The start of change part 2 – Looking for a job

Hey! I hope you guys have been doing well!

So last week I talked about how I was feeling at this time last year, as a senior in college. I talked about how I felt, what was happening and the thoughts going on in my head. Today, I am going to talk about searching for that next step before graduating. Locking in a job, before I graduated, and a little bit after that too. (I will be talking about graduating next week).

Here we go!

So, as I was feeling all of the emotions that occur when you are in the world of the “unknown”, I was trying to figure out what I was going to do after graduating. For me, often times, when I have no idea what is about to happen, I try to compensate by finding something that will allow me to look forward and past the current situation I am in. (Definitely not a good idea. I have learned that it takes control away from God, when all He wants us to do is trust Him and give everything to Him. I had not completely done that yet). 

As I was applying for jobs, I had found a few that I thought I would get or at least get an interview for, along with others that I just wanted to apply for because I thought they would be something fun, and something that I would be good at. I sent in probably 30 or more applications to a wide variety of places. All I had to do was wait. And wait I did. The first place did not get back to me for about 4 weeks, and then the rest slowly got back to me over the next several months.

The first one that came back, was a no. The second, no. The third and fourth, no. As it continued, with each no, I grew more discouraged. Why wouldn’t anyone give me a chance? I had experience in most of the fields that I had applied in, but yet, all I ever received were no, after no, after no. Time was ticking down, and as the weeks turned into months, I was getting a little more aware of how much time was left before graduating, and I still had no plans. At this point, I was also still trying to figure out whether or not I was going to be moving into my own place somewhere in the US, or going to live with my mom. It all depended on where these jobs lead. So, I really had no idea where I would be after graduation.

Eventually I just decided to stop trying. I was frustrated, discouraged, and just annoyed. Many of my classmates had jobs lined up, and I did not. And like I said last week, not having some sort of plan, is just not my thing. I was happy for those that had job offers, or were already hired at places. I celebrated with them and encouraged them, but that did not mean that I was okay. But hey, everyone deserves to be celebrated and rewarded for their hard work too. After all, everyone has their own story. 

Anyway, like I said, I stopped trying to find a job probably two weeks before graduation and just decided that after graduation, I would take some time to relax and catch up on sleep and collect myself before I went job hunting again. This meant that I was moving back home with my mom, which was and is such a huge blessing for me and I cannot thank her enough. But, I had planned on taking a weekend away from people and just being. Getting into the word, exploring, hiking, running, journaling, and just having some quality time. It was so nice, but once it was over, I really had to find a job. 

After my weekend away, and week of unpacking all of my college things, I got up on a Monday morning and started my search. I went to all sorts of places around where I live just filling out applications, introducing myself to managers, and trying to find anything at this point. It did not need to be the forever job, just something to start saving up and paying off my student loans. 

After a long morning, I went home for lunch and just as I was about to sit down, I got a phone call. It was my mom. She asked what I was doing and I told her I was eating lunch. She told me to change into interview stuff and go to this place to have an interview. And she told me to hurry. So, I put away my lunch, changed, got in the car, and drove. I got to the place, sat down and instead of asking normal interview questions, they simply said, we want to hire you, we just need to figure out where to put you. I was speechless. Completely blown away and all I could think about was that this job was so out of the blue, and random that it could only be a God thing. I sat in the chair while the people were talking just thanking God. Like what the what?!?!?!??! God is so good! After they finished talking to me, I walked out of there with a huge smile on my face, a job, and the feeling of God just wrapped all around me. I talked to my mom after and told her that I got the job and we both just thanked Him. We had been praying for a breakthrough, and there it was. Now, was it something that I went to school for? Nope. Was it what I thought I would be doing? Nope. Was it with a community of people that I had thought I would be working with? Nope. But it was everything that He knew I needed and more. It has been such a blessing. And one that I will talk about more in this series, but for now that is where I will leave this “chapter” of job stuff during this time last year to June of last year. A six month span of time fam! That’s a good chunk of time to find a job fam!

However, I know that there are people who have been looking for a job for much longer then I did, or a shorter time frame. Each person goes through a different experience, but we all have something in common. We all can know and trust that He knows and will bring forth what He has for each of us. Whether that is a job, friends, or some other opportunity that you are waiting for. Know that God knows your heart. He knows what you are passionate about and what brings us closer to Him. He knows you, because He created you! 

Whatever it is that you are waiting for, whether it is a job, or something totally different, it will happen. This week I will be praying for patience and that God would just be moving in mighty ways in your lives. You are not alone and so many of us are going through this same thing. You can do it! He will bring you to where He wants you to be. He will provide opportunities for you to be who He created you to be and be a blessing to those around you. 

Know you are so loved, and prayed for. If you have any prayer requests, or thoughts, feel free to send them my way!

Have a great week!

~Emma