Persevering Dreams

1. Sit Down with one of your professors. Someone who has been an advisor, counselor, or mentor figure to you throughout your college years. Ask for their advice on what steps they would take if they were in your shoes, and be open and willing to follow what they suggest. If they’ve known you for any length of time, they probably see your strengths and your potential, and will be excited to help you launch. Ask if they can put you in touch with any alumni either working in your field or who could offer advice specific to your goals.  The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.-Proverbs 4:7
2. Talk vision with your parents. Share with them the visions God has given you for your career. If you haven’t gotten clear direction on your future, tell them what your desires, gifts, and talents are. Describe what you define as a dream job. Including your parents in your dreams lets them know that you value them, and will help them understand that you’re not wasting time if the first job you have to take is in an unrelated field. Demonstrate your desire to work hard and maintain focus, and convey your trust that God will use any job experience you have to teach you something valuable.
3. Email your past internship connections. Your direct supervisors, other employees you worked closely with, and even your former intern friends. Tell them that you’re graduating and share a mini update on your college accomplishments and future plans. Let them know you’d appreciate any leads they can send you regarding job openings, and ask if they know anyone at whatever companies you apply to. The best way to find a job is through knowing someone!
4. Figure out a living situation. You may be open to moving cross country for a job, but if job searching requires a month or two more than you expected, you don’t want to be in a panic. Can you move back home, or with a relative, church friend, or family friend if your family is out of state? Thinking logically about these situations will help you stay calm and prepared should an unexpected situation arise.
5. Plan a budget. There’s nothing worse than searching for months longer than you expected for a job while watching your bank account dwindle. Realistically estimate how much money you’ll need a week to meet your expenses. Most of this will depend on your living situation, and then factor in gas (for interviews), groceries, your cell phone bill, etc. And stick to it! Put the cash you’ll need for the week in an envelope at the beginning of the week. When it’s gone, it’s gone. Although it requires discipline to live by a tight budget, it teaches crucial money management skills you’ll utilize when you start bringing home regular paychecks.
6. Realize that you’re entering a much bigger world. And one that doesn’t revolve around your schedule. Unfortunately, not every employer will be able to drop everything to call you in for an interview or set up a lunch meeting. The college lifestyle provides a luxury of planning your own schedule–you can go where you want when you want to and don’t have a heap of responsibilities outside of the classroom or a job. The sooner you grasp that flexibility, patience, and humility will be your biggest assets, the easier the transition into the real world will be.  We ask him to strengthen you by his glorious might with all the power you need to patiently endure everything with joy. -Colossians 1:11
7. Revamp your resume and cover letter. Job applications can be time consuming, especially since most are done online. To avoid last minute scrambling should you be asked to come in for an interview on short notice, have someone you trust like a professor, working professional, or someone at the career development office take a look at your resume. Simple edits can make your resume stand out. Also, draft a few cover letters so that you have them prepared. Be sure to specifically address how you fit the needs listed in the job posting, as well as include your strengths and why you’re the perfect candidate. You’ll have an extra boost of confidence knowing you’ve gone the extra mile to prepare, and you’ll be able to tackle online applications in half the time!
8. Reach out to someone you admire. You’re at the perfect time after college to build relationships with people who understand you’re seeking advice and help. They’re most likely to respond when they see you’re fresh out of college and looking for a start, rather than five years out of college and “stuck.” If someone is in a position you’d like to be in one day (and their email is listed online) shoot them an email. Tell them you hope to be where they are one day and ask for any advice they’d give a new graduate. If they don’t respond, you’re no worse off! But if they do, you’ve opened a door to what could be a great career mentorship. He who walks with wise men will be wise. -Proverbs 13:20 
9. Reflect & celebrate God’s faithfulness. Look at how far He’s brought you, and thank Him for the visions, dreams, and promises He’s given you for your future! An attitude of gratitude will open the doors for blessings and help you remember all that you have to be thankful for, even when circumstances aren’t ideal. In that wonderful day you will sing: “Thank the LORD! Praise his name! Tell the nations what he has done. Let them know how mighty he is! -Isaiah 12:4 
10. Pray. Not just when you’re wanting a job, but when you have that job. We are instructed to pray daily–to seek first the Kingdom of God, and everything you need will be given to you. (Matthew 6:33) Strengthen your daily habit of prayer when things are going smoothly in your life, don’t wait until you’re desperate to hear from God. A strong foundation of faith in Christ and His promises for your future will be crucial to help you persevere through the years after college. As you launch into the real world and answer the call on your life, daily prayer will allow God to direct your steps. He is the only one who knows what great things await you! Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. -Philippians 4:6

[Guest post by Jenna Bishop--a woman I grew up dancing with in Indiana, and have always admired for her boldness to stand out among the crowd--a true example of salt and light. I'm honored to have her share about her adventure with dreams throughout life after college, jobs, and raising a family of her own.] 

