Lucy's Journey: A Feeling of Being Left Behind

07-01-25 00 / episode: 420

Hi, I’m Les and this is the first part of a twelve part story. I’m gonna tell you a story about a young woman named Lucy. Listen to this story to practice extensive listening so you can understand people better when they talk.

Here are some pre listening questions:

Questions

Part 1: What does Lucy do at her job? Part 2: What did Jenny achieve after learning to code? Part 3: What did Lucy hear her coworkers discuss in the break room? Part 4: What did Lucy search for on her phone? Part 5: What did Lucy search for before going to sleep?

Lucy’s Journey

The Feeling of Being Left Behind Morning Routine Lucy Tang stared at her computer screen. The customer service dashboard showed ten waiting calls. She had worked at the call center for three years. Every morning felt the same. She answered calls. She solved simple problems. She said the same words over and over. The office lights were too bright. The air conditioning was too cold. Her desk plant was the only thing that made her smile. A Friend's Success Her phone buzzed with a message from her old college friend, Jenny. "Just got a promotion to senior developer!" Lucy typed "Congratulations!" but her heart felt heavy. Jenny had started learning to code two years ago. Now she made twice as much money as Lucy. They used to have lunch together every week. Now Jenny worked in a big office downtown. She had a nice apartment. She went on vacation to Hawaii last month. Lucy looked at her own desk and sighed. Lunch Break Blues In the break room, Lucy opened her sandwich. Two younger coworkers talked about their weekend plans. "I can't stay out late. I have my coding class on Sunday," one said. Lucy's sandwich tasted dry in her mouth. Everyone seemed to be moving forward except her. The break room television showed the local news. A story about tech companies in California played. The reporter talked about new jobs. Lucy watched the screen and thought about her future. Her phone buzzed again. Jenny had sent pictures of her new office. Evening Scrolling At home, Lucy looked at job listings on her phone. Developer, programmer, software engineer - the titles filled her screen. The jobs paid well. The companies offered good benefits. But every post wanted skills she didn't have. Some jobs asked for five years of experience. Others wanted special certificates. Lucy opened her laptop. She typed "how to become a programmer" into the search bar. Many websites appeared. They all said the same thing. Learn to code. Practice every day. Build projects. Lucy felt lost in all the information. Late Night Thoughts Lucy couldn't sleep that night. She thought about her college degree in business. She thought about her safe job. She thought about Jenny's success. "I don't want to be left behind," she whispered to her dark room. "But I'm scared to change." The clock showed 11:30 PM. Her alarm would ring at 6:00 AM. Another day at the call center waited. Lucy turned over in bed. She picked up her phone one more time. This time she typed "coding bootcamps near me." The screen lit up with possibilities.

Answers

Part 1: What does Lucy do at her job? A: Lucy answers customer service calls at a call center. Part 2: What did Jenny achieve after learning to code? A: Jenny received a promotion to senior developer. Part 3: What did Lucy hear her coworkers discuss in the break room? A: The coworkers discussed their weekend coding classes. Part 4: What did Lucy search for on her phone? A: Lucy searched for job listings for developers and programmers. Part 5: What did Lucy search for before going to sleep? A: Lucy searched for coding bootcamps near her.