Okay, so I know it has been a LONG time since I put up a new post but I have been extremely busy!
I started a new job in the beginning of November. This is one in the field that I believe I am destined to be in. It has been a long journey to get here but I know that everything happens for a reason. I will fill you in on the crazy journey of finding the "perfect" job.
I went to college in the fall of 2002. I was hoping that I would be able to get an education and good experience and then get off on my own and just jumpstart into a career. Boy,was I wrong. First off, I should say that I absolutely loved college. I would not have changed a thing about it. I made the most amazing lifelong friends. I ended up joining a sorority in which I was extremely active in. I learned so much about myself and life. To me, the social aspect is what got me through the educational aspect of being in school. I decided to take the 5 year plan instead of the regular 4 (who can do college in 4 anymore? The amount of core classes is ridiculous) I changed my major a few times as I was not sure what I wanted to do in the future. I started off in Early Childhood Education. I love kids and always thought it was the career I wanted to be in....WRONG. I still love kids but I do not have the patience for the school systems and all they endure nowadays. I have so much more respect for teachers out there....it takes a special person to teach, that is for sure. Anyway, I then did a little in psychology ( I find those classes to be extremely interesting). I soon realized that unless I wanted to go and be a psychologist, there is really nothing that I could do. I then went into Health Education. I loved this major. Would I recommend it to others? no, but it was a great choice for me. It is very broad and so it is hard to narrow down a career in this field. I graduated in May of 2007 and have since been on a journey of finding a career instead of just a "job".
My class graduated at the WORST POSSIBLE TIME IN THE ECONOMY EVER!!!!! Just as I am entering the work field, the recession hits. I am thinking "how am I going to get a job when everyone is downsizing like crazy?" It was tough. I just tried looking and seeing what there was to offer. I got my first job out of college in a private preschool. Now I know this sounds random but I worked for Primrose Schools all through high school and parts of college. I loved kids and wanted to pursue a career as an Assistant Director and work my way to director. It was my dream as a child to invest and open a Primrose one day. After all, I needed a job and I couldn't be too picky with the economy and how it was. Well, I decided this was not for me. I worked 12 hour days often, had to not only deal with 40 employees I was managing but, over 200 kids, and their parents. After almost a year, I decided to call it quits.
I was offered a job at an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor. This started off as temporary gig but within the first week, the office manager wanted to hire me and put my patient education degree to work and build the practices' allergy clinic. I thought "this is absolutely crazy, how am I going to give shots and injections to patients? I am no nurse nor did I get trained in this." Turns out...I can. I am under the direction of the doctor and so it is legal...interesting. So I boarded a plane to San Antonio and began to learn about allergy testing and treating of patients. I really liked it. Don't worry, I was under direct supervision for months before going solo. Side note: of course the doctor HAD to be somewhere in the office when I was administering any test or injection. Anyway, I liked it for a while but the office manager was a huge flake and was really off her rocker. She started asking me and other staff members to call in prescriptions for her without any kind of doctor approval. I can call in RX all day long but the doctor wasn't giving me/approving these orders. What she was asking of me and others is very much illegal. These shenanigans kept on and she got crazier and crazier (the Doctor's are amazing and have no idea what kind of whack job is managing their office, but not my problem anymore). It got to be more and more of a daily task of avoiding the requests of doing things extremely illegal (which I would never do or else I would be in jail and never work in the health field again). I decided I really couldn’t do this anymore and started looking elsewhere. I took a chance (a stupid one but I felt I need to get out) and quit this job. I was without work for two LONG months and then began working in a restaurant just to get by. It sucked but it was money. I felt useless because I have a college degree and working in a restaurant. I had to keep telling myself there was something else out there and tons of other people are going through the same thing. I was just lucky and didn't have to support a family or children on my own.
Oh and did I mention that I still live at home. I HATE the fact that I still live at home...with my parents. They are great and I luckily have a basement to myself(fully furnish) but still, I never thought I would be 26 and live at home. I know several people that still live at home. I know that my generation is trying to come out of the recession and begin our careers even three years later, but I want that independence and "me time"
The beginning of 2010 I started with a staffing agency. I was with a job for about 8 months until the project was completed and the assignment ended. I had a few weeks of doing side jobs here and there but still thought there had to be something else out there. Make a long story (I know, you are sick of reading) short, I was working in a human resource department for about 8 weeks. I fell in love with this career path and began learning all I could about it. I am such a people person. I like working with others, traveling, and managing. This is where I need to be. A few weeks later a job came along that was in HR and was temporary to permanent. The Manager in the HR department was willing to work with me and teach me everything I need to know in HR in order to one day do what she does and become an HR Manager. She is only 3 years older than me and we hit it off at the interview. I knew she was someone that I could work with and even someone I would be friends with outside of work. She then hired me to come on for 90 days and then become permanent. I have to say I LOVE WHAT I DO. I have learned so much in the past month. There are growth opportunities, travel opportunities, and it is such a great company to work for. I look forward to what lies ahead. I have to say that I am very happy with it can’t wait to start to get the salary of being a full time employee. You will just have to stay tuned to see what happens!
PS- still living at home! I hate it but it is what it is. Hope to move out in the next few months!
