Off The Clock — For Very Different Reasons

By Margaret J. Krauss

Published May 29, 2019 at 5:00 AM EDT

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Shikha Goodwin works on a job application in her family’s Pittsburgh home. “It’s work to look for work,” she says.";s:3:"u

Margaret J. Krauss / 90.5 WESA

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Shikha Goodwin works on a job application in her family’s Pittsburgh home. “It’s work to look for work,” she says.";s:3:"u

Margaret J. Krauss / 90.5 WESA

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Goodwin doesn't want her children to know she's struggling, but her daughter's presents to her suggest they do. "There was 25 cents in there," she says.

Margaret J. Krauss / 90.5 WESA

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Goodwin doesn't want her children to know she's struggling, but her daughter's presents to her suggest they do. "There was 25 cents in there," she says.

Margaret J. Krauss / 90.5 WESA

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Mary Sprajcar volunteers weekly at the Humane Animal Rescue Wildlife Center in Verona, Pa. The center took in 4,000 injured or abandoned animals last year, with the goal of rehabilitating and returning them to the wild.

Kevin C. Brown / 90.5 WESA

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Kevin C. Brown / 90.5 WESA

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Some animals at the Humane Animal Rescue Wildlife Center cannot be released, such as Peaches, a Virginia opossum. Those animals become resident “education ambassadors,” explains Sprajcar. ";s:

Kevin C. Brown / 90.5 WESA

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Some animals at the Humane Animal Rescue Wildlife Center cannot be released, such as Peaches, a Virginia opossum. Those animals become resident “education ambassadors,” explains Sprajcar. ";s:

Kevin C. Brown / 90.5 WESA

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Retired pediatric nephrologist Dr. Demetrius Ellis tries to meet friends at the Bob O’Connor Golf Course in Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park most days. “I’m just about [a] full time golf enthusiast,” he says.";s:3:"uri

Margaret J. Krauss / 90.5 WESA

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Margaret J. Krauss / 90.5 WESA

Working for a wage is a big part of life for most adults in the United States. Since last August, Still Working explored what those jobs mean, or don't mean, to people, and how work affects how they view the world. The final episode of the series, however, looks past paid labor. Shihka Goodwin describes the difficulty of searching for a job. Mary Sprajcar discusses her volunteer labor at the Humane Animal Rescue Wildlife Center in Verona, Pa. And Dr. Demetrius Ellis reflects on his retirement and the newfound time for family, friends, and golf.

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Still Working is our podcast about how work shapes who we are and how we see the world.