I acknowledge that everyone’s journey is different and this will not apply to everyone, but just sharing my experience!
I know that taking a break after college or taking a year off is usually frowned upon because we are in such a fast-paced society, but it may end up being the best decision you could ever make. Just to be clear, I did not intentionally take two years off after college before getting into my “career or field,”it just happened that way.
If you would have told me that I would be working in retail for two years after graduating college, I probably would have been very confused. When I got my retail job at the beginning of my senior year in college, I guess I just thought of it as a job to help provide while still a student, but I had the mentality that once I graduated, I would go straight into my career(which I was still unsure about). It did not quite happen like that for me.
I graduated in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic first started, and I believe that played a little role in me not diving into a career immediately upon graduation, but on top of that, I did not know what career to pursue. I applied to so many different type of jobs that I thought would suit me like editorial jobs, publishing jobs, even teacher assistant/apprenticeship jobs, and NOTHING. I thought I would be able to easily get any job either because of my degree or my prior job experiences, but NO. I literally did not know where to turn. It was like I hit a dead end. But let me tell you why that was such a BLESSING IN DISGUISE.
It forced me to GROW! You do not grow when everything makes sense or always happens based on your own understanding, it is actually the opposite. Not having any answers really just pushed me to confront my own inner issues. Why was I such in a hurry to find a job? To prove myself to others? To feel important? To make more money? Once I started to dig deeper, I realized my intentions and focus were in the wrong places, and I was able to mature and shift my focus.
Even as I was continually working at my retail job, God humbled me, by making me realize that I was putting too much value in the jobs that I was seeking, and less on Him. With that kind of attitude, it is almost as if I forgot that I prayed for the job I currently had. My retail job was still providing for me IN A PANDEMIC, the hours were pretty good and convenient for me, and I genuinely had a good time there, so why the hurry. Yes, we should never remain complacent and yes, we all eventually want what’s next for us, sometimes BEFORE its time, but that is no reason to devalue your current situation. God brought out patience, maturity, and humility in me through this. Instead of praying for a next job, my prayers went like, “God, I trust your timing. You are an ON-TIME GOD. You know the plans you have for me. I believe you are opening up the right door at the right time, and when you tell me to GO, I will go, but in the mean-time, I want to honor you in my current season, where you have me.” THAT REALLY HELPED ME! At the end of day, GOD KNOWS BEST. It’s better to wait and trust, than to rush and bust.
The time off after graduation gave me so much clarity about myself and my desires. I was able to BREATHE. God spoke to me in so many different ways. I actually could be still and listen to Him more. I could take the time and get into His word and learn more about Him. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” I was able to seek God deeper, and little by little he began to show me what to do, and revealed what was already inside of me.
As time progressed, I just thought of classes in college that made me super passionate and excited. They involved creative writing along with African-American and Caribbean literature. I also thought about how much I loved working with children, both as a camp counselor and as a children’s church volunteer. It was like a light bulb popped for me. I thought to myself, “Wow, if I could be an educator in a subject that makes me passionate, I think I would be so happy and fulfilled.” I never thought these type of thoughts before, in fact, I usually dismissed them, so the fact that I was having this moment, meant much to me.
Not going to lie to you though, being an educator was not always on the top of my list, or else I would have gotten into that field straight out of college. For some reason, I associated negative experiences with school, and did not want to have a career in a school. Whenever one would ask me if I wanted to be a teacher, it was a quick “NO!” It actually even took me a while to accept that teaching was the route I would explore and pursue for myself, at whatever cost. But once I accepted that this was the route I would be pursuing, I could put forth more action such as taking the Praxis tests with the hope of getting the right opportunity.
Fast forward to May 2022, exactly two years after graduating from Rutgers as an undergrad, I am going to grad school to get my masters in education. The program that I am doing will prepare me to be a teacher within a year and allow me to experience being in a classroom setting. I am very excited to finally be working towards this career and going in the route that I believe God is leading me in. I still do not have all the answers, but I am trusting God each step of the way.
I write all of this to say, do not allow the timing of your journey to diminish your purpose and calling. I KNOW sometimes it feels so dry, hopeless, and desolate, but the MOST HIGH has you exactly where you are for a specific purpose. Only GOOD can be associated with GOD, so if you are not feeling GOOD, just keep waiting and trusting. Once you make God your focus, EVERYTHING CHANGES. The amount of clarity and knowledge that comes with seeking God is something you’d never get, trying to put matters in your own hands.
While I am very ecstatic to start this new chapter, I am also in the process of unlearning and saying goodbye to the routine that I have been in for the last two years. Since I was not in my career, and pretty much just home most of the time, despite working at my retail job, doing errands and hanging out with my day ones, I had ample FREE TIME which was definitely a luxury that we all need in life sometimes. Well that will change as I will have much more responsibilities and duties to attend to upon starting grad school and eventually my career, so I am currently mentally preparing for that, and trying to enjoy the last pages of this current chapter. Don’t get me wrong though, I am super grateful and excited to finally pursue a career in education, and moving forward into my destiny. It is only up from here.
Lessons that I learned from the past two years:
SEEK GOD FIRST.
DON’T ATTACH YOUR WORTH TO THIS WORLD.
TRUST GOD’S TIMING.
DIG DEEPER WITHIN YOURSELF.
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR CURRENT SEASON.
BE PRESENT.
ENJOY LIFE!!!!!!!!
There you have it. Thanks for tuning in.
❤ DOM
Dominique 