Today was a good day. Correction: this was a good <em>week</em>!
By now most of you are fully aware of my dilemma–and that of thousands of inexperienced job seekers out there. We cannot find employment without the proper experience.
Well, my break has finally come! I feel as though I’ve said this story a hundred times, but this will be the first I write it down and release it to the “netherwebs” of online blogging. So, without further ado…
After months of sleepless nights from blank applications and piling bills, an unlikely turn of events from an even more unlikely source landed on my lap. A most often timid and introverted co-worker, surprisingly offered me advice for a local technical institute that offered her husband a grant for a CCNA certificate. That through a friend of a friend of a long-lost babysitter’s dad, he came to earn the certificate and now was on second and third rounds of interviews for Cisco which headquarters locally. Adding insult to injury, the gentleman doesn’t even have an Associate Degree.
Knowing the inner workings of organizations and larger companies, it’s all about who knows who in this environment; so, I proceeded with caution. Before getting my hopes too high, I called and made an appointment with a school’s recruiter.
Fast forwarding to present day and skipping the grueling details of recruitment emails and hour-long drives to their campus. I was finally at the final stages of the intake interviews. Now, by no means does that mean things were getting easier. The amount of paperwork and proof of identity, employment, history and background was unprecedented. I don’t remember needing so much paperwork starting my other institutions. But, I digress.
I spent 6 painstaking hours–after an 8 hour night shift!–finishing paperwork and applications for the grant that day. All leading to the most important and obviously foreseeable outcome (thank you, title), I was given the grant. I will begin three 6 week semesters at the end of October that lead to web application and development certificates from Microsoft SQL Server to HTML and CSS with Javascript–for free!
I promise all this had a point.
Through the ups and downs of college tests and classes or the endless interviews and job applications afterword, we eventually find nirvana. Granted, I haven’t even found a job yet, but the feeling of knowing in approximately 3 months I could be using the first 2 of 6 certifications for an entirely new and improved resume literally takes my breath away.
Keep keeping on folks! No matter how long it takes, this is all part of this never-ending cycle of adulthood and ambition. We work, and it pays off in due time. Do not give up, whatever you do!