Gold medal workers helped make the Olympics possible
Hourly workers don’t receive nearly enough credit for the hard work they do every day that makes this country’s economy run all the more smoothly, like standing on their feet for hours, or helping customers find the perfect size, color and style (and honoring their expired coupons).
But we’ve got to give mad props to the 300,000 migrant workers who helped to construct the now famous sites for the Beijing Olympics—that’s more than it took to build the Egyptian pyramids, by the way. Not to mention, many workers, including factory employees and street vendors, were asked to leave the city and find work elsewhere because of efforts to purify the air and roads for the Games, so they hardly even got the chance to admire their magnificent handiwork.
However, four of those workers who had to drop everything and search for jobs in other cities got the surprise of a lifetime when an artist asked to paint them to portray the hard work they all had done to make the Games a success. In exchange for posing, the workers received tickets to the men’s 200-meter race inside the Bird’s Nest, the very structure they had helped build. In addition, they got to dine on duck, tour the Great Wall and enjoy a bit of celebrity by giving interviews and even signing autographs. Talk about perks of the job, eh?
Now that the Olympics are over and we are finished ogling over the beauty of the colorful water cube where dreamboat Michael Phelps won his eight gold medals, and gawking at the fact the National Stadium holds over 90,000 people, we should remember the dedicated migrant workers who helped make it all possible, for our viewing pleasure.
So, if you ever get discouraged with a customer or simply don’t feel like getting out of bed to go to work, just think: You could end up with a ticket to the Olympics, just like our four friends over in Beijing. Or at least an encouraging pat on the back from your boss.
- Read other job advice and start your job search today.
