About 8 months ago, I started commuting 3 hours each way twice a month to tend my two grandbabies, Riken and Rogue, while their Mom and Dad worked. It was SO good for me!! I loved the time I spent with them, I loved the weather in La Verkin, and I even loved the drive. I listened to Audible books and seriously just got into a routine that worked for all of us. I missed my husband for the 14 days a month I was away from him, but we FaceTimed two or three times a day, and it was OK. He would go down to La Verkin on the weekends when he could, spoil the grandkids and hang out with me.
Then my son-in-law got a BIG promotion at work. Schedules changed, the dynamic changed, and although I continued being their Nanny, it was just different. I had a feeling that even bigger changes would be coming, so one Sunday night, I decided to just look at the Workforce Services website IN CASE my days of nannyhood were coming to an end.
I came across a job announcement for a caseworker at DCFS, about 60 miles from my home in Ephraim. I got my Bachelor's degree two years ago and haven't really done anything with it, so I decided to just go ahead and apply for the job. It closed at midnight on the very day I pulled up the job description, and I finished the online application at about 10:30 that night.
The next morning, as I was headed to La Verkin to tend the boys,Tammy from DCFS called my cell phone and we set up a job interview for the following Tuesday. So I had a week to prepare for the interview. And prepare I did! I had little recipe cards where I would write a common job interview question on the front and key points I wanted to hit in my answer on the back of the card. I studied those cards for hours each day. I was SO prepared.
Got my roots done on Saturday, got a blessing from Ken on Monday, and headed to the interview on Tuesday. The candidate before me was a young guy, early 20's, full of vim and vigor, confidence and poise. But I held the tentative grip I had on my own self-confidence, and gave them answers that highlighted what would make me a good candidate.... my 15 years experience as a Primary President, Counselor and teacher, my blue qualities of compassion and empathy, the fact that if I were hired, I'd be there to stay for the rest of my working life. Which, ironically, is 20 years to full Social Security retirement age, and Utah state retirement benefits also happen after 20 years.
They called Wednesday and offered me the job! I start on April 3.
I go into this knowing full well that it will not be a "feel good at the end of the day" type of career. I will see some heartbreaking situations with children who deserve better, and parents who want to do better but are limited by circumstances or addiction. I will have to rely on the mentors I find in the field, and on my own training and life experiences. I'll be making great money, get great benefits, and make a difference to the people with whom I come in contact.
