The winds of change are coming for our family. Finally after waiting so long to see "what's next" for us we feel like we have a direction. My husband will pursue a PhD starting this fall! He will start part time this year but next year our plan is for him to go all in and be a full time student! He is planning to attend Illinois State University which means next year we are planning to move to the area so that he will not have to commute daily. We did not come to this decision lightly. This was always a dream of his. I told him he shouldn't rule it out even though for a while he had given up the idea. All the signs seem to be telling us now is the time.
After years of waiting for a job that he really wanted to open up, this year two positions finally became available. He thought he would have a good shot but it turns out he was never even considered. Unfortunately it all came down to his Master's degree. Having a Master's in Math Education was not useful for pursing work in a community college. It also doesn't help him get work at a university since they require higher degrees. So there we were, stuck in the middle. We could either do nothing and he could continue working in his job knowing he had gone about as far as he could go with it, or we could take a leap of faith and go all in. At first when he found out he didn't get the position at Parkland we did a lot of grieving and praying. He really thought that was it. It seemed no matter what he decided to do with his career that more schooling would have to take place. At first it felt really discouraging. It seemed like there were a thousand different directions we could go but nothing felt right. Everyone offered suggestions and told him what he should do. It was finally time to stop and pray for the right direction. After some prayer and thought he was able to narrow down what he wanted for his career. He brought that to some of his mentors and they pointed him in the direction of a PhD in Math Education from ISU. He called me after meeting with them and told me what they said and immediately somehow I knew. I said "Ok. That's what we're doing" and from then on everything keeps falling into place. He was able to talk with the person in charge of the program there the next week and all the information made him feel even more certain. Then he was able to visit the campus and meet with professors and current students and again, it just felt right.
Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. He hasn't even started yet but we feel pretty sure. His application is in and he has already talked about what course to start with this fall. The reason we chose to start part time is because next year he will have a chance to get an assitantship and that would mean we won't have to pay for school! This also gives us more time to prepare. We can prepare our home to sell it. I will have to get a job so this gives me some time to do some research and figure out what I want. I'm honestly really bad at job hunting. I have no idea what I'm even qualified to do. I've been a stay at home mom for 6 years now! In some ways I'm excited to return to work but in others I'm also sad. I love the freedom I have right now to be in charge of my children's lives. I don't know yet what our life will look like next year but I'm hoping it will still have a good balance. We feel like this is the best path for our family.
So any tips on getting back in the workforce after staying at home for a while are appreciated! Also, if anyone knows what you can do with a degree in Speech Communication (radio/tv/film) that would be helpful too! I look forward to seeing what God has in store for us as we are beginning a new adventure.
After years of waiting for a job that he really wanted to open up, this year two positions finally became available. He thought he would have a good shot but it turns out he was never even considered. Unfortunately it all came down to his Master's degree. Having a Master's in Math Education was not useful for pursing work in a community college. It also doesn't help him get work at a university since they require higher degrees. So there we were, stuck in the middle. We could either do nothing and he could continue working in his job knowing he had gone about as far as he could go with it, or we could take a leap of faith and go all in. At first when he found out he didn't get the position at Parkland we did a lot of grieving and praying. He really thought that was it. It seemed no matter what he decided to do with his career that more schooling would have to take place. At first it felt really discouraging. It seemed like there were a thousand different directions we could go but nothing felt right. Everyone offered suggestions and told him what he should do. It was finally time to stop and pray for the right direction. After some prayer and thought he was able to narrow down what he wanted for his career. He brought that to some of his mentors and they pointed him in the direction of a PhD in Math Education from ISU. He called me after meeting with them and told me what they said and immediately somehow I knew. I said "Ok. That's what we're doing" and from then on everything keeps falling into place. He was able to talk with the person in charge of the program there the next week and all the information made him feel even more certain. Then he was able to visit the campus and meet with professors and current students and again, it just felt right.
Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. He hasn't even started yet but we feel pretty sure. His application is in and he has already talked about what course to start with this fall. The reason we chose to start part time is because next year he will have a chance to get an assitantship and that would mean we won't have to pay for school! This also gives us more time to prepare. We can prepare our home to sell it. I will have to get a job so this gives me some time to do some research and figure out what I want. I'm honestly really bad at job hunting. I have no idea what I'm even qualified to do. I've been a stay at home mom for 6 years now! In some ways I'm excited to return to work but in others I'm also sad. I love the freedom I have right now to be in charge of my children's lives. I don't know yet what our life will look like next year but I'm hoping it will still have a good balance. We feel like this is the best path for our family.
So any tips on getting back in the workforce after staying at home for a while are appreciated! Also, if anyone knows what you can do with a degree in Speech Communication (radio/tv/film) that would be helpful too! I look forward to seeing what God has in store for us as we are beginning a new adventure.
I am sorry about Parkland. Micah and I also applied and nothing. We are in a very similar position...have a Masters and Micah has pretty much given up on PhD at this point. We were grieved a lot by not getting the position as well, more so than rejections in the past. Seems like a time where God is shifting a lot of people. I recently applied to a job after being out of the work force for 6 going on 7 years. My only advise is really look at the skills that you have gained, and any volunteer work that you have done in the last 6 years and how they would be a valuable asset to those that you will be applying for. Praying for you guys as you go into this new season, that the Favor of the Lord fall on you, that the transition be easy, and that God open the right doors for you all as you pursue where you feel the Lord is taking you! Blessings my friend! Jen James
ReplyDelete