The docks, also called “the piers,” is a symbol of the life of manual occupations. McCourt worked at various docks before becoming a teacher, and briefly thought about remaining there. When his boss dies, he considers applying for his job, thinking his college degree would give him an advantage. He’s afraid he wouldn’t be a good teacher, and working in the docks appears to be a safer career choice, especially if he can get into the office. However, a woman in the office tells him a high school dropout could do the job and he’d be wasting his education. He’d have more respect as a teacher, she says.

McCourt’s first teaching job is at a vocational school, and it becomes apparent that many of his students’ fathers work in the docks. It’s occasionally referred to as a limited and unsatisfying job, something to be avoided. The fact that McCourt once worked there is something that connects him to his students and gives them some hope of moving up socially and economically. As one father tells his son, “If this Irishman can get to be a teacher, so can you, Ronnie, so can you. So forget the docks. You might make money but what good is that when you can’t straighten your back?” (65).