Job Update
To say the past couple of years have been a stressful, trying time that has tested my faith would be an understatement. Don’t get me wrong— I’ve loved working for the Frederick Keys and going to the ballpark every day and get paid to watch baseball. I gained skills that I would not have gained anywhere else, and I met people that have forever changed me (including my girlfriend). But there were lots of struggles, sacrifice, and hard times along the way. I was denied job after job for a multitude of reasons.
“You’re underqualified.”
“We had someone come in at the last minute who is a better fit.”
“We think you would be a good fit, but we’re going with someone else.”
“You’re overqualified.” (Seriously…that’s what they told me).
It was discouraging, to say the least. It’s hard to feel that no matter what you do, you aren’t good enough or aren’t the right fit. And it is very hard to live on your own working 80 hours a week and getting paid… well… not 80 hours a week worth.
With that being said, I am very excited to be joining USA Hockey in a full-time role as digital content coordinator! I will be doing various things in digital media, including video, graphic design, social media, and working with the website. It combines a lot of my passions, and I am very excited to help grow the game that has helped shape me into who I am today.
Nothing Happens By Chance
Beyond the excitement of having a full-time job and joining USA Hockey, I am overwhelmed with the role that God played throughout the whole process. Now, if you know me, you know that my faith is the most important thing in my life. I can share my whole testimony another time, but this job was just another piece of the extraordinary puzzle God is putting together.
In October, I started to look for some full time jobs in digital media aside from my part time stuff that I was doing. I knew that come the beginning of April, my winter broadcasting and other endeavors I had would come to an end and I wasn’t going back to do Minor League Baseball during the summer. I needed to find something that I was truly interested in and that would sustain me financially.
I had applied for a number of jobs and had a couple of interviews that didn’t work out. By the beginning of December, I was really discouraged. My best friend, Zach, had told me about a job in social media around the area, so I reached out to their HR department. Hopeful, I kept refreshing my email for a response. I prayed every night that this would be the job that would work out. When I finally got the email, I opened it up and my heart sank. They weren’t hiring for the position. I texted Zach.
“So (the company) got back to me and said they do not have any social media openings right now. So on to the next!”
He responded with, “God must have a VERY specific plan for you! Take heart, and be ready to be amazed at what he does.”
I copied that message and sent it to my girlfriend, Emily. Not two hours later, while I was working on filling out another application that was sure to be denied again, Emily texted me a link to the USA hockey job. I could almost hear her yelling through the screen, telling me if I didn’t apply she was going to break up with me. Not wanting that, I obliged and filled out the application. The job was based in Colorado Springs, and she was moving there in a few weeks for her own job. It felt like maybe God’s specific plan was beginning to take form.
About a week later, I was at the mall getting one last gift for Em, and went into the store called NHiM Apparel. I didn’t think I was going to buy anything, but a couple things stuck out to me that would be perfect for her so I decided to buy them. At the register, the man that was checking me out began to talk to me.
“Thanks for coming in today. We like to pray for our customers. Is there anything you want us to pray about?”
I wasn’t really expecting that. Not a lot of stores offer that. I paused for a minute and I think he recognized that I was taken aback a little.
“Maybe a job or something?” No joke. It was like God was speaking to me directly through him. I said “Yes, actually, I need a lot of prayers for that.” And he put his hand on my shoulder and we prayed together. And overwhelming sense of calm came over me as I left the store, and I continued to believe that God’s specific plan was taking form.
It was a long interview process. Over a month long, filled with a lot of prayer and a LOT of patience. I had countless interviews with a number of different people until I finally got the call I had been waiting for. I got the job. If you’ve ever been offered a job you’ve been waiting for, you know exactly how I felt in that moment. Excited, nervous, a little numb, and feeling like a huge weight was lifted off your shoulders. It was finally happening.
God’s VERY Specific Plan
Now, you may believe that all of this happened by chance. You may believe that all of this happened because I worked hard and went after a goal. You may believe that I just got lucky and stumbled into this role.
I don’t.
I don’t believe it happened by chance. I mean, I look at everything that led up to it for a long time. Two years of being denied jobs in various locations across the US, in various roles that I could have excelled at. Two years of being told that I wasn’t good enough or that I was too good and everything in between. Then it all came together because of God’s VERY specific plan.
And I can’t wait for the next step.