The past eight months have been a whirlwind of classes and job hunting. I took six (3000-level and higher) classes, I was a poetry editor for the campus literary journal, and I volunteered for a Wikipedia Edit-a-thon (here's the page I created!).
I began last semester with one major goal: to (finally) graduate college. There were other things (like volunteering/extracurriculars) that I wanted to incorporate into my schedule, but my focus was to get through those last six classes with good grades.
Since I wasn't working anywhere, I was devoted to my classes, reading approximately eight to ten hours every day -- no joke, I had to make up for the semesters that I didn't put any effort into. I finished the semester with five As and one B, and I just found out on Easter that one of my research papers from last semester will be published in the campus research journal (that's not the one I edited for by the way).
So... I am now graduated with my Bachelor of Arts in English Literature! I've been job hunting since December, and I've had leads here and there (I've applied to thirty jobs). I'm about to have my third and final interview at a university for an Admissions Counselor position on Thursday, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I really want to teach and advise at a community college level or higher, and this job is just what I'm looking for. But I'll keep you guys posted (for real)! Also, aside from (professional) job hunting, I've had a retail (part-time) job to pay the bills in the mean time.
I'm truly proud of myself for my accomplishments since August, but my recent successes came with a price.
As I mentioned in my post last August, I wasn't focused on my long term goals (graduation, better job opportunity, moving out of this small town) for a few semesters, and as a result my GPA, and my self-esteem, suffered dearly. I almost quit school again because I was so disappointed with my grades for the last two semesters -- ironically, I knew exactly why I failed those classes, and how I could have passed them. I wanted to quit school again because it was easier to focus on my current job(s) at the time than to devote more time to my studies.
Along with my jobs, though, returning to school meant that I would have to admit there was a problem with the way that I approached my academic career. Returning to school meant that if I finished that last semester and graduated, I would face a new job market where I was no longer an experienced worker -- I would be one of many new graduates seeking their first professional job, and possibly even compete with seasoned professionals. The thought of being so vulnerable in an new career field was terrifying. And here in this small town I've networked and built a solid resume for food service and retail -- at this point I'm confident that I could land a job in either of those fields easily.
However, my goal is to help and learn from people. Sure, I could do that in fast food and retail, but I want to write books and articles that empathize and resonate with others. I want to teach college eventually so that I can show students the beauty of art and history, and how those two subjects intertwine and compliment one another.
In order to accomplish these goals, I have to continue growing and learning from experiences (whether they're good or bad). I have to assert myself in this new career field even if it's terrifying at first. I know that the effort will pay off.
I guess all this is to say that despite the (almost) repercussions of my indecision last year, I took the good and the bad from that season in my life and I've learned how to persevere so that I can achieve my goals. Maybe I won't be so stubborn the next time I feel intimidated by the unknown.
Luckily, though, I have more self-confidence as well as the support of my loved ones, and those are the most important things I can have in any season of life.
How is your semester/year going thus far? Are there any successes/failures (learning moments) that you want to talk about? Tell me about it in the comments!
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