Leigh - A new chapter, a new adventure
Education: Undergraduate Degree from University from Pittsburgh
in Germany & Linguistics and Graduate Degree from University of South
Carolina in German
Nationality: American
Age: 26
Previous international experience: Study abroad in Germany and lots of travel in Central and Eastern Europe. Favorite place to visit Lithuania
Hobbies: Running, writing and crochet
Challenge: Finding my first full time job in a larger city in the
US or Germany in order to start a new and exciting chapter in my life!
Result: I
found a job after 2 months of ups and downs in a job that reflects my
personality better than I could have possibly imagined!
My passion and the ability to find a job with my
skillset
I was always the type of person who loved school; I loved learning and I
loved sharing information with others. It was no surprise to those who knew me
when I made the decision to enroll in a graduate program for German. My
original plan was to go on to get my PHD in German literature and to spend the
rest of my life teaching. To make a long story short: I never stopped loving school,
but my experiences in graduate school made me realize that I had to see another
side of life other than academia. With that thought in mind, I finished school
with my Masters in German and decided to try the work force for a few years.
Having been immersed in academia,
all of my relevant work experience came from two teaching assistantships: one
for teaching German in the United States, and the other for teaching English in
Germany. My Masters degree, however, was not a teaching degree, so I knew that
I would have to get creative while searching for a job. I wanted to work in
publishing, but knew that I had to have extensive experience in smaller
companies that provided publication services. With that in mind, I broadened my
search to copy editing, professional writing, and even administrative services.
Let the job hunt start: Where to go?
I grew up in a small country town
outside of Pittsburgh, but have spent the last 3 years living in other places
hundreds and thousands of miles away from Pittsburgh. My locational preferences
were simple enough: I did not mind moving far away, as long as I lived in a
bigger city with a relatively good standard of living and diverse cultural
amenities. I had even hoped to move back to Europe, so I applied for jobs in
Germany.
The first opportunity(ies) and the first frustration!
The job hunt started out with high
hopes. My first interview was for a style and design company in New York City.
I went to Manhattan in my dress suit, interviewed for the job in German, and
was turned down. I did not let that stop me and I applied for other jobs in
Washington D.C., Boston, Baltimore, and Chicago. I discovered that the main
problem with my job hunt was my current location. I was back in the Pittsburgh
area, but the employers were skeptical that I would be willing to move so far
away from Pittsburgh. I tried to add lines in my cover letter assuring
potential employers that relocation was not an issue for me. No one seemed to
believe it. I even landed a phone interview with a digital parts
materialization company in Augsburg, Germany for an administrative assistant
position. In spite of my willingness to move to Germany at my own expense, the
Human Resources manager bluntly told me that out of the 7 candidates for the
job, I was the only non-German applying, and that it would be difficult for
them to justify hiring me and supporting a work visa. My advanced degree was
another issue. After several weeks and no job, I applied for less-ambitious
jobs that were closer to my residence. I was turned down for being
overqualified.
I was visibly frustrated at this
point. I disliked the chore of looking through job postings, writing 4-6 cover
letters per day, and readjusting my resume for readability. I finally started
to apply for jobs through staffing agencies. Staffing agencies typically offer
lower-level office jobs or call center positions. As an American with
astronomical student loan payments to face, I knew I could not afford to be
unemployed for much longer. My mother was worried and even urged me to go back
to school to get a teaching degree. As much as I loved being a teacher, I
wanted my chance to do something outside of academia, but feared failure.
Staffing agencies and "my travel agency"!
I finally got my break two months after
graduation from school. One of the staffing agencies called me the same day I
submitted my resume to them. They arranged for me to interview with a
specialized travel agency north of the city of Pittsburgh. I was skeptical
about working at a travel agency since many jobs offered through them pay
poorly and do not seem exciting. Still, I knew that a poor job was better than
no job, so I put my dress suit back on and went to the travel agency.
I came into the travel agency and
found a bustling and warm environment. Everyone was friendly, well-spoken, and
professional. I had done some research on the company before the interview so I
would know what to expect, and was interested to find that this travel agency
organizes trips around the world for sportsmen who like to hunt and fish in
international locations. I had only fished a few times in my life, and was a
bit nervous about my lack of expertise in hunting and fishing. This fact did
not phase the Human Resources manager, and she had me speak with the co-owner
of the company almost immediately since I was interviewing to be the co-owner’s
assistant. The co-owner was very German in her attitude: direct,
quick-thinking, organized, and clear about her expectations. I appreciated her
demeanor and knew I would like working for her. I was told that they were
hiring me to work on their account for fishing trips on the Ponoi River in
Russia. Employees at the company are encouraged to travel to sites associated
with their accounts and other accounts, take photos, and write articles on
their travel experiences. I was excited about the photography and writing
opportunities and realized that this was not going to be an average
administrative assistant job. I walked out of the interview with greater
enthusiasm about the position.
4 weeks of the new adventure! I love it!
I was hired the following day. I
have been at Frontiers International for four weeks at this point, and I love
this job. I get to book clients’ trips to our fishing site, prepare their
passports for visa processing, draw up reports on our hotel partners and
charter flights, and even speak to our veteran clients on a personal level. The
job is not linear, therefore it is never boring. The co-workers are friendly
and helpful, and I still have not heard a single word of animosity or office
gossip amongst the employees, something that is new and refreshing to me. I
even found out last week that I will be going to Russia as soon as September of
this year to visit the site associated with my account. I get to follow in the
footsteps of a typical client and experience what they experience so I can do a
better job at educating new clientele about the site. I will even have
the chance to learn fly-fishing.
I did it! Russia, here I come!
My sudden departure from academia
left me confused about what I wanted to do with my life. Looking back on my job
hunt, I realize that the fact I was flexible and open-minded about what type of
job would fit my qualifications helped me out. I also learned how to sell the
skills that were not covered with my degrees: most of the jobs for which I
interviewed were not German-speaking jobs, so I focused on my administrative
experience and advanced writing skills. It was also good to be realistic; as
much as I wanted to move to a very big city, the jobs can be scarce and there
are always many more applicants for jobs in those places. Even though I
currently work in an office in a rural area, I live in the city of Pittsburgh.
I get the best of both worlds: exciting city lifestyle with access to gorgeous
countryside. The most important thing I learned about finding satisfying work
is the willingness to expand experiences in a way that can include my passion.
I love foreign languages, but my job does not require me to use my foreign
language skills. I do, however, get to participate in foreign travel, which is
a lifestyle option that I had always hoped would be available to me. With the
opportunity to work with long-term clients who make foreign travel a part of
their lifestyle, I know that I have found work that supports my own desire to
see the world and to learn of the experiences of other world-travelers.
°°° Curious about previous stories? °°° Here you go! °°°
°°° Interested to join? Write me a message! °°°
