Sarah Jaffe

When people ask me why I wrote this book, my joke is always like punk rock and crappy jobs.

My first job was picking up trash at an outdoor concert venue when I was 15 years old, which was cool because I got to see like David Bowie for free, which was great.

Also dating myself a little bit.

But, you know, it's fine.

Yeah, I scooped ice cream.

I worked in like a record store, but not a cool record store, like a suburban strip mall record store.

All this when I was in high school, I waited tables for years.

I went to university in New Orleans, which is where I also live now.

So I did a few stints in working in a couple of jazz clubs, which was, you know, fairly cool, but still waiting tables, not fun.

And I, let me see, I managed my parents' bicycle shop for a little while so I can change bike tire.

I can't true a wheel, but I can fix your brakes.

And what else have I done?

Let me see.

Yeah, I worked for a nonprofit for a little while with some kids.

I've done a lot of miscellaneous things.

I'm Sarah Jaffe.

I'm a journalist and the author of, among other things, Work Won't Love You Back, How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone, and From the Ashes, Grief and Revolution in a World on Fire.

Yeah, I think really like you hit the nail on the head there, which is I went from all of the service industry work that I more or less hated to, oh, this is exciting.

This is my dream job.

I'm a journalist now.