O The Fool

Census 2000 Enumerator

My tenure as Census Enumerator for the 2000 Census was a challenging and rewarding job. I undertook it in the spirit of paying my debt to the discipline of Sociology, and found interest in the design and implementation of the survey. I learned a great deal of self-confidence, as it was my job to go door-to-door to people who had not completed their census, and convince them to answer it for me. This was especially daunting with the “long form,” which often required over an hour of people’s time. I made a name for myself within the group as the person who could get people to complete the census who had refused, threatened, and chased away other enumerators. Besides being threatened by dogs, I found that I met a number of fascinating people and learned a great deal about myself. I also learned about bureaucracy, government services, and survey design.

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