New Job(s)!

Since my graduation from Brigham Young University, I have considered a position at BYU to be my “dream job.” I receive the weekly email list of job postings, but nothing has fit my preferences and qualifications…until a couple of months ago. The position of “Director of Independent Study” was posted. I looked at the qualifications, and I seemed to be on the low end (i.e. I had all of the minimum “required” qualifications, but not many of the “preferred” qualifications). The salary was twice what I make now! I thought, “Oh, that would be a fun job sometime in the future.” I happened to mention it to the fam, and (after several discussions), Frances convinced me to apply. I thought there was NO WAY that I would even hear anything back, other than a “thanks but no thanks” letter. I submitted my application about two hours before the job closed.

Much to my surprise, I was called for an interview! I interviewed the week of Thanksgiving (the same day I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with strep). Since it was a director position, the people I interviewed with were a vice president and two associate vice presidents. Can you believe it? I couldn’t even comprehend that I was even being considered for the position enough to be interviewed! The interview went well, and I was pleased with how I did, even feeling horrible.

The vice president called me a few weeks later, letting me know that they had chosen someone else to fill the director position. Not a surprise. But he told me that they were impressed with me, and invited (encouraged, really) me to apply for any open position in his area in the future.

I can’t be too disappointed, because I did start a new job this past Monday! Just after I applied for the BYU position, I was invited to apply for a supervisory position with Western Governors University. I have been a faculty mentor with WGU for over six years. My former boss and a former co-worker and good friend have moved to a new department, and encouraged me to apply for an open position. I actually interviewed for this job the Friday before Thanksgiving, the same weekend as the BYU interview! Once I went through both interviews, it was clear that the WGU job would be the best fit for me at this point in my life. My new title is Performance Evaluation Facilitator for Teacher Education in the Assessment Department. I will be supervising 24 adjunct faculty members (for now…will likely grow) in the Foundations of Teaching area (Schools & Society, Human Growth and Development, Diversity and Inclusion, Classroom Management, and Testing). I am excited about my new position and the challenges it will bring.

Lastly, I have a new church calling. I was released as the Cubmaster after being a cub scout leader for almost six years. This year is going to be crazy as I (hopefully!) finish my PhD, so I was hoping for a low-pressure church calling, and had actually requested that. I am now the bulletin board coordinator. (I’ll give you a minute to laugh.) I’ve had a few people ask me how I got that great job. I’m tempted to say, “Earn your PhD as a single mom, while also working full time.” However, my response has generally been, “Inspiration.” Those who know me and my situation know that means, “If I add one more thing to my plate, I’m likely to spend the rest of the year in a padded room, and the people that need to know that, know that.” For those who don’t know my situation, it is a quick way to shut down any more snide comments and questions. I’m actually pretty excited about it. It will be like creating a big scrapbook page!