Bait and Switch

Barbara Ehrenreich has gone undercover again, but this time she is investigating the hardships of the white-collar class. Ehrenreich seems to be optimistic about being able to land a job in no time. She believes that she has a strong resume, personality, and experience to get her a well paid, good benefits white-collar job. Her first step to enter into the world of the white-collar is to create a "fake" name, "fake papers, and a "fake" resume. She fears that she will be recognized and treated better than others if she doesn't do these things because of her previous book Nickel and Dimed. Her next step is to get training from a career coach. She finds the world of career coaches to be extremely dishonest. Erenreich believes that networking is one of the most important things to do when going for a job. The more people you know the greater your chances of landing a job. To gain the aura of an executive Erenreich enlists in a executive boot camp. She wants to be able to embody the spirit and actions of an executive.

Tone: optimistic
Style: precise
Rhetorical Strategies: imagery "...modest ranch house in residential area...decorated in a style I recognize as middle-class Catholic, circa 1970- prints of nineteenth century pastoral scenes..." pg. 25
simile "But in networking, as in prostitution, there is no time for fascination." pg. 62
Application: When people graduate from college are they as optimistic about landing a job right away like Barbara Erenreich was?