Youth Quote Search

• Aspirations and Goals
• Imagining their future selves

“[At 45] I have a family, a house; have everything done I wanted to have done, but stay local.”

• Impact of peers
• Pathways

“My life is a little different. I left the house when I was 15 because almost everybody got locked up by then. So I was in the streets. But I met a dude. He was like three years older than me, which is my kids’ father…now. And he put me in a crib at the age of 17. So but before that, we was staying at his father’s house. He had a job. He bought me everything. He did everything for me. He was like my dad. Did everything for me. He wasn’t that much older than me, only like three years. But in between times, I had a baby, and at the age of 19, I had a baby by him. I never really had to work. He did everything for me. But when my baby turned like one, I went back to school and finished up school, because during all that time, at 15, you know, I didn’t finish high school. So I ended up going back to school, getting, you know, getting a GED. My dad, he always, he stay in jail. I just figured out his birthday this year. And my mom, she always done hard work. You know, she’s always doing work. She always put things together. But, you know, I guess when people in love they get a little bit messed up. So I left her too. But other than that, that’s why I’m always on my kids, my family, because you don’t know the things that people have to go through or what they’ve been through. And a lot of times we don’t get the support that we need to get to where we going. So that is why I wanted to do better. So that’s why I got a job. But, you know, my kids thought he was a drug dealer. He sold drugs. I never really had to do it. I never had to…anything. But at a certain time, you get tired of getting everything handed to you. So I’m like I want to work. I want to work. But that, he didn’t like. That’s what made him domestic. You see, he wanted to give me everything. So I end up leaving him after three kids. But, you know, I got…I found a full-time job. But in between times, you know, with my little life being in the streets, I got into a few run-ins with the police, put a couple of scratches on my background. But I’m still…I’ve maintained a job. So I just work and, you know, support my kids.”

• Characterizations of a good job
• Understanding Job/Work/Career

“Benefits…Like health benefits. I think that’s it…Like 401K…Insurance.”

• Challenges and Barriers
• Death, loss and uncertainty

“My biggest concern/fear in general is a fear of failure or not getting to that place I want to be.”

• Impact of personal attributes and characteristics
• Pathways

“Being creative has gotten me to my path point today because with all the creativeness I do in my barbershop it sticks to the employees allowing them to be more creative themselves when doing or creating something for the barbershop. Even the clients see our creativity and always compliment us for it because it brightens the barbershop up.”

• Characterizations of a good job
• Understanding Job/Work/Career

“Something that you want to go to work every day; not like oh I have to work. I’ve got to go. You are like oh it is time for work. I wonder what is going to happen today. I’m excited.”

• Aspirations and Goals
• Imagining their future selves

“[At 45] I’m thinking hopefully I have a decent enough pay and get married at some point. I hope [I have kids]. It would be nice.”

• Comparing and contrasting 'job' 'work' and 'career'
• Understanding Job/Work/Career

“Positives about job: money coming in. Positives about work: doing something useful.”

• Pathways
• Steps and stages

“Today is the endpoint, right here, right now. Everything is just a dream so far, just getting everything started. I move to the age of 22, finally finished my personal training because that’s what I’m doing currently, training clients…and then so training clients at least age 22, at least 2 competitions under my belt, clothing line picking up. And then I move to age 24, getting my gym supplements and proteins and everything like that underway, 3 shows. And then 26 is at least 5 to 6 shows, finishing college, opening my gym by then, still training clients. By age 28, FIBB pro, which is a pro card you have to have maximum 5 shows to enter for it. Finally, move and find a town I want to live in and actually open up my own gym. And this is age 30, on the road to Mr. Olympia. Business is going pretty good. More clients every day. Opening second gym. Clothing line is pretty good. Age 32, relaxing because, after a while, bodybuilding does have a toll on your body…And so relaxing, still training, still, you know, picking up, in taking knowledge, and still training clients. By the age of 34, probably most likely going to retire by then. Still, obviously, you still have the titles and everything. But two gyms are going pretty good. Clothing line, supplements are going good, and then, hopefully, I can start getting my name brand and everything start to go worldwide.”

• Impact of race, ethnicity, gender, culture
• Pathways

“For me, white women or any kind of women are able to find the career and job they wanted to be because achieving our goal is within us, and we are the one who make the company or any job offers will hire us.”