Two Atlantic staffers discuss Inside Jobs, a months-long reporting project that included conversations with an obituary writer, a janitor, a train conductor, and many others.
Debra Leonard-Porch, an administrative professional for over 35 years, reflects on her career and the pride she finds her work.
Marie Billiel, who has worked in the restaurant industry for 10 years, talks about having to have a “mask on” for eight hours at a time.
Shawna Rule, a 21-year-old living in South Dakota, talks about juggling a full-time job, a part-time job, and a college degree.
Chuck Carlson, a logger in South Dakota, talks about having one of the most dangerous jobs in the country for over 30 years.
Jeni Strand, an HR executive in Fargo, North Dakota, talks about the challenges of building a workplace that respects employees’ time at home in an age of the smartphone.
Brad Eichler, an executive at a Little Rock, Arkansas-based firm, talks about what hard work means to him when he’s traveling more than 100 days a year.
Rhode Island's Moira Walsh thinks of herself not as a politician but “a waitress who happened to get pissed off enough to take a crack at it.”
Francis Nichols, a pretrial-service officer in Washington D.C., talks about trying to get assistance to people in the justice system, especially those who aren’t straight.
Julie Cruse, a petroleum engineer in Wyoming, discusses negative perceptions of her industry and how she navigates a male-dominated profession.
Doris Bobadilla talks about being the first self-identifying Hispanic female to be admitted into law practice in Mississippi, and how that still drives her today.
Julie Engstrom, a designer in Cleveland, Ohio, talks about why her field is such a challenge for people with kids.
Sam Rosen, a fisherman from Vinalhaven, Maine, discusses changes in the industry and how they affect the identity of the island community it supports.
"I found myself unemployed five years ago for the first time in my life. That was unsettling, but it was not undoing."
Jane Harrod, a farmer in Kentucky, talks about transitioning to a different crop after the U.S. soured on cigarettes.
Sergeant First Class Patricia Robert talks about how an “impulse decision” to enlist in her mid-20s has, unexpectedly, served her well.
An interview with Lieutenant Commander Tom Huntley, a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Coast Guard
Caroline Held, a manager at a McDonald’s in Ames, Iowa, talks about taking a job in food service while many of her peers pursued higher education.
Annie Truex, an actress in Los Angeles, talks about the obstacles women face in the audition process and how to stay motivated after constant rejections.
Liza, a dancer based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, talks about how the stereotypes about her profession affect how she’s treated by clientele.