Media Writing #2
January 29th, 2009 by Alexandra received No Comments »
When Carol Oster came of age, the drinking age was 18, the Vietnam War was almost over, and social progressive views were growing in popularity. By the time she enrolled in Tarrant County Junior College, she knew what she wanted to do: computer programming. The field was relatively new, but she knew she would be guaranteed a job when she graduated and it was a secret passion of hers. “Computers were as big as a room,” she says. “It was mainly for businesses, so I couldn’t learn on my own.” When asked if she was a self-described computer geek, Carol is quick to rebrand herself: “I was more business-oriented than anything.”
Carol was working long hours during her time at college. As soon as she turned 18, she moved out of her parents’ home and lived with a roommate in a tiny apartment located in Dallas, Texas. Her mother in particular was not willing to give Carol the freedom she truly wanted, and with two other siblings, the youngest being three at the time, that may have contributed to her moving out so quickly. Thanks to her outstanding debts and long hours, Carol became behind in all of her classes and ended up dropping out of school.
That’s not to say that Carol hasn’t had a successful or fulfilling life: she traveled to Mexico frequently; married at 33 to an Italian with a name far more complicated than her own; had a baby girl at 36; moved from Dallas to Memphis, Tennessee; and currently has a comfortable job at a long-standing company, working with computers. When asked, though, if there is one thing she wants to accomplish in the future, she almost immediately knows: “To become financially independent.” The supportive mother and wife may have the same idea as many Americans, but none can possibly have her story. And she’s got more to tell.
Tags: class exercise, media writing
Posted under: Media Writing Class
