Starting Feb. 15: Full-Time Work Hours Again! It is with much excitement that tomorrow I start working full-time once again. I will be taking on a new role at American Leprosy Missions (ALM). Those who know me best, know I worked there previously in the Finance and Program Departments. In November, I started working there part-time on a temporary basis which has led to my returning on a full-time basis.
Late June 2020 - A New Thing: Back when the Northwestern Mutual position didn't work out - I felt rather strongly that God was doing something new. In fact, the day where it was formally announced that I wouldn't be staying with Northwestern Mutual, a certain Bible passage jumped out as an anchor for my mind and thoughts: "Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." - Isaiah 43: 18-19.
Over the past few months, I have gone back to that verse time and time again in my mind, especially as all of this was happening in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic.
July 2020 to October 2020 - The Gap on my Resume: My last day with Northwestern was toward the end of June. I took a week or two to rest (as I was pretty exhausted). I started job searching pretty soon. I also considered continuing professional educational (CPE) opportunities. Also, a distant cousin had been diagnosed with cancer so I was happy to use some time to provide/offer assistance and/or visit when appropriate. Sadly, we lost my cousin in late September. I was sad, not as sad as her daughter, but I was sad and moved a bit more slowly the first few weeks after she passed away. But the job search was pretty active and steady. I had several interviews, several second interviews; but no job offers.
Late Summer 2020 - Something with Data: One of the areas of interest I started to explore with more intentionality was doing something with data. I remember walking with a good friend one late Summer morning. I expressed frustration over all the confusing data media was showing related to Covid-19. They were changing how they were calculating, reporting data multiple times a week. I told her my arrogant self tell me I could do a better job. She laughed but then said that she actually thought I probably could do a better job handling such data. I started exploring CPE opportunities focused on data.
Late October 2020 - The Part-Time Opportunity: In late October, ended up talking with someone from ALM about coming back on a part-time, temporary basis working with the Development department and helping to maintain their donor data processes as some departmental transition was happening. This phone call came exactly one month after my cousin died. At the time, I saw it as a God thing. But if I'm really going to call myself a Christian - all of life, all the details and circumstances are God things. I just get more excited about some circumstances than other circumstances. I couldn't think of a solid reason to say 'no'. So I accepted thinking I would regroup and think about finding full-time after the holidays.
November 2020 to January 2021: After starting back at ALM, I found a CPE online learning opportunity from MIT. In retrospect, during a non-pandemic period of life, I don't think I would recommend anyone pursue online learning that goes over the holidays. However, the pandemic meant I could work it out because the holidays were lower key. The focus was how real businesses have used data to make decisions; which provided an opportunity to learn about the various data analytical methods available.
Mid-January 2021 - Regrouping to Search for Full-Time Work: Once the holidays were over, I knew I would need to start thinking about what a search for full-time work might look like. I hadn't sent out a single resume or really looked at jobs for several months. Then during one week in mid-January, two placement agencies who still had an older version of my resume called me with opportunities. Immediately, I knew I wanted to start asking questions about ALM. I anticipated that ALM might actually need someone to do what I was handling beyond the agreed upon four-month mark ending in February. But I also knew that I couldn't just stay in a part-time, temporary role indefinitely.
Within a few days time, there were three potential full-time positions in a preliminary discussion phase. It was a bit surreal. After some reflection time, I felt that I really wanted to see if a new full-time job opportunity might come to fruition at ALM. I instructed the agencies who contacted me to withdraw my name from further consideration for the other two opportunities. Then I waited; growing more confident that the job details being discussed at ALM aligned most with what I wanted to pursue.
February 14, 2021: And here I am - no longer working in a strict accounting / finance role; but working more with data on a different type. I do feel that accounting and finance systems are very rich in data so my interest has grown from how companies track/use financial and monetary data to how companies make the most use of data.
God is always faithful; but I am frequently slow to trust it. Especially when life grows harder. I sometimes joke and say that my crystal ball was broken; otherwise, I might not have left a job to start working a new job right before a pandemic started. But we all know that there is no crystal ball. But I do believe that God of the Bible gives us anchors to hold onto as we live our lives. And today, I'm grateful.