Career advice from the Almighty

If I had known I'd be working in a call center five years after college, I might have skipped Arkansas State University all together. Better pay than any newspaper job, without the tuition and lame people that God decided to put in my life for one reason or another.

It's a constant struggle in my brain, wondering how God allowed me to get a degree that is not being utilized fully (print journalism in a digital world), until I remember that I was the dope who decided to stop listening to God from 2002 to 2008.

It's a frustration that I've had off and on, and how can you blame me? With all the layoffs that newspapers seem to go through nowadays, focusing on another major seemed like it would have been a good idea. Regardless, I always try to remember that God has a plan. Perhaps the whole reason for getting that degree was to give me enough knowledge about page design to help Fr. Jim Chern with the weekly Newman Center Bulletin, and to eventually work for a diocese communications department.

But for now, I'm doing the call center thing, focusing on helping people with student loans. And after a handful of phone calls, maybe this is what God wants from me. For instance, I spent an hour and five minutes on the phone with a guy tonight (avg time is five min per call) explaining every repayment plan we offered, along with setting up deferments on his loans, getting information about said loans sent to him.

He seemed pretty happy. Another day I helped someone unlock their online account. Simple stuff, but it allowed him to pay his loan off. "God puts people in your life for a reason," the caller said, "and I'm thankful for you and I pray God blesses you today." Calls like that aren't a common occurrence, but they happen with some sort of frequency that it confirms in my head that this is what God wants of me.

Perhaps, instead of page layout, God needs a nice person answering phones.

What is heartbreaking is hearing people call in with really rough stories. Deaths, surgeries, losing jobs. And being able to help these people, even on the small things, really makes me feel great about what I do for a living.

Do I want to work in a call center for the rest of my life? Not really, but I don't hate my job either. It's rewarding to hear someone say, "God bless you" or thank you for offering kind words of support.

While I answer phones now, I patiently await that phone call from God, giving me the next step in my life. Thankfully, he knows what he's doing.

Perhaps there's something to letting him take over in your life.

Saving me from myself (and Vanilla Ice)

When I was in first grade, Vanilla Ice's song "Ice Ice Baby" hit the radio.

At the time, Vanilla Ice was one of the most popular acts in town. Most of my elementary school friends were raving about how cool he was, how awesome the music was, and eventually, how cool it was to see him in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequel.

Naturally I wanted in. This first-grader wanted to be like all of the other kids who were singing Vanilla's praises, but I had an obstacle in my way.

That obstacle? My mother. She was adamantly opposed to her son listening to the filthy lyrics that Vanilla Ice spouted in his music.

I could not bargain with her. So I went through my childhood without ever owning a Vanilla Ice album.

After re-reading those paragraphs, you have no idea how thankful I am for my mother.

Whereas other people in their 20s hang their heads in shame at having enjoyed Vanilla Ice (who soon became a joke a handful of years after his 1990 fame), I can hold my head up high and proudly say that I never listened to Vanilla Ice.

It's nice the way your parents watch out for you. Sometimes you don't understand it, and even get angry because you think you're being jipped by their parenting decisions. Then you look back years later and realize that they were just looking out for your best interests.

In my case, it was my musical taste that my mom was concerned about.

My mother's caring is also a great parallel to the way God watches out for us. I can think of so many instances where God's plans directly contradicted my plans. And while I don't understand his way of thinking at the time, I'll look back months, or even years, later and say, "Wow, I'm glad we didn't do things my way."

That line of thinking usually comes with getting dumped by a girlfriend, feeling depressed, then meeting someone new (and even better than the last train-wreck of a woman).
One of the best passages in the Bible concerning God's ways being better than our own is in Job 38. After Job loses his family and possessions, and starts to question God, God responds in verse 4 with a touch of sarcasm.

"Where were you when I founded the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding." (Job 38:4, New American Bible).

God very humorously goes on to ask Job where he was during all of the things he was doing before Job's lifetime. And he eventually shows Job that he should have a little more humility when he approaches God.

There are many other instances in history of people thinking they know more than God, and being struck down by their own ignorance. Job's account just happens to be my favorite.
Whether it's my mom telling me I can't listen to really bad "rap" music, or God telling me I can't date this person even though there's no real downside to MY plans, it's nice to have someone in my life who knows a little more than I do.

Especially when it comes to musical taste.