John Doe
SOC/100
August 21, 2013
Dale Harrington
Social Mobility
In my opinion the American dream of social mobility is not a myth. “Formally defined the term social mobility refers to the movement of individuals or groups from one position in society’s stratification system to another” (University of Phoenix, 2011 p.8). The citizens of the United States have unlimited resources to help them grow as a person. A college education can be virtually free for students that qualify for certain programs. The U.S is the most technologically advanced nation in the world, there is no reason that someone can not move up in the stratification system. Anything can be achieved through hard work and dedication, anyone who disagrees is choosing the lazy path in life and is limiting themselves to all possibilities. There are so many options people have; it just takes effort to achieve success.
As a child I grew up in a poor household. Through the years my father struggled to pay the bills and we were living from month to month. I remember one time he came home and he was ecstatic because he made $100 that week. He worked around the clock to make ends meet. He would do any kind of side job whether it was buffing floors at his church or fixing friends cars. At the age of 13 my dad starting hitting the books and studying for his Real Estate exam. He bought the books and studied by himself for about a month before he scheduled his test. Once he became a Realtor he worked around the clock to get his name in the market. As a family we went from lower class to middle class because my father made the decision to do better. His focus was unparalleled, and once he made the decision to become successful, there was no stopping him. My Step-Father grew up in Australia, and worked as a tow truck driver. He saved just enough money to move here to the United States in 1990. After moving here he worked hard