by Ernesto Sanchez, Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, CA
Before coming to prison, I knew little to nothing about “ethic,” let alone what it means for someone to have good “work ethics” in order to survive and be successful in life.
I watched other people on the streets go about their day-to-day lives, and doing what they needed to get done by working and paying their bills, but I just assumed that it was something that they chose to do because they had no other choice.
I was wrong, however, it took a lot of years for me to understand just how important it was for people to place such a high value on how they actually do a particular job.
Growing up as a teen, I always told myself and everyone around me that I had a job that I was good at, and that was selling drugs. I had this big misconception that I was going to start selling drugs in my neighborhood, get rich fast, and eventually buy myself and my family everything that I needed in life.
That was far from reality, but unfortunately, the only reality that I was willing to accept for myself at the given time. I was an immature boy, lacked an education and I was such a fool to think that I could face life in such a naive way.
Now, that I am a new father of a six month old baby boy, I see the world a bit differently than I did before. I may be incarcerated but I still feel the need to be a responsible adult by doing what I need to do while I’m in here. I remember the first couple of months that my son had been born, my wife was struggling financially because of the COVID pandemic and being a new at home mother on top of that.
I was faced with having to make a decision that was no longer just about me. I was currently working as a New Life K9’s Dog Handler where I had been raising a puppy that would eventually become a PTSD Service Dog. But I needed to do something that was going to help my wife out with some of her bills, so I asked to be moved to the Inmate Day Labor Crew Working on the roofs and making a bit more money, therefore I could send it home every month.
I felt responsible for being a new father. The first day up there on the roof I knew that it was going to put my full effort into this new job assignment just like I did the first day I became a dog handler. I also knew that I would be doing commercial roofing, when very few inmates even get that opportunity to learn such a skillset while being in prison. In a lot of ways, I felt as if I were finally given the opportunity to prove that I could handle being an adult.
Growing up, the only thing that I had to prove to myself was that I could hustle and sell drugs to get what I needed or wanted. Whether it was my son or my wife that finally ignited that flame of responsibility under me, I was instantly grateful when I got my first pay check and was able to send that money home to them to help with the bills.
The greatest lesson of all while working here in prison, is that it has taught me to be humble and be appreciated for whatever job it is that I am given. When you work hard you start to see that the benefits of an honest job are far greater than selling drugs or having to steal things from others in the community that have worked so hard for what they have. Because, when you sell drugs to someone you are not only making the community a place that is not safe, but you are also feeding someone’s addiction (considered a mental disorder) and possibly becoming responsible for their death at any given moment.
Now, I feel good that I am not that same person that I was before I came to prison. Regardless of who you are, where you are at, or what age you are. I believe that anyone can learn to appreciate what having a good work ethic will do for you. I think the most important thing is to stay the course even if things get tough, like having to learn the skills of that particular job and making mistakes along the way. Be punctual by showing up early to your place of employment. Dress appropriately for your job, and be willing to learn from your co-workers at every opportunity. These are the fundamental assets that bosses look for when seeking out long term employers.
All of these things I should add, show your employer and everyone around you that you take pride in working hard and earning everything that you get in your life, instead of taking from your community and those around you.