Chapter 1: Worldly Perfection
College graduation. A time of inner pride. A time of family and friends. A time of getting gifts and that much needed financial boost (mostly from distant friends and relatives that you sent an announcement to merely for the money, of course). A rite of passage, a step into the next chapter of your earthly life.
Take off those Velcro shoes; you’re going to be a big boy now! You’re going to get a real job, an apartment, a salary, a new life with new experiences. But a giant problem stands in your way from all of this career newness and money-making excitement – actually getting a job.
Yes, yes, we all know unemployment is 9-something percent and the economy smells like something rancid that would be found in the back of a dorm room frig. Plus, there are tens of thousands of recent college graduates like me hoping to secure a job right out of school. But for some reason, these facts didn’t seem to faze me. Deep down, I felt I was going to have a job lined up right out of college, move out of my parents’ house this summer and begin working within weeks of walking across that stage. Ha! Egad Batman was I mistaken! The Lord had other plans for me.
If you read any of my other blog postings, you know that for my last semester of college I was in wonderful and warm Costa Rica studying abroad, living with a Costa Rican host family and soaking up new experiences every day. When I returned home from Costa Rica (sniff, sniff), I had to be in Michigan to graduate a week later… I left a lot of time to settle back down, right?
Since I wanted a job lined up right after graduation, I had to search for one while in Costa Rica. Let me tell you, finding a job while in another country is tough stuff. However, thanks to a lead and introduction by a friend, I got my foot in the door with a company in Toledo. After interviewing with the company via phone and in person three days after I returned home in May, the company was all but ready to offer me the position. Perfect. I was about ready to graduate and already had a job lined up. My dream was coming true. Things were looking groovy.
Maybe it was stupidity, maybe it was sanity or maybe it was just God’s hand in it all (I prefer to believe the latter), but I turned down the job offer in Toledo. Doh! I turned down the perfect set-up, the ideal situation for any recent college graduate. In all honesty though, I don’t believe the job was the right fit for me. I think God knew this and helped me make my decision accordingly. However, now I was without any job offers. Having just graduated, I was forced to do what I dreaded most, move back home with the ‘rents. Ugh.
Chapter 2: Godly Perfection
Now, almost three months after graduation, I am still fervently on the job hunt, picking up leads here and there, being interviewed by a few companies every once and a while. Yet, I have still not had another job offer. I face rejection daily, something that seems painless from far away but really starts to hurt after a time. Being unwanted is never a good feeling. But with optimism as my shield and determination and motivation as my weapons, I will not be defeated so easily. I will and have been searching every day and will continue to do so until I land a job that is right for me. I am not one to back away after setting a goal.
Having a negative mindset at first towards the notion of living at home, not being able to live on my own and fully support myself, I have done a complete mental 180. Sure, my family and I argue sometimes; we butt heads and sometimes step on toes, but we are a family. At home I am wanted. Here I am loved. Here I am listened to and respected. What more could a young man ask for than friendship?
These past few months after graduation have taught me a lot and allowed me to do things I would not have been able to do with a full-time job. I was able to take a week and visit my grandparents in Hawaii with my little brother, Peter. Our brotherhood bond became much stronger and closer over that week. I have been able to help my parents out around the house, cleaning, mowing, washing, etc. Now, they both don’t have to stress and toil when they get back from work. They can merely relax and enjoy the company of their family.
I have been able to be there for my family emotionally, psychologically and spiritually as well, helping them work through issues and sometimes just merely being an ear to listen. Personally, I feel sometimes just having someone to listen to you talk makes all the difference in the world.
I have also been able to stay connected with friends from Costa Rica, using my down time (i.e. when I get burnt out sometimes from applying and following up on leads) to talk with or visit them. For example, I recently took a road trip to visit my friend in Chicago, Laura, and I daily Skype with my friend from Costa Rica, Sofy. Would I give up the stronger relationships and friendships I formed over these months with these people for a full-time job? No, I would not. What a silly notion.
Spending time in Costa Rica helped show my hypocritical self that schedules, plans and work work work aren’t always the important things in life. Spending time with others, forming relationships and spreading the Good Word of Christ are what matter most.
Yes, in my mind I have the ideal path I want to take in life. But what trumps my path, what I should constantly be on the lookout for and open to, is the path of Christ. I need to listen to Him, hear what he wants me to do and obey. Easier said then done, right? I guess, whether or not I get a job soon, I will continuously pray, always looking for the good in things, always looking for what the Lord is trying to teach me, trusting in Him to show me His path.
