Closed doors. Unanswered prayers. Blocked roads. All paths in life we must encounter. How we react to them will go a long way in how we deal with life itself.
One example of a closed door was back in 2005 when I graduated college. As quick as I came in I went back out. The gravy train was coming to its final stop, I would be looking for work, and I would be paying back my student loans. Things didn’t work out for me post academia and I gave a lot of thought to going back for a second degree. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that the door was closed and I have to be content where I was. When the economy ground to a halt in 2008, that meant Kings would be cutting its hours. I began the process of finding another job. When that door closed, another opened. I’m still there to this very day.
When I couldn’t find work in my field in 2006, not to mention I was turning down work for that perfect ideal job, it felt like doors were closed. Companies wanted a little bit more from me than just a degree. Eventually I was going to have to settle somewhere. That’s where Kings Delmont came in. I applied in August and was immediately called for an interview. I impressed on my first and second interviews and was hired. I started at the end of the month (about six years to the day I started college at Hiram G. Andrews Center)
There’s another unanswered prayer right there. Where I went to school. My lackluster SAT scores meant I wasn’t going to get into a great university. We could have chosen the local community college and I could have gotten college credit and saved money on room and board. We looked at the Hiram G. Andrews Center as well and my mom thought it would be a better fit as I’d still get my education but also have the opportunity to be on my own. Eventually another door would open in the spring of 2001 when I moved on to the local community college there. I attended there while living at HGAC. Yet another door would open in my last year in Johnstown when I applied at Slippery Rock and eventually would get accepted.
But a great example of a blocked road came in 2008. I had plans to apply to another degree program at California University of Pennsylvania. Unhappy with my work situation, I didn’t care what it would take for things to change in my life. I even had the literature ready to go. I sat down at Careerlink with my OVR counselor and she explained to me that there would be too many hurdles to overcome. I still owed debt on Slippery Rock (I eventually paid off my loans in late 2009). I tried applying again in late 2011 before giving up for good. In the Spring of 2013, I finally accepted my educational journey for what it was and realized my time in college was truly worth it.
As my interests have drastically changed in the last few years, I think to myself, “I used to be that person?”. But no matter where you come from, the journey is always worth it.
Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers— Garth Brooks “Unanswered Prayers”.
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens. —Lee Ann Womack, “I Hope You Dance.”
Stylish 🍒 