Field Guide Vol. 274
There is struggle, but also dignity and humanity inherent to work. The labor we do in the world is central to how we understand who we are and our place in society; be it as a writer, a miner, an athlete, a dog walker or a politician. Work can offer a salve for our deeply human yearning for direction and purpose. But it’s also a material necessity, it is how we feed and clothe ourselves, care for others and simply survive. The time we spend each day working is time spent serving, agonizing, toiling, creating and thinking.
The latest print issue of Stranger’s Guide is out now! This special photography edition, Stranger’s Guide: The World at Work features stories and photos centered around work and labor across the globe. You can purchase the print issue here!
Did you know?
Pilot is the world’s dream job, with over 1.3 million global annual searches
Top 10 dream jobs (according to global search data for 170 countries)
Honduras…………..YouTuber
Belize…………..Customs Officer
United States…………..Real estate
Jamaica…………..Flight Attendant
Nicaragua…………..Hacker
Sierra Leone…………..Doctor
Niger…………..Actor
Latvia…………..Model
Estonia…………..Model
Sweden…………..Model
Finland…………..Model
Slovakia…………..Police Officer
Egypt…………..Football Player
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Women of Color in 9 to 5 America
By Qiana Mestrich
A few years ago I discovered a collection of vintage photos of my mother as a “white-collar” office worker in New York City in the late 1960s. I looked at the images and pored over every detail of this bygone era, wondering what it might be like if the movie 9 to 5 were remade with women of color?
Originally from Panama, my mother migrated to New York City to pursue her dream of a new, American life. For her, life in New York City as a Central American immigrant was feasible, promising and mostly exciting. At that time New York still resembled the glittery “big town” she’d seen in movies.
After working in a perfume factory, where she sometimes bruised herself during mishaps on the assembly line, my mother gladly accepted a sales position in the offices of the Rugol Trading Corporation, a hardware wholesale company. Rugol’s offices were located on North Moore Street (in what’s now Tribeca) on a block of dirty warehouses that functioned as factories, artists’ studios and discotheques.
Emigrating to a foreign country by herself and eventually having to raise a child alone while working full-time was a necessity for my mother. Being a “working girl” was a source of pride for her and a crucial part of her identity. I remember admiring her typing skills as a child, watching in awe at the speed with which her fingers ticked away on those IBM typewriters.
