Living in the West Side has its perks.For example, this lovely mini downtown. I took advantage of some warm weather and decided to walk around to scope the scene. It is full of restaurants and boutique shops as well as unique little buildings sprawled throughout. I enjoyed some wonderfully overpriced ice cream from the local creamery, but it was so good that I ain’t even mad.
First stop: Eastern PA to Dayton, OH. After 9 hours in the car, Kirstie made me exercise.
Next stop: OH to Saint Louis, MO, 5.5 hours. It was great to be back in the old stomping grounds again. We celebrated Laura’s birthday in Forest Park, sported, drank, and ate KitKats.
I also got to briefly meet up with my STL climbing family. Always laughing.
Next Stop: STL to Salina, Kansas, 6 hours. Not much here, no surprise! Spent the night eating too much Taco Bell and watching a movie.
Last but not least, KS to Colorado Springs, 6 hours. I made it! It’s a miracle I didn’t crash the car driving in. The scenery is pure magic.
So the big news? I got a job! But not just any job- one that would make a parent of a “lazy, entitled” Millennial proud. I’m about to start…wait for it…a career! Fancy, eh? (The amount of privilege involved is not lost on me.)
Now about the job search. Immediately after completing my bachelors degree, I decided with a “this is what I’m meant to do!” mentality to apply to occupational therapy masters programs. I was fortunate enough to enter and complete a program in St. Louis, MO. 6 1/2 years of higher education, a boat load-err, make that a yacht load- of student loan debt, and one national board exam later, I was ready to job hunt-which kind of really sucked by the way.
Job listing sites…in the healthcare industry these sites are not especially helpful. They are full of staffing agencies that may right well help you find a job, but good luck finding positions (especially full time) on your own with sites like these. I had better luck with good ole fashion google (again, the generational irony is not lost on me).
After several applications to the Philadelphia and New Jersey areas, there was radio silence. And with nothing else to do with my days (as my days of studying for the board exam were over), the waiting was draining (as was the lack of social life since moving back into my parents house). Then on a whim, thank you google, I applied for two positions in Colorado. Why not? I thought.
As for the whimsical decision to apply for a job across the country? Well, “Why not?” was about the extent of my thinking at the time… Cue chronic stress for the rest of my foreseeable future.
So here I am officially preparing to move. I have about 1 week to prep and pack, 1 week to drive across (most of) the country, and about 1 week to set up in my new city of Colorado Springs, CO before my first day on the job. Am I totally confident this is the right/best decision for me? Hell no. But my mom wouldn’t tell me what to do, so here’s to hoping I didn’t totally mess up.
Now, how does this adulting thing go, exactly?
mountain intervention 