Working with what you've got

I am a nontraditional student in many senses of the word. I waited ten years to go back to school, I have four children, and now..I also work while going to school. I haven't published on facebook where I work. I feel that it is a lowly job for someone who has gone to school for three years, has four kids, and is over thirty.

I applied to many jobs before I took the one that I currently have.  I knew with having morning classes that I could only work nights. I applied for a position in a girls facility at the local Mental Health facility.  I got a call back from the mental health facility and they wanted me if I could work Sunday mornings. With four children at home, the youngest only five years old, and a husband who works weekends, I was not able to take the job.  After the job being receded, I was frustrated, I wanted this job for experience, and because this was Exactly the age group that I want to work with when I am finished with school. I originally gave up on my job search.

When I came to my husband a few months back and talked with him about study abroad programs that my school was facilitating, he was completely on board.  There were two study abroad programs that were in my area of study.  Only one of the programs provided credit for my program, study abroad to Guatemala.  I knew that we would not be able to afford the program without additional funds, so I reentered the job search.  I applied to positions at four places, a restaurant as a waitress, housekeeping job at a local hospital and two other positions.  The email reply from the housekeeping position was that I was not qualified to clean their facility. That was a low blow. Low enough to send me looking at fast food.

So I took what I could get, I applied to the McDonald's location closest to my home and started working the day after I turned in my application.  Fast food happens to be the one venue that works with the availability of their employees, and not around their client's schedules', or making employees fit around each other (which was the problem with two of the previous employer's that I turned in my application).

So I swallowed my pride, I am working fast food, saving for Guatemala, and making a small contribution to the bills that we have. When something is important to you, you take what you can get to achieve your goals. I know my limitations, and I know that my children will not be young forever.  I am sure that I will be able to work in a facility for adolescents before I know it, I just have to give Jesse a bit longer to get older, and the other children some more time to mature to be able to be home by themselves for a Sunday morning.