There are two situations when time seems to stand still: when you are waiting for something really exciting, like an amazing tropical vacation, or your wedding, or your baby to be born, and when something is so utterly boring and miserable that you cannot count the seconds fast enough until it’s over.

A beautiful August summer day five years ago, I was in situation number two.  The training I was in was mind-numbing; I literally thought the clock had starting going backward. I was “training” and “team building” an entire week for a job I’d have for maybe half of a semester, and I just kept thinking of all the things I could be doing besides brainstorming lesson objectives (i.e. laying out at the pool). I kept saying to myself over and over, if this is what it takes to become a school guidance counselor, then it’s worth it. I can do it. I can do it.

I really wanted to be a school counselor, and I needed a masters to do that, and I needed this job to pay for the masters, and I needed to sit through this mandatory training to have this job, so my options were pretty limited. Limited to sitting in the training and not by the pool.

I think that’s when I realized it’s really important to have goals. Like really.

Having goals helps us get through the tough stuff on the road to where we really want to be. Without an end in mind, it is easy to lose track of where we are and why we’re doing what we’re doing.

Having goals makes the impossible statistics class, the unpaid full-time internship, and the entry-level job worth it. 

Fast forward several years, and I’m in my second year as a school guidance counselor, at a school and a career I loved, and had finally achieved my dream.

Then I got a lovely curveball, my husband and I found out we were pregnant. Now this was fabulous news, we’ve always wanted a large family, but I was definitely at a crossroad. Do I stay at my full-time job that I’d worked six long years to achieve or stay at home with the baby?

At the time, I had been at my job for two years and was also doing some lifestyle photography here and there, mostly for friends and acquaintances, high school seniors, families, and the like. By the time I was nearing the end of my second year as a counselor, I was seven months pregnant and getting photography clients left and right, almost to the point that I couldn’t keep up with both the client requests and my full time job.  And I knew I certainly wasn’t going to be able to keep up with my clients, my full time job, and a baby (which is a full-time job in itself). Something had to go, and it probably wasn’t going to be the baby. It was decision time: jump in head first with my own photography business putting all my financial eggs in one basket, but also having more time at home with my little girl, or drop the photography, which was more a side thing anyway, and pursue the career I’d finally achieved.

That’s when I realized that while it’s important to have goals, it’s more important to let go of expectations.

God doesn’t owe us anything. He doesn’t owe us an explanation as to why he decides to do what he does.

I’ve always tried to hold my future with a loose hand, setting vague goals and a general course of action, but giving God the reins. And that means, of course, he’s not always going to do what I want. Like when I didn’t get a scholarship to UNC, my dream school, or when I didn’t get married right out of undergrad like I expected, or when I spent a better part of my life dancing, thinking I was going to be a professional and ended up dropping it cold.

That just wasn’t His plan.

Instead he had me work at Eagle Lake Camp for two summers, a life-changing experience. He had me get my masters degree in a field I’ve always wanted to work. He allowed me to get married when we were financial stable, could buy a house, and could support a child. Relationships began and ended, doors opened and closed, opportunities came and went, but all the while, I was lucky I didn’t have to sort it all out myself.

I try to live off the philosophy that wherever I end up is where God wants me to be. 

I think with that mentality, you can’t really screw it up. It is so important to have goals to help us keep our “eye on the prize” through the challenging steps along the way, but it’s also important to be open to God changing those goals. He has a way better plan for us than we could ever have for ourselves.  Set goals, keep yourself focused, but be open to opportunities that God throws your way.

God has blessed me beyond what I could have imagined. I love my career, it is amazingly challenging and rewarding, yet certainly not what I had planned when I started college. I love my little family, my husband, my daughter, and I am so blessed to be a mom and a wife.

I’m only where I am because I was willing to adjust my expectations and let God take me where he wants me to go.

And I could only do that by making my ultimate goal to seek Him.

Jenna Bishop is a wife, mom, and lifestyle photographer in Gilbert, Arizona. She jumped off the deep end and started her photography business, Jenna Bishop Photography, specializing in seniors, families, and weddings. She decided that running a small business is one of the hardest things she’s ever done, even harder than sitting through boring job training. She loves coffee, riding horses, and going for walks with her family, but not necessarily in that order. Or maybe in that order. You can follow her on twitter @JBishopPhotos or her see her work at www.JennaBishopPhotography.com.  

