The promotion

Many have viewed the 2010 Census as a bloated waste of government expenses. But for those of who are unemployed, it is thankful refuge for both wages and purpose.

I began my work for the census in March as a "group quarters enumerator" who searched for the homeless under bridges and in soup kitchens. I then graduated to a NRFU-RI position where I made sure the enumerators weren't making stuff up when they went door-to-door. Believe it or not, some of those census takers were indeed frauds, so I had to clean up their mess by finding the real people who lived in the neighborhood. I took pride in that job, and made sure I did everything possible to get the facts right while saving the federal government money.

Apparently, my hard work paid off. Last week, I was hired as a crew leader for the final stage of the 2010 Census. I will now be leading a group of 10 other enumerators as we make the final push through this Constitutionally mandated phase of counting human beings. The crew leaders begin training for the final phase today before instructing our crew next week.

The census job has made me feel important. Now, this promotion to a managerial position has made me feel like I made a difference through those early (crazy) phases. It feels good to be rewarded for hard work in a thankless position. But most of all, it is important to add this supervisory position to my resume.

Regardless of how people feel about the federal government and the 2010 Census, I know this job has turned me into a better worker and prompted me to now be a manager.