Block Adam Block Work and Identity Essay College Writing Professor Lago REVISED ESSAY Why technology

is the biggest adaption for workers As a communications major, I know that the workplace is changing faster than ever before. The types of jobs in this field and the way things are done are completely different from to ten years ago, let alone forty years ago. It is rare that workers have the

same job for multiple decades because of the amount of adapting they have to do in their field is immense. However, my parents are the exception, they have had the same type of job for over thirty years and have adapted to the changes whether they liked it or not. Nowadays, workers cannot keep the same job for a long period if they cannot adapt to the fast moving technology because of the current job market and oversaturation. Firstly, in Richard Sennet's, "No Long Term: New Work and the Corrosion of Character", Enrico was able to raise a family off being a janitor for forty years. However, fortunately for Enrico, the job of being a janitor has not changed much in the last forty years. The reason being is that there is little technology involved in being a janitor, therefore there was little adapting for Enrico to do. Once again, having a job for forty years is very rare because of the current job market and because of how much workers would need to adapt to technology, so being a janitor for forty years is different. Although many workers in the technology field are constantly leaving one job and finding another job, my mother has worked at the same television production company

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for thirty years and worked her way up to Executive Producer. However, unlike Enrico, a lot has changed in her work field though out the years. When I asked her What has changed in your field and how have you adapted to these changes? she replied, Technology has changed a lot. We didnt have computers, we had fax machines. There were no cellphones and everything is digital now. Because of the much faster technology, they now have more clients and much faster deadlines, which makes her job far more competitive than before. In addition, my father worked as a video editor at a television company in New York City for twenty-five years and was only laid off by his company less than a year ago. He currently works as a freelance editor and has not been able to find another job since he was laid off. When I asked him, What would you have done differently? he said, "I would have liked to work at different agencies." It would have been more personal growth and to experience different agency cultures as well. Similar to Rico in No Long Term, he would have liked to have changed jobs more often. I then go on to ask him, How have you adapted to the changes at the work place? and he replied, Although Ive only had one type of job, Ive had to learn many new ways of doing it. So in other words, when he got his first job as an editor he used tapes and machines to do his job, now he does the same job, but on the computer and without tapes. If he did not learn the new editing software that is now used on computers, he could not have kept the same job for as long as he did. To put it in my dads words, he said Back when I started, I was editing movie film on a Moviola upright, then on a Steenbeck, then a Kem flatbed editing machine. About ten years later a lot of my editing work had moved to linear tape machines, so I learned to use CMX and Sony editing systems.

Block Now for me personally, hopefully I can be as fortunate as my parents have and have a job in this field for multiple decades. My dad was an editor and my mom was a producer for the entirety of their careers. I have already decided that I want to be an editor like my dad because Im very good at it and my dad has taught me a lot about video editing. Although my dad said he would have liked to explore different types of jobs in his field, for me I would like to be able to keep the same job for a long time because I wont have to stress out and worry about finding a new job. As of now I'm a major in communications and according to Anthony Carbevalle's, "College Majors,

Unemployment and Earnings: Not All College Degrees Are Created Equal," I have about a 93% chance of getting a job after I graduate from college. Although my chances of getting a job a straight out of college are high, the big question is How long will I be able to keep my job for? With the quick rate that technology is moving I will undoubtedly have to adapt at my workplace and adapting to the new technology may not be easy for me. I believe that ten to fifteen years down the line video editing will be completely different from what is now. In conclusion, there are many different factors that play into the adaption of the workplace, but overall, technology is the biggest reason for adaption at the workplace. As much as I would love to come out of graduate school like my dad and keep the same job for thirty years, it just seems too unlikely in todays generation. Nevertheless, I am fortunate because I know what field I want to get into and I have the connection of my parents, so I am not too worried about finding a job.