One of the greatest fears I had when I thought about graduating from college was that my first job–whatever it was–might be the “wrong” one. I worried that I’d get stuck in a career I didn’t want and ultimately, would get in the way of my own destiny.

As much as I wanted to have a solid plan and follow it, it didn’t happen that way. 

My career ambitions have never fit inside of a traditional box.

There’s no formula to follow the visions God has given, the only option is to follow Him. 

When I first graduated, I wanted to pursue TV hosting. I enrolled in ongoing hosting classes taught by a talent agent and a handful of “working” hosts. Some of them started as news reporters, some as actors, and a few had no prior entertainment experience–just had a niche for a certain type of show, knew the right person, and unexpectedly became a show host. I made it a point to ask each of these hosts how they got there start, secretly hoping that the majority of them would say “I started in this job, then worked in this field, and by that point, I was ‘qualified’ to host my own show.” But no two people had taken the same path. I couldn’t find the security I was searching for. I wanted a guarantee on my destiny–to know that each move I made would land me where I wanted to be.

I suppose some professions provide that security. But in this era of “self-made millionaires” and creative technological inventions and start up businesses, dreams aren’t fitting into a box that includes a perfect path with a step by step instruction sheet.

Where I found instruction was Proverbs 16:9–A person plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.

If you knew what the next five years of your life looked like, when would you check in with God? Probably five years from now.

The uncertainty of following dreams is what keeps us dependent on the One who makes them possible. An incredible thing about God is that He already knows which jobs await you, and no action you take surprises Him. Even if you feel you worked at the wrong job and wasted a year or two, God will use that experience to your benefit. Do not let worry consume you. Lift every opportunity, job, and path in front of you to God. Pray about it. I have never once been confused or uncertain after praying and fasting about a big decision. God is not about chaos, confusion, or uncertainty. He will make His ways clear.

God isn’t asking you to figure out the next five years of your life, or even your next job.

He promises to direct your steps. But in order for Him to direct your steps, you need to keep your feet moving. He desires you and I to depend on Him fully. When you realize your dream is absolutely impossible by your own strength and abilities, that is when you can acknowledge that God alone is the only one who can make it possible. He wants you to trust Him with your dreams.

You don’t need a blueprint of your future. You can follow the one who has built you, designed your dreams, and is constructing your future–the architect Himself.

I’ll be the first to say–I stepped blindly out of college with an unrealistic expectation of the real world.

When I graduated: I had spent my senior year taking upper division courses, most of them teaching me skills I wouldn’t need for years later in my career. For example, I was an anchor for Chapman’s weekly newscast. I started to really like anchoring–I sat in a plush chair behind a news desk in an air-conditioned television studio and read stories to the camera that other people had assembled.  Most anchoring positions require 3 to 5 years of reporting experience to even be considered.

The jobs I was eligible for: [starting out] were reporting positions in small markets. Many of those job descriptions required “one man band” reporting-where you are the camera operator, reporter, and editor. You haul the equipment in the back of your vehicle into any type of weather conditions, the worse, the better as far as your station chief is concerned, and work around the clock to start and finish your own pieces, a job far less glamorous than an anchor position.

The expectations I had developed for my first job were far from what reality presented.

I believe this is one of the biggest downfalls of college–what you’re taught and not taught during senior year. While upper division courses are necessary, most of them teach skills you won’t put into practice until 3-5 years into a career. Yes, there are exceptions, but it’s realistic to assume that entry level jobs don’t entail more than basic knowledge of the job field–as well as administrative skills, a great personality, an ability to be part of a team, and a willingness to work long hours for low pay.

I loved everything I learned in my upper division courses. They got me excited about my career and ready to burst onto the scene. But…

I wish I had enrolled in a semester of “Real World 101″ before graduating–a course that taught me how to interview, set realistic career expectations, balance a budget, and prepare (mentally) for entry level work.

The best way to be equipped for a job after college is to find out what entry-level positions in your desired field entail, and how you can be the best candidate for them.

Questions to ask yourself before you job hunt:

What tasks can you expect to be doing on a daily basis in an entry-level job?

What are people being paid in entry-level positions?

Are you willing to take a job within your desired field, even if it isn’t what you had in mind?

Who did you know who is already working in your desired field? (think people you’ve met through internships, alumni connections, family friends, etc.)

You will be amazed at the amount of advice someone who has the job you want can offer you. I aim to find someone to connect with in the field or company I want to be hired in, and simply ask what they would do if they were in my shoes. This imparted knowledge not only helps you prepare mentally for what you can expect in that job, but usually, the people you connect with will want to help you.  They remember what it was like to find their first jobs out of school.

What you’ve learned in college has probably over-qualified you for your first job.

