72 UnIt 6
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MATEO ROMERO
@MateoR
The working world is changing so fast! I need to keep up with employment trends—just in case!
ReAd ABoUt A JoB mARket tRend
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which larger enterprises can deal with more easily than smaller ones can. Additionally, in
the gig economy, it’s often useful to assemble teams of freelancers living in different regions or countries; however, keeping a geographically dispersed team running smoothly can involve additional administrative staff, software tools, or financial incentives. This is more difficult for smaller companies, which likely have tighter budgets.
For better or for worse, the gig economy appears to be here to stay. If there’s gig work in your future, here are a few key skills you’ll need to thrive. First, critical thinking skills and logic are indispensable.
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With only yourself to rely on, the task of sizing up situations and asking the right questions is yours alone. Second, top gig workers need the skills sought by corporate human resource departments, such as a positive attitude, communication skills, teamwork, and efficient work procedures. Third, since you’ll be handling your own taxes, savings, and budgets, a good understanding of finance is a basic prerequisite. If you need brushing up in these areas, it might be time to take some online courses so you can face the fierce competition of the gig economy with confidence.
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Read the Reading Skill. Then reread the article and underline the hedging expressions.
Compare the expressions you underlined with a partner’s.
3 CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Answer the questions according to the article.
1. What trend does the phrase gig economy refer to?
2. In what two areas can firms benefit in the gig economy? How can they do so?
3. Why are workers’ rights advocates worried about the shift to the gig economy?
4. What skill sets are necessary to thrive in the gig economy?
CLOSE READING Reread the lines. Then circle the correct answers.
1. What does the sentence in lines 45–49 imply about Uber?
a. It is losing market share to streamlined gig-work platforms.
b. It is taking market share from local taxi companies.
c. It is fighting to save market share for local taxi companies.
2. In lines 59–63, how is the second sentence connected to the first?
a. points out an exception b. provides an explanation c. supplies a comparison PAIRS Summarize the article in 3–5 sentences.
4 MAKE IT PERSONAL
THINK How does gig work compare to traditional employment in terms of pay, physical working conditions, benefits, career path, scheduling, and work-life balance? Take notes.
GROUPS Discuss gig work versus traditional employment for young, middle-aged, older, married, and single people.
EVALUATE In the same groups, decide together on the best and worst aspects of gig work.
Choose one person to present your ideas to the class.
Search online to find the gig-work platforms mentioned in the article. Determine whether you would be eligible to obtain work through them.
READING SKILL Recognize hedging Hedging expressions (for example, seems, could, possibly, suggests) signal the writer’s caution about whether the information presented is factual or only an approximation, opinion, or claim. By recognizing hedging, you will avoid taking something as a confirmed fact when it is not.
UnIt 6 73 I cAn ReAd ABoUt A JoB mARket tRend.
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The Great Jobs Debate: Passion vs. Pay
When you are looking for a new job, or perhaps for your fi rst job, there are a lot of questions to consider. How can you decide what will be the right career move?
One of the biggest decisions you will need to make is whether to choose a job based on your passion, or whether to choose a job based on practical features such as salary. If you follow your passion, will you make enough money to live? If you choose a job for the salary, will you be happy? It’s important to consider the ramifi cations of both options.
“Following your passion” means choosing a job based on your innermost desires.
When you choose a job because it’s something you love—teaching, for example, or
playing a musical instrument—you can be pretty sure that the job will make you happy. You are less likely to lose interest in the work over time. On the other hand, there may be fewer jobs in your area of interest.
The salary may be low, and the benefi ts may not be great. And, of course, for many people, even fi guring out what they are passionate about can be a challenge!
Choosing a more practical job can solve some of these problems, but it can raise other problems. If you can fi nd a job with a good, steady salary, you are likely to feel less stressed. And if you have a steady job, you might have time to pursue your hobbies or passions outside of work. But if you are not happy about going to work every day, you will not feel motivated to do a great job; and then you might get stuck, and not be able to move ahead in your career.
into your work, it’s possible that your work will become your passion. And then you have the best of both worlds.
1 BEFORE YOU WRITE
Read about compare and contrast essays.
A compare and contrast essay looks at two different things or ideas and analyzes the similarities and / or differences between them. It seeks to draw readers’ attention to the advantages and disadvantages of each side, allowing readers to determine which idea is preferable.
Read the model. What two things is the writer comparing? What are some advantages of each side?
Perhaps the best solution is a happy medium. Don’t feel pressured to choose a job based on your passion, but do choose a job that seems interesting to
you. Don’t choose a job based solely on the salary, but
do choose a job that makes enough money to cover your Writing tip
expenses. In the end, if you put enough energy and effort It’s OK if you don’t know your conclusion when you start writing your fi rst draft. Writing is a process of discovery. Writers often fi gure out how they feel about the topic only after they have written out the details in the body paragraphs.
lesson
74 UnIt 6
5
MATEO ROMERO
@MateoR
Found this interesting article on what criteria to use in choosing a job. For those of us who sometimes wonder about what “might have been”…
wRIte A comPARe And contRAst essAY
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PAIRS Do you agree with the writer’s conclusion? Why or why not?
Read the model again. Take notes in the chart.
Choosing a job based on Choosing a job based on
Pros Cons Pros Cons
– the job will make you happy – you will not
over time
– fewer jobs – lower – fewer
– not always easy to figure out what your passion is
– better salary – less
– time to pursue outside of your job
– less
– you might get