I think the answer is the waiter
Ray Bradbury was disturbed by the future of America. He was afraid for the fate of the whole earth, he acutely felt the threat of fascism. His political views are reflected in his works. That's why he received a special distinction: his name was included in fascists' list of those who was sentenced to death. On a day when they will come to power... But that day will never come because Ray Bradbury is not alone in America.
Sorry for my mistakes, I'm Russian)
Answer:
The author couldn't follow his dreams because of the job market failure. He was an English major and wanted to be a writer but couldn't get the job. He tried for several months to get a job with no luck until he heard about an opening in a newspaper business. Nobody wanted the job so he took it. He didn't believe he could be a reporter because he never thought about it before. He wanted to write, not ask questions.
The failure of the job market shaped a motivator externally in the short story. If the job market was thriving, he would have probably found a writing job somewhere else instead of the reporter job he took. He would have never found his true passion for reporting with the failure.
Notice the Irony?
