities daily through visual displays and other responsibilities that have been given to me. The company even offered me a paid internship in New York for Design. As a sales associate I meet pleasant people more than I do the unpleasant ones and each customer seems like a friendly acquaintance rather than a sale. I have the luxury of enjoying where I work and doing something that I love. Your best job cannot get any better than that.