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Interview #1 Dad: Mark Block

. What is your current job and how long have you had it for? also for dad: How long did you work at BBH? Currently I'm a freelance video editor. I've been freelance for one year. Before that, I was employed full time at BBH (an advertising agency) from 2004 to 2011. 2. How many different jobs have you had? I've been an editor my entire career. After graduating from Columbia University School of the Arts, I got a job as a messenger at a post-produciton facility. I was promoted to assistant editor 4 months later, and became an editor two years after that. I've worked at three companies over the years: 11 years at Editing Concepts, 11 years at Crew Cuts, and about 8 years at BBH. 3. Is this what you wanted to grow up to be? No! When I was a kid, I wanted to be a herpetologist. In college, I wanted to be a writer or journalist of some type. I thought about being a film director, but decided I liked editing best. 4. What changed in your field throughout the years and how have you adapted to these changes? Back when I started, I was editing movie film on a Moviola upright, then on a Steenbeck, then a Kem "flatbed" editing machine. About 10 years later a lot of my editing work had moved to linear tape machines, so I learned to use CMX and Sony editing systems. In 1990, I moved to a non-linear laserdisc system, E-pix, and then in 1992 moved to a Macintosh-based non-linear system, the Avid Media Composer. In 2006 I switched to an Apple Final Cut Pro system. So although I've had only one type of job, I've had to learn many new ways of doing it. 5. Would you have done anything differently? Yes. I think it would have been interesting to do feature film and TV work. I had the opportunity to do that, but didn't act on it. I also think I would have been a good recording engineer and mixer. Again, I had the opportunity to move into that field, but turned it down

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Interview #2 Mom: Ida Block 1. What is your current job and how long have you had it for? (also for dad: How long did you work at BBH?) I'm a Executive Producer in the TV Production Department. I have worked at DraftFCB for over 30 years. The company was a different name that have merged and became Draftfcb.

2. How many different jobs have you had? I started out as a Broadcast Traffic Coordinator, Assistant Producer, Associate Producer, Producer, then eventually a Executive Producer. 3. Is this what you wanted to grow up to be? Yes, i always wanted to be in the advertising world and on the production side. I wanted to work in a creative environment and production seen like an exciting job. 4. What changed in your field throughout the years and how have you adapted to these changes? Technology has changed a lot We didn't have computers, we had fax machines. Communication was talking on the phone and meeting in person, today it's mostly emails and conference calls. Equipment and Technology has changed drastically, shooting on 16mm and 35mm. Now mostly shooting on Digital HD. Editing on Flat bed now editing on computer. Faster technology - you don't have to have the film go to the film lab to do the optical effects or dissolves. Much faster and instant resolves in the digital world. Audio equipment was all analog rather than digital. Used 3/4" u matic, VHS tapes, data dvds, cd's, now all digital. Less physical materials now - mostly materials delivered via links and posting. No cell phones when i started as well. Much faster deadlines than before and more levels of clients and more levels at the agency side as well. The researching of storyboards/concepts are more than before. Before it was the direct client's judgement to green light the project. Now it's goes into research/testing and focus groups, then making changes to reflect the data before it's green light to go ahead into production. The process from concept to production is much longer than before due to all the testing. Clients also expect a lot more and faster results. More competition in the field. More global resources. Your vendors/suppliers you are working with can be in Europe or anywhere in the world. Dealing with people on different time zones rather than just LA and NY. More traveling than before since your production can be in Canada or Europe or Latin America, or South Africa. We use to just shoot in New York or Los Angelos. More conscience of the multi cultural population- casting was mostly Causcasian, now more Hispanics, African Americans and Asian used in commericials.

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5. Would you have done anything differently? i would have liked to work at a lot of different agencies. It would have been more personal growth and to experience different agency cultures as well.

Works Cited: Richard Sennett. No Long Term: New Work and the Corrosion of Character., 998. October 16th 2013. Anthony P. Carnevale Ban Cheah Jeff Strohl. College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings: Not all College Degrees are Created Equal., February 1st, 2012. October 16th, 2013.