Gainfully Employed

Hello friends! Thought I'd give some form of an update as to what's been going on (aside from the brief little snippets of "check this or that out!"). As I've mentioned before I started working at University of Phoenix on March 3rd. After 3 weeks of training, I've just about finished my first month on "the floor."

First things first... when I began, it wasn't at all what I expected it was. That's not to say it was a bad thing though. Training was a little rough for me. There's a lot of pressure to pass a test at the end of things and I worked myself up about it a little bit. As it turns out, it wasn't too terribly hard. I ended up getting 100% on the darn thing. I was grateful to get out of that situation and into the job proper. The job is challenging. There are, as is the case with many jobs, things I like, and things that I don't.

I don't like so much the low pay out early on. By payout, I don't mean my paycheck (but hey, if they want to throw me a few extra bucks.... by all means, be my guest) but more the fact that reaping the rewards of one's work can take some time. In some cases, so I'm told, months. I went in with the mindset that I'd work hard and see the work pay off right away. This was sadly not the case.

I also don't like the traffic. This has little to do with my job really. But still, something I don't like. Most people deal with traffic commuting to and from work, but it's actually pretty new to me. I used to work from my car for the most part... and traffic was rarely an issue. So it's something I have to adjust to.

On the flip-side to that coin, I do enjoy the essence of what I'm doing. I "sell" school. I put "sell" in quotations because to me, and to many of my coworkers, it's not selling so much as it's keeping people accountable for their goals. This is an important idea to me. It's something that, when being honest, everyone benefits from. Trying to hold potential students accountable to their own goals is rather tricky to be honest. There are some who are really self-motivated and eager to get things done (and in some cases over with). These people are generally inspiring to speak with. They motivate me to be more proactive in my own daily routine. The challenge lies in those individuals who need school, who admit they need it, and then never take that leap.

Sometimes that's frustrating. Only because I want to help people succeed. That's sort of a win/win situation for me. Because, of course I'd like to do a good job as an enrollment counselor. I have a strong desire to feel a sense of accomplishment in what I do.

I've made quite a few friends, both students and coworkers alike. The team I work on/with is really cool. We have a lot of different dynamics and lifestyles on our team, and I think it really adds something that I haven't had a chance to experience in the workplace too often. The one thing I'll say that the team has in common is the disposition to laugh. This really helped me my first couple of weeks, which were tougher for me than I had anticipated. I even have an old high school friend on my team. That's pretty awesome. My manager is a fun person with a more laid back attitude about the job. This is not to say he doesn't demand a level of success. He just doesn't add any extra stress to my job, which I appreciate. I've been able to gather little bits of wisdom from everyone on my team and they've made me feel very welcome (I also enjoy the periodic trips for "delicious ice cream" from McDonald's).

The entire situation I've had with my last job and the transition to my current job has given me an interesting insight on a spiritual subject that I've always been taught about. Hardships in our life are not made as punishment, but rather, they are placed in our lives in order for us to truly grow and learn. I'm reminded of a story that was told in church a couple weeks ago. The story is as follows:

There was a group of women in a Bible study on the book of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three, they came across verse three which says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." (Malachi 3:3) This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study. That week this woman called up a silver smith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silver smith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot--then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.

She asked the silver smith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silver smith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy--when I see my image in it."

I think it's the end is the best part of that story. The author (who is unknown) mentions that the silversmith knows his job is done when he sees his image in the silver. In the same vein, Christ works us in His forge until we truly have His image in our countenance (Alma 5:14).

I'm hoping that 2008 holds a great deal of blessings for myself, my family and my friends. I would consider the challenges in life such a blessing, as it serves to refine us all. May we all rise up to our challenges and support one another in them.

Stay tuned: I'm sure hilarity is around the corner.