For those that are totally unaware, now that I have just graduated from the lovely UC Irvine, my next step in life is to move to Colorado Springs, CO. If this comes as a surprise, here's the (unabridged) story!
It was a really normal day in the midst of the hustle and bustle of winter quarter. That was actually my final quarter at UC Irvine also; I graduated a quarter early. The details elude me now, but I do remember that job searching was near the bottom of my agenda that week, let alone that entire quarter. I initially planned to do the job search gig after I submitted my very last final. But I'm so glad it worked out like this instead.
It started with an email from Zotlink (our school's job search engine) in the morning. I don't know why I received this email because Zotlink usually does not send out emails. The email stated that it was sent to me because the job description very closely matched my profile. The position was for the Ford Credit Leadership Development Program. I also noticed that the deadline for submitting an application for the job was that night before midnight. Being swamped with a busy day ahead of me I shrugged the email off and decided that if I had time later that night I'll submit it.
My day ended up being busy indeed!! I can't remember what I did exactly, but I just remember that by the time I had time for myself it was literally a quarter before midnight. Luckily I decided to check my email, and there was the email from Zotlink staring back at me. I figured "why not?" and decided to submit an application quickly. I saw the steps and all that was needed was a resume and a cover letter. I just sent out my generic templates, thinking honestly nothing of it. I did notice that it was an on-campus interview should they choose to proceed with me and I remember thinking "that'd be pretty cool, I've never done an on-campus interview" as I got onto my bed and went to sleep.
A few days later I checked Zotlink again out of sheer curiosity. Lo and behold, the status of the interview changes from pending to requesting an interview! I was a kid on Christmas day. Giddy, I applied for the earliest time. I wish I could tell you it's because I wanted to show some kind of proactive spirit, but honestly it was only because early morning was the only time of the day I was actually available.
Fast forward to the interview! I remember going in, suit and tie, and then shaking hands with a guy named Rick. Connection 1. We then start having the interview and I had to jot something down and he notices that I'm left handed. I smile and compliment him on noticing. He then says he's left handed as well. Connection 2. We then continue on and I bring up my experience with Boy Scouts during one of the questions he asks. Turns out he was a fellow Scout. Connection 3. At the end of the interview he says I did a good job and that if I was selected they would follow up with me in a few days. I thank him but don't get my hopes up about the whole good job thing because I've had other people tell me the same exact thing only to never hear back from them ever again. Interviews are like taking exams: seldom does your gut feeling really tell you how well you did. At least for me.
A few days go by and I get a phone call from an unknown area code. My heart jumps. I pick up the phone and was asked if I was still interested in proceeding to the second round of interviews for Ford Credit. As cool as I possibly could I said yes. Then they break it down for me. Round 2 was going to be held in Nashville, TN at their Business HQ. They were going to cover my flight, my transit to/from the hotel, the hotel, and food while I was there. And the interview was scheduled to take place in spring quarter, which means I would've graduated by then! Needless to say I was down for the gig.
The time comes and I actually miss my 6:30am flight out of John Wayne. I pretty much thought I was screwed. To make matters even better, weather conditions shut down other flights that were coming into Tennessee that day, which meant all the upcoming flights which I would be sitting on standby for were full or even overbooked. Long story short, my chances of making it in time for the interview day were slim. By God's grace I get a flight straight to Tennessee which came out of LAX. I never thought I'd ever be so happy seeing a plane ticket in my life.
 |
| PHEW!! |
I finally tap down in Tennessee and I'm greeted with a small group of candidates that were waiting to be taken to their hotel. We get to the hotel and I take my time trying to get comfortable. After a complimentary dinner, I went to bed after a long day. The 3 hours ahead was perfect, I was exhausted anyways!
 |
| A little taste of where I lived! There would be a cow pattern above the bed... |
The interview day was amazing. They had a whole day planned for us, and by us I meant the 25 other candidates that were there along with me for the position. And this was only one day out of four, which means 80-100 potential candidates were being interviewed for the job! There was a group assessment part, followed by an individual assessment, and then the rest of the day was spent touring the five-story business center. I felt like royalty being taken floor to floor and having so many people catering to us. It was definitely the most exciting interview process I've ever had. At the end of the day we were informed that we would get notified of whether we did not receive the job, or an offer extended to us within 7-10 days. I figured that worse comes to worse, it was a great experience, and that now I'm able to say that I've been to Tennessee!
I couldn't wait for the 7-10 day window to come! But a mere three days pass before I get an email from them. I read "Congratulations! We are pleased to offer you a position within Ford-" before I threw my phone down and started dancing like a freakin monkey. I call my parents and they're ecstatic with me!! My first day was announced to be on the 8th of July. The offer detailed my contract, along with the fact that I'll be moving to Colorado should I choose to accept the offer. After a week and a half, I tell them I accepted the offer, thus sealing my move to Colorado!
So why did I take the job? At the time I had two options: take this awesome job with an amazing company, or be jobless and uncertain for the future. I felt like I would've been a fool for not taking it! Also, during this time of job searching, I told God that I would keep as open as possible, making sure that geographic location would not influence my decision. I thought, if this job was in California, would I take it? And the answer was yes, so it was a good enough job. Honestly, I realized the only thing that I'm afraid of is the fear of the unknown. That was the only thing holding me back from being fully for this job, and being where I'm at in life, it's not a legitimate enough excuse!
So where am I now? I am currently back home in NorCal chillin with the family. After a crazy quarter of trying to suck every bit of fun out of Irvine as well as moving all my belongings out I decided it's best to spend the remainder of my time back home. I'm set to drive out to Colorado around early July, but in the mean time I just have relaxing with family, saying my last goodbyes to friends, and soaking up California on my mind.
I'm really excited for all the things yet to come, and I'm really curious as to why God would place me in Colorado of all places. What good thing can come out of Colorado?! They said the same exact thing about Nazareth, and look how that turned out. No matter what happens, I know that my time there is meant to teach me something, and hopefully that something is a good something, but if not, that's cool too. I learn a lot when things are pretty crummy also. What I'm trying to say is, I'm so grateful that I was blessed with a job straight out of college, and that I wait in expectation of what God has in store for me. Colorado, I'm coming for you!!!