But realize now that you will use those skills…eventually. I was unprepared to work for a low salary and perform menial tasks. A few (literally) of my friends did land incredible and fulfilling job that utilize their skills right after graduation, but the majority of us will probably spend years of meandering through various jobs to arrive at our “dream” job–one where we operate using our gifts and talents.

Some days I became so frustrated at the fact I had spent $200,000 on my education and was at a job where I didn’t feel I was utilizing any part of my degree and making twelve dollars an hour. But if I had shaped my expectations more accurately and spent more time thinking about how I could be a great one man band reporter in a small town after I graduated rather than a 5 o’clock nightly news anchor, I would have been better prepared for the real world.

My hope for you is that you’ll take the time to prepare for reality.

And realize, that as you’re working your first job, God is teaching you something there that you will need for what He has in store for you. The jobs I’ve worked have been so far from what I imagined for myself, but I’ve learned crucial skills and lessons in each of them that cause me to shrug my shoulders and say “Well God, you did it again. You knew why I needed that job. You put me exactly where I needed to be, and that’s because you know exactly where I’m heading. You’re the author of my future, and my dreams, and are making a way designed specifically for me.”

A High School Senior’s Testimony of God’s Faithfulness–a Guest Post By Nicole Dawson

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Any high school senior can agree the college admission process can be more than overwhelming and unnerving.

It’s difficult to anxiously wait for those acceptance letters that determine the next four years of our lives, the people we’ll meet, and the people we’ll become. Although stressful and unknowing, it is a perfect time to practice faith in God’s plan for us, even when we can’t see that plan at first.

Since visiting New York City in the fall of my junior year, I definitely knew MY plan.

I wanted to get out of my small town, and attend New York University to study musical theatre. Attending NYU was my dream, and I was ready to get there no matter what. However, as soon as I returned home from that trip, I began to see that dream slip away.

For the remainder of the year, my mom battled with a medical condition that changed everything. The whole experience was emotionally draining and, to escape from this, I took on more than I could manage.

I watched my grades and dreams of NYU slip away. 

Over the summer, I was so disheartened looking at NYU’s academic standards. Last year, I barely met their standards, and now I was not even close. Getting into NYU was impossible. My test of faith began right then as I remembered: For nothing is impossible with God. -Luke 1:37. Simple, but truthful and powerful.

God did not give me my dreams, skills, and determination for no reason. 

I was ready to work harder than ever to get to NYU. To start, I knew I would have to go above and beyond academically to redeem my GPA. I came across a charter school that gave high school students the opportunity to take community college courses, along with college prep high school classes. On a whim, I put myself on the competitive wait list for the school. Of course, God gave me clear direction when I got the last slot. This was unexpected and terrifying to me.

Who leaves their high school senior year?

I never thought I would. The school year was approaching and I had to make a decision. I made the decision to trust God completely.

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us
assurance about things we cannot see. -Hebrews 11:1

My new school has been one of the biggest, unforeseen blessings in my life. Motivated and faithful, my GPA was higher than ever by the end of the semester. I proudly submitted my application to NYU along with a few others. Now that applications were done, the chaos of college auditions began. These auditions were much more competitive and demanding than I had expected.

My faith was tested when I received two rejection letters.

I just had to remind myself daily that God had a plan. He didn’t want me at those other two schools. He made that clear.

The most difficult part of the college process is the waiting.

Although I was anxious, this time brought me so close to God. This was also the time I stumbled upon PerseveringDreams.com. All part of His perfect timing.

I realized this was an opportunity not only to strengthen my faith in God’s plan, but to learn to praise Him even while waiting. I praised Him for the events leading me to my new school, for the opportunity to travel the east coast, for the memories I made with my parents on those trips, and for this journey that had brought me so close to Him. I was praying and praising more than ever!

On February 15, I received my admissions notification from NYU.

Before opening it, I prayed. I was so confident in that moment that no matter what, God had big plans
and promises for me. Even if NYU wasn’t part of the plan, I had found so much peace in trusting God. I opened the letter to find I had been accepted to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts!

I was shown firsthand that all things ARE possible with God! I am amazed everyday when I think about this journey; I’ve learned that God’s plan and timing is always perfect.

This is only the beginning of persevering for my dreams. 

I am so excited to see what God holds for my future.

“For I know the plans I have for you, “ declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you
and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11. 

Nicole Dawson is a high school senior from the small and beautiful town of
Monument, Colorado. From belting show tunes to tap dancing, Nicole loves all things musical theatre and hopes to pursue it as a future profession. She is so excited to share all that God has done for her this year, and can’t wait to see the future God has for her as she begins college next year at her dream school, New York University.