So you graduated from college... now what?

Around January of this year, that question was beginning to loom over me. For the past 17-ish years of my life, I had been a student. I was always content being a student and relished in the stage of life I was in each year. Every year of my childhood and young adulthood brought about new challenges and opportunities, all centered around my status as a student. The events within the life I came to know were part of a reassuring pattern that I enjoyed. For example: August through May was school time, and June through August was summer time. Study, study, study for 9 months, then the bliss of no deadlines, vacations, and laziness for the summer. However, in January the comfort I felt from my routine began to evaporate. I began to realize that I was at the very, very end of the routine that I had learned to live by. I couldn't just coast through the end of the school year, get a summer job, and then start back up again. No, I had to find myself a real job.

Oh geez... finding a real job was a nightmare. It was very difficult to get into "job finder mode," because it didn't seem real yet. It didn't seem real that my 17 years of educational routine was ending and now it was time to find a career-job. I promised Ben that beginning January 1, 2007 I would start the job search. And I did. I put my resume on monster.com.... and that was it. I didn't do much else concerning the job front (other than worry and worry) for a few months. Weeks came and went without much success. Who knew trying to find a job would be so hard? I figured I'd be snapped up by some employer quickly and easily (despite my oh-so-marketable MFHD major). No, no my friends... not so simple.

Long story short, I found myself a great job. I've been there about a month and a half and I love it. I'm a caseworker for the Department of Child and Family Services, and lemme tell you, it was not a cakewalk getting that job. Nooooo.... first, I couldn't even apply until I had graduated from school. Once graduated, I sent in my resume, a month later I was contacted to take a social worker assessment test. Upon passing the 70% minimum passing grade, I was sent a letter to schedule an interview in Salt Lake. After doing alright on that interview (where they only asked me 6 questions. 6!), I was called for another interview in Provo. I went to that interview, expecting a panel of 2 or 3 people to answer to. Nope, this interview had 12 people in the room. All looking at me. A little intimidating, huh? This time I only had to answer 4 questions. In and out in 5 minutes. Anyway, I finally got a call for a final interview, and then was offered the job. From beginning to end, this process was over 3 months long. Needless to say, I do not look forward to beginning the job search ever again.