Rosaura is from Peru, and she works at a restaurant where, she says, many of her coworkers can barely understand her. Rosaura was an industrial engineer in Peru and came to the United States in 2001. Her English is now improving and she has taken a class to update her resume. She’d also like to go to school for more education.
Rosaura says: ‘I want to learn.’ | • Watch Video
Scott is a pharmaceutical engineer who was laid off, along with others, by a drug company in December of 2008. In an overcrowded job market, he has been out of work for much longer than he ever expected, and he has now expanded his job search beyond New York. Scott attends job fairs and fills out online applications, but the process is starting to wear him down.
Scott says: ‘You…kind of give your mind a break, but as you’re doing something else, you’re thinking, ‘I should be looking for a job,’ so it’s challenging.’ | • Watch Video
Shefik is a web programmer from Brooklyn who was laid off at TIME Magazine and TIME.com. Even with skills that are tailor-made for the digital age, Shefik finds himself hustling around New York City looking for a new job.
As he does so, he is also using much of his new-found free time to develop his own business.
Shefik says: ‘There are a lot of [web jobs] out there, but it’s just about maintaining that integrity of what I want to do.’ | • Watch Video
Wayne built a multimillion dollar company starting with just $350. After losing his job as a photographer in 2004, he decided to market his own nasal spray headache cure. Now, he’s hoping to embark on a similar business venture with skin care products. Wayne says business loans are hard to come by for small businesses, even those that are successful.
Wayne says: ‘Small businesses create 60 percent of the jobs in this country. Without small business, you’re never going to bounce back.’ | • Watch Video
