New Job!

JOB! JOB! JOB!

I've been job searching so much lately. Every time I get a phone call from a number I don't know, I get really excited and pray for the best, but usually only talking to a job recruiter or a friend whose number has been lost through a series of broken phones. To my surprise, a call I got on Friday came from a company that I hadn't had communication with since August. I had originally sent my resume to this company in May, but ended up getting a rejection e-mail shortly after letting me know that I wasn't someone that they wanted to pursue. A month later, a principal of the same company added me on the social networking site LinkedIn. I had no idea what I had done to get his attention, but somehow it led to a phone interview a couple weeks later. The phone interview went well, so they brought me in for a second interview. I didn't feel as if it had gone very well, and I got a phone call from HR a week later letting me know that they weren't going to pursue me. That was what I was told in mid-August, right before Dylan called me to let me know he was coming.

Now, three months later, I received a call notifying me that there is a contract position available. The company is located only 15 minutes from where I'm living! I was asked to come in last Friday and discuss the position. They already had the contract written up and presented it to me, along with a list of company values and what they hope would happen with my 60 days of employment. Both principals mentioned to me that there would be potential for a full-time position if I am able to impress them during this period of time. I learned that they had received a large job that they needed to start on right away, and they didn't have the manpower to do it, so they called the next best candidate from the originally job search to come in for the job. The job pretty much entails using the program Revit MEP to draw building plans up for a bid package. There will probably be some calculations and sizing of equipment, but most of my work will be done in this program. At first I was kind of bummed. I knew I had to take the position, but it wasn't even close to what I was hoping to make financially, and I worry about how well I can work sitting in an office 50 hours a week. As I've thought about it and prayed about it, I've not only realized that God has a plan for this situation, but that 60 days on this job will give me experience and an ability to understand what kind of position I should search for in the future. It's possible that I love the position and hope to pursue a full-time position with this company in January. There are a lot of options, and I'm really excited to be given the opportunity to take a step forward and start moving toward my future career.

Due to the uncertainty of a job in January, I will continue searching in Charleston and nationally through the time in this contract position. I don't know the best route to my goal of doing technical marketing, so I've been applying for a variety of positions in design engineering, commissioning, energy and marketing. I trust that God will open the doors necessary to get me where He wants me, regardless of where I want to be.

Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers! I haven't made it to the finish line yet, but the next two months are going to feel a lot less stressful!

Time is Short

I've been searching and applying for every position I've found over the last few weeks. Most of those companies have gotten back to me and told me that they aren't going to pursue me for those positions. After I had heard from a majority of these companies I ended up having dinner with my friend Mark, who I had met in Mexico last year. Mark has been great in helping me network in and around Charleston, and he has been helping me job search ever since we met. Mark is from the Raleigh, NC area, but he was actually in town last week for a conference so we were able to get together. We spent some time catching up on our various activities and all the things that I had been doing since I moved to South Carolina. As we talked he asked me what kind of job I'm looking for and if I was at all flexible with the kind of job I end up with. I thought about the question a little bit and told him that I think that I could also really enjoy a marketing position. I actually think my desire for my engineering degree would be to use it in conjunction with my communication degree in some sort of technical marketing position. So, Mark and I discussed the different options I have in marketing, and also that he knew of a woman who may have an opportunity in marketing for me. If not, she would at least be able to help me connect with people who may have job opportunities for me. 

After my dinner with Mark I talked with some friends and family about what it would mean for my future in engineering to take a marketing job that didn't have anything to do with engineering. We discussed strategies for staying relevant in future engineering opportunities by continuing my education through reading publications from engineering organizations and taking courses on any new design programs that come out. As I thought about it and prayed about it, I started feeling much better about taking a job in marketing.

So, thanks to Mark, I had a meeting with the COO of a philanthropy company down here today. She told me about the marketing position, but let me know that it doesn't open up until January and that she didn't think it would be a good fit for me. She took some time to get to know me better, and she said she'd do everything she can to connect me to the right people in the Charleston area that could help me find a job. It is a little discouraging to go back to simple networking due to the way it worked out through the summer when every door would get shut shortly after opening, but I'm trusting that God has something great out there for me as long as I keep everything open and available.

I've been able to do a little work doing some carpentry, but it's nothing near what I need to sustain myself financially. I have about a month left before I'm going to be out of finances, so please pray that something is provided for me over the next month. The time is short.

Love you all.