Chapter Nine: "First and Last Day"

 Finally, on his twelfth day on Charleston, a locker is available to Adam so that he does not have to carry around all his belongings with him. He gets on the bus and goes to Fast Labor. His first moving job that day is an apartment on the third level. He is determined to do well on his first task, even though it is a daunting one. He keeps a positive attitude. Curtis instructs Adam to drive to the moving site; he has never driven a moving truck before, so it is a little difficult for him. They eventually get to the apartment and load all of the client's possessions onto the truck. It is a successful move, and Adam realizes that even though he is not as strong as the other movers, he does not stop. He is persistent in his work. Adam is relieved to know that he know has somewhat of a schedule. He spends his afternoons walking around the city or going to museums; he does anything that is free of charge. He keeps his intentions good. He does not go out late partying and drinking. He knows that will only hurt him in the end. His goal is to be financially successful by the end of the year, and he allows nothing to stand in his way. Adam and his fellow shelter-mates do not care about what other people think. They do not try to impress others or try to hide their living situation. There is a lot of chaos going on at the shelter, but Adam keeps his eye on the prize: his continuation of his job at Fast Company and his financial success.

In this chapter, Adam reminds the reader that he should always stay focused. He doesn't get distracted when others do and he stays hard working and determined at his job. This is the one way to become financially successful.

Chapter Eight: Put Up or Shut Up

Today, Friday, Adam is determined to talk to Curtis McNeil, the manager at Fast Company. Adam wants the job, and he knows he has to be aggressive to get it. When he gets to Fast Company, he finds out from the receptionist that Curtis is away again. He decides to wait at the office until Curtis comes back. Curtis tells Adam that he has enough workers and there are not any open positions. Instead of walking out of the office, he demands Curtis's attention and a position at Fast Company. He says that although he has no experience, he is way more dedicated and persistent that any of the men Curtis has now. As soon as Adam finishes his speech on why Curtis should hire him, Curtis gives him a job. Immediately Curtis and Adam test drive one of the moving trucks that Adam will be driving. That Sunday night, Adam talks with a man at the shelter. He realizes that even though many men at the shelter are the typical hobos who are only interested in their next paycheck so that they can get drunk, many more of the men have just had bad luck and are trying to get themselves on their feet once again. His job starts on Monday, and it had only taken him 10 days to find it. His job will be hard work, but he is in for the ride.

This chapter focuses on the attitude needed to find a job. Employers want people who demand attention and can prove that they are hard workers. He also encourages the reader not to judge anyone in a homeless shelter. While some are just lazy and selfish, most of them are on a rough path and are just trying their best to survive. Overall, Adam wants his readers to know that one must have the right attitude in order to get a job in which one can be promoted and a job that will pay enough to live on.

Chapter Seven: Job Hunting 101 with Professor Phil Coleman

Phil Coleman, one of the crazy men at the shelter, decides he wants to find a job. Adam chooses not to follow Phil in his journey to find a job because he would get nothing done on the way. Instead, Adam goes back to EasyLabor to earn some money. He gets a job at a construction site and makes it back to the shelter by 5:00 to meet with his caseworker, Kazia. Kazia's job is to help Adam and her other clients to get their own jobs and to get back up on their feet. She is there to listen to Adam's made-up story about his completely dysfunctional family. She teaches him how to budget and where to go in the event of a medical emergency. After his meeting, he meets with Marco at the library. Marco is really upset because he has tried to sign up for some classes at the local college, but he can't afford it so the college does not allow him to attend. Everything he tries to do to make his situation better fails. At dinner, Adam meets a man named James, who talks about a woman he has seen on the street. Every day she holds up a sign that says she will mow lawns for money. One day, she was gone. He thinks she had the right attitude and had gotten a place to live from all the money she had worked so hard to earn. James and Adam realize that she had the right attitude to get out of her situation.She worked hard and didn't give up. A few days later he calls Fast Company and leaves a message, letting the moving company know that he will be calling the next day. He calls the next day, but the manager, Curtis is still not at the office. At lunch that day, Phil Coleman, the crazy guy, suggests to Adam that he is getting no job offers because he is not aggressive and confident enough with the companies. Adam decides that to get a solid job that will pay enough to live on his own, he needs to be self-assured. He must go down to Fast Company and politely demand a job.

In this chapter, Adam tells the reader that to get out of any bad situation, one needs to be aggressive and determined. He constantly keeps his eyes on the ultimate goal: to live in his own apartment and have a stable job. Through this, he encourages his readers to be persistent in their journeys to wealth. Overall, the point is that one must have the right attitude to become successful.

