One Shirt, Two Outfits & Some Job Talk

INTERVIEW OUTFIT:

Blue shirt: clearance Target; skirt: thrifted; belt (came w/ dress); flats: Kmart

SUBBING OUTFIT:

Blue shirt: same clearance Target (recent); merlot skirt: Kohls (recent); gold jewelry: Mom's closet & art museum gift shop; tan wedges: passed on from friend

Same shirt, but two outfits and I'll totally admit that when I love something I have no qualms with wearing it two days in a row anymore. I recently also got a new dress from Kohl's that was perfect for traveling and I've worn in three times in the last week! :) I don't know why we have such hang-ups about wearing the same clothes, especially when simple changes can make an outfit appear totally different...and unless we're sweating or spilling like crazy, one day's wear is rarely going to make an outfit truly dirty.

I'd eye-balled the fitted blue shirt with detailing around the collar pictured above when I'd previously been in Target. When I saw it on clearance the week before I left on my trip, I snagged it for $13! I'd been wanting a pop of color for my interview and the top outfit seemed like a good fit: creative, professional, but also authoritative. I then paired the new shirt with a skirt in the same color family (monochromatic, no?!) in order to sub for my colleague's class the next morning before driving down to my hometown. 

Speaking of the interview, I felt that it went okay and when I walked out I felt that the verdict could go either way. I was one of 4 or 5 people who had been selected to interview and it was definitely a position that was several steps above where I currently am....thus while I was completely honored to have the opportunity to interview, I really wasn't too surprised to receive an email while on the drive down telling me that I didn't make it to the next round. Still a disappointment but definitely understandable....and I honestly feel that the decision was probably the right one. While I definitely could have done the job and would have done a good job at that, it would have been a steep learning curve and there is a better fit of a job out there for me. 

Before heading out of town, I'd applied for a different part-time position at a different campus than the one I teach at....and in the week I've been gone, a few more jobs have posted that I plan to apply for. Plus I know that another great opportunity will be opening within the next few months. While it's not a guaranteed position for me, it'd be a great option! I'm doing my best to keep my eyes open, my cover letters and resumes tailored, and my hopes high that the right opportunity will present itself. 

....And I'm also starting to contemplate potentially going back to school....again. Yep, you read that right. I've been throwing around the idea of massage training and on the trip I started thinking about nutrition/dietitian certification. I really love teaching in the health field, but I also know that the technical side of health is where the job security is and where it'd be possible to combine both my teaching with the hands-on application of skills. My family has been quietly encouraging me to obtain my doctorate for the last few years, but I currently lack the motivation and desire to do it. I have no qualms that I COULD get my Ph.D (in fact I have lots of great dissertation ideas) but the financial gain wouldn't be much and in fact, I'd probably make about the same as I do now but I'd owe much, much more in student loans. I HAVE multiple times contemplated alternative/holistic medicine (aka fulfilling my high school dream of becoming a naturopath), but have never pursued it as I'd have quite a few true science courses that I'd have to complete for prereqs before being eligible to apply....plus a ND is also a lot of additional time and money. But in the last few days, I've again started researching different medical options (midwifery, ND, massage, nutrition) to see what the requirements, prereqs, and steps would be. I'm unsure of what the next few years will hold.....BUT there might be the chance that I'll truly head in a new direction. One of the things I love about the option of a ND is that it combines all aspects of what I believe in for health: natural, holistic, healing, and includes each of the areas that I mentioned as interests, etc....and I'm glad to see it becoming a much more accepted field. My concerns are whether it would truly be acceptable in a rural area (where I'd like to end up) and I wonder what I would do should I decide to relocate somewhere that doesn't truly license ND practitioners (ie Texas for example). 

Lots of thoughts....but potentially this will head somewhere, especially as every year I find myself researching many of these same programs.... This next year ahead I'm focusing on finding a job to help me pay the bills and continuing to teach, but it might not be a bad idea to use some of my free course allowances to start taking care of some of these prereqs! :) The irony is that I never would have started thinking about this re-direction (or maybe return to some of my original professional desires) if the separation wouldn't have happened....and that it took this last road trip for me to realize that even with turning 30, there's still SO much life and opportunity ahead!