So it comes to the question, how did you figure out whatever put you on your current path in life?
I know one thing for certain, and that is that there is no certainty. I know what I want out of my life but I have no clue how to get there from here. I'm not really asking for advice though if you have it I'm more than willing to listen to it. I just want to know how did you narrow it down and make one choice (or a series of choices) to give your life direction?
all i know is my own path. less than a week after graduating high school and turning 18 (which occurred on the same day, as it happened) i was pushed out on my own with no real idea of how to support myself. i DID know that my job at the rest area on the Expressway flipping burgers and dishing out TCBY wasn't going to pay the bills though...so i went where the only jobs for high school graduates with no college are, Atlantic City.
my first job, i made $7.25/hour taking abuse from angry gamblers. but i was good at my job and a lot of the high rollers took a liking to me, enough that i was offered a promotion to take even MORE abuse, for a little bit more money. it was barely enough to make ends meet, but my needs were few and i stuck it out because i didn't know what else to do. i worked 10-12 hours a day, 6 or 7 days a week, and made it work.
after several years, one day i was invited upstairs to meet the new director of our division. i thought she was going to offer me a supervisory position, but no...our first meeting was about a complaint that a guest had filed against me, that i reacted poorly when he threw a plate of food at me a few days prior. my reaction to him was "seriously???" and turning around and walking away. but apparently, that was too strong a reaction for someone in my position, and so they offered me two options: accept more money and a job in the office upstairs, where they could hide me from this guest and let him think they'd fired me...or walk away.
i walked, and resolved never to work for another casino, no matter what the cost.
my next job was with the newly opened Hard Rock Cafe, who i heard good things about. good benefits, promoted from within, gave back to the community, etc. i took an entry level job for $9/hour and was promoted in under three months to their special events and marketing department. three years later i'd learned a LOT about pr, contract negotiating and coordinating events that made our clients look good...but i was less than charmed by the corporate structure and cut-throat nature of the business, thinly veiled by catchy slogans and kitsch.
luckily i'd made some good contacts though, and within days of deciding i wanted out, i had a few job offers. i took the one that got me out of the corporate rat race and into nonprofit management, and that's what i've done ever since. my next position was with the president of the board at that first nonprofit, and i moved up the ladder a bit more.
two years ago, Governor Christie made the decision that my company, which had been in operation for nearly 20 years, was redundant, and i was laid off from the position i'd held for 6 years. i thought for sure i'd have no problem finding work, because it had always come easy for me before. but my life wasn't in Atlantic City any more, and i was determined to find work further north, to allow us to move closer to Jason's job. his commute takes him almost an hour north every day...i wanted to change that.
but the jobs just weren't there. in 2 years there was ONE job that i actually got excited about, that paid well and that i was well-suited for, in my target area geographically. it was with a corporation that i personally loathe, but...i needed the work, so i sucked it up and jumped through the corporate hoops like a good little monkey. of course, after a few interviews, it went to someone else. i was "overqualified"
and then, nothing, for months. over the summer Jason and i worked together, painting houses and doing other odd jobs for rich folks living on the island near us. that was fun and certainly paid the bills, but the jobs dried up at the end of summer. and my burgeoning jewelry business is fun, but it doesn't exactly pay the bills.
so last week, i accepted a job down here. i work from home, making my own hours, and travel down to the AC area once a week or so for meetings. not exactly what i was hoping for, but it's work in my field, for a nonprofit whose mission i believe in.
and there's room for advancement, if i want it. otherwise, it'll be great for my resume, as it's always easier to find a job while you HAVE a job.
so yeah...no real plan here, except to avoid selling my soul for money whenever i can
and maybe to finally finish my degree so that i have more options in the future.
i will say that if you're looking to work with a nonprofit, the best thing you can do is volunteer. a LOT. every one of my nonprofit jobs have come via volunteer work and the contacts i make while volunteering. plus, it looks good on your resume. so take your skills and find a nonprofit you believe in, that needs those skills, and give 'em away for free. you just never know where that might lead
). My lovely parents likely realizing the futility of trying to convince me differently did not attempt to dissuade me from this particular major. About a year after I graduated, I had a good job that was making me miserable, which lasted 2 1/2 years before I got fired.
