Everything and nothing

Lately I've been thinking a lot about what having a career actually means.

If you'd asked me even six months ago what I'd be doing with myself upon graduation (whether at this level or the next), my response would have been prompt: "I'm going to be a professor." Had I decided to stick it out and pursue a PhD, I would have spent the next four or more years in front of the classroom, teaching various levels of freshman composition and introductory lit courses. Then, once I'd completed my disseration and graduated, I would have found a job doing the same at a community college or university, the most likey of the limited option one faces with a high-level English degree. Academia would have figured my future out for me.

Instead, I graduate in less than a month and I have to again face the work place with an "everything and nothing" degree. I have writing and communication skills; I am an effective manager of people, duties, and time; I can spot a comma splice a mile away; I am decent at learning new technology; I am hardworking; and if you need a close analysis of Their Eyes Were Watching God or 1984, I'm your woman. These are my qualifications, but finding a job that neatly fits them is nearly impossible. My mother, a nurse, need only look for postings which say "RN wanted." My sister, a teacher, can limit herself to early childhood education positions. I am professional; my degree, while impressive, is not readily.

This is scary and exciting. The last job I had out of academia (excluding my year-ish stint at Barnes and Noble) gave me good workplace experience and was also a little bit of hell, so I am optimistic that whatever I find in Rockford will utilize those skills and won't be as bad as that was, and even if it is, at least I won't have crushing loneliness on top of it. Josh found a good job with the same degree and, the first time, without any outside experience. He's given me a lead at his company, and I am hoping to hear from them this week. My boss at the Writing Center forwarded another position in Rockford on Friday. A woman Rachel works with suggested her husband's company.

I know I'll find a job. I trust God, I hope, and I believe that somewhere, someone will let this girl with two "everything and nothing" degrees do...something.