Chapter Six: Hustle Time

Adam really begins to take advantage of the bus system. It goes anywhere he needs to go. On this hot August morning, he first goes to Goodwill to get some new clothes. After he shops for a while and get some incredible deals, he goes back to the shelter for lunch. There, he hears about a moving company called Fast Company. It probably has a job opening. That afternoon, he goes to Fast Company. He fills out a job application, but the manager is not there. He waits for an hour to see the manager then leaves. He is frustrated. He goes back to Crisis Ministries. All the men there have a great sense of humor. Their jokes and lightheartedness keep them going. Adam realizes he needs to be with the men on their cigarette breaks if he wants to make friends with them. If he becomes friends with the men who know a lot about the town and jobs and have a lot of experience in Charleston, he can learn from them. He does not smoke; however, he goes outside for the smoke break at the shelter that night. He gives the men cigarettes that he has bought. He sees his first drug deal during the smoke break he goes to, and he is horrified. After the break, he checks his phone messages at the reception desk, but he has none. He realizes he needs a job, and the only way to get one is to be aggressive and confident. His plan is to work hard to get a job at Fast Company and to work his way up the ladder there.

Chapter Five: Sundays with George

Adam begins getting use to living as a homeless and jobless man. Sunday is the day to relax for all the men at Crisis Ministries. Many me go to church on Sunday; some only go there for the free clothes and meals. For Adam, Sunday is one more day to work and to make money. He works for a man named George. He does odd jobs at George's house; mostly he cleans up the dog poop in the yard. He feels that each time he tosses feces in a bag, he becomes closer to his ultimate goal: to have worked his way up from the bottom and to be living on money he himself makes. He later attends a baptism at a local church where he is offered free food. He realizes Crisis Ministries is the push along the right path that many of the men there never had. The next week, Adam looks for extra money. He hears about a place that will pay people to give their plasma. He is approved and his plasma was taken. He leaves the donation center and goes to a car wash where he is offered a job. He also has gotten a job opportunity at O'Charley's. He is happy that he has a steady job planned for that next Monday.

Chapter Four: Big Babies

One day, Adam got a job in which he hung baby clothes on clothes hangers at a department store that would open soon. He and the other workers got no lunch and were thrown out of the store when the manager thought they had been stealing. They stole nothing. Adam took some sandwiches with him when he left. He feels more free to say what he wants and act how he wants than he ever has before. He has no good or bad reputation to uphold. As he and his friends are waiting for their ride back to Crisis Ministries, Adam decides that he and his friend Marco will move out of Crisis Ministries soon and get their own apartment together. Adam realizes that if they want to stay out of the shelter, he and Marco must learn to budget and spend their money with frugality. This implies that Adam recognizes the importance of being thrifty and saving money. In order to get an apartment, he must save up his money instead of blowing it all as soon as he earns it. When he gets his money for the day, he receives a mere $14. He worked all day for less than minimum wage. He is disappointed that he worked so hard, but he knows he must save it and work just as hard the next day.

Chapter Two: EasyLabor and Chapter Three: Another Day, Another Dollar

Ann, one of the workers at Crisis Ministries, wakes up all the men and attempts to get them out the door. Before the men have breakfast, they are required to clean the room where they slept the night before. The men, including Adam, leave early so that they do not have to clean. Adam then goes to a class that Crisis Ministries puts on and requires all it's guests to attend once during their stay there. He learns that doctors and psychiatrists come to make sure all the guests are healthy and "each guest [is] assigned to a social worker that help[s them] to identify what exactly had gone wrong in [their] lives and what type of plan [they] needed in order to return to a self-sufficient lifestyle" (Shephard 33). He realizes how the shelter actually is trying to help the men get back on their feet and that he needs to get a stable job soon. He wanders around town and goes into shops and restaurants where he fills out job application forms all afternoon. Exhausted, he comes back to the shelter that night and makes friends with some of the guests.The next day, he goes to a company called EasyLabor. EasyLabor employs anyone and everyone and gives them mindless, exhausting jobs that require no prior experience and pay right around minimum wage. His job for the day is at a construction  site. As he is working, he gets a job offer from a man there. The job is every Sunday all day doing manual labor. Adam accepts. The message Adam tries to convey in this chapter is that even if you have gone broke, with the help of a good guide, such as Crisis Ministries, and a strong work ethic, anyone can get back on his feet. It just takes hard work and dedication.

(Sorry these two chapters are in the same post! I didn't realize they were two separate chapters for some reason until after I had completed all of the project. Neither chapter was very long at all.)