Reason #97

 I worked my way though college in 3.5 years. I remembered so many people telling me “Don’t rush through. Enjoy it! You’ll miss this experience when it’s over.” But I took courses each summer and packed my spring and fall semesters full of classes. I remember how anxious I felt my last semester. I felt as if I had just started college and all of the sudden, it was quickly coming to an end. I have an August birthday, so I entered college a few weeks after turning 18 and when I graduated, I was 21. Too young to be graduating and too young to realize it. Every college student looks forward to that day of “freedom” and to the day when they get to proudly wear that overpriced robe and hideous square cap. Well, I didn’t. I dreaded graduation and as the semester was coming to and end, my worry grew. I didn’t know if I would get a job, when I would get a job, where I would live, some much uncertainty and it was terrifying.

When I started college, I already had a full semester of basics under my belt. I spent one year finishing up my basics and then, at the wise age of 19, I was faced with a choice. I had to “pick a major” and try to decide what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Well, I am a financially geared person who is pretty good at math, so many people suggested I look into accounting. Accounting misconception #1, you don’t have to be good at math to be good at accounting. Well, I declared accounting as my major, took my first accounting class, and I absolutely hated it. But I was told again and again that I could do anything with a degree in accounting. Texas Tech has an accredited account program, so more requirements are placed on accounting students than other business students. I realized that this was considered an “admirable” degree, and the business college swore that anyone with an accounting degree would be successful and most likely well off. So, I suffered through 2.5 years of classes I hated because A.)  I was going to finish what I started B.) I was going to be successful C.) I was going to ensure that I would get a job and a good one at that D.) I was going to make a good living E.) I was going to impress others with my “title.” The thing that they failed to tell me upfront was that I would only achieve those things if A.) I was willing to move to a major city B.) I was prepared to work my life away C.) I got a Master’s degree D.)I would do continuing education for the rest of my life in order to keep my “title,” and most importantly, E.) I would be just as miserable working in the accounting world as I was studying it.

So my last semester I started to figure this out, and I panicked. To add to that, half way through my last semester, the stock market crashed and the unemployment rate skyrocketed. Not the best time to graduate. Well, I hoped that maybe just maybe accounting would be more enjoyable as a job rather than a major. I had a part time job that I really loved and a degree that I really hated. I didn’t know how I would convince anyone to hire me for a non-accounting job since I was obviously “qualified” to be an accountant. The fun thing about becoming a “grown up” is that you get to be responsible for every aspect of your life. Well, my part time job wasn’t going to provide me the salary I needed to support my new budget so I began praying about a full time job. To make a long story short, God answered my prayers and I landed a full time job a few weeks later doing… accounting. I could write a novel about my first job and what all I learned through it. I’ll spare you those details for now. I will say that I was so thankful to have a job during a time when many people didn’t, and I was thankful for the benefits it provided for me. I gained so much experience and knowledge as well as some gray hairs. My job was packed full of undue stress and tears. I mourned over the fact that my college days had been cut short, a decision I regretted making. I thought being an adult was supposed to be fun. I thought I was supposed to be having the time of my life, not dreading each day. My life was not turning out how I thought it was going to and I was so disappointed. I began to feel like I had made a big mistake somewhere along the way. You see, I looked at the end of my college career with fear and I grabbed on to the first thing that was offered to me. Now, almost 4 years removed from that situation, I see how I was looking at things all wrong. I should have looked at it as a time packed full of potential and opportunity, and I should have taken advantage of that.

So over the past few years, I have often felt like I missed my chance. I now have a job that I love, but some days I just feel stuck. Stuck by my decisions. Stuck by my fear. Stuck by my excuses. I had settled into life and into complacency. But, as you well know, my life has been interrupted in every possible area and I have entered back into a time of uncertainty. So I’ve learned to look at it as a time packed full of potential and opportunity. A time to take advantage of the looming changes. To trust and to listen. A time to look forward to what He’s going to do with my life and where He’s going to take me.  I’m interested to see how it will all turn out…

#97 – Because He is giving me new opportunities packed full of potential.

“…make the most of every opportunity.” – Colossians 4:5