Which path?

Soo after making a very hard decision to leave a career that I loved (a flight attendant) to go back to school and finish my degree with the hopes of finding a more stable and prosperous job I am at the point where I am asking myself "now what did I get a degree for?" Before I graduated I had this idea in my head that as soon as you actually get your diploma jobs will suddenly become available to you. And not just any job, an amazing job at that! I dreamed I would have the ability to do what I love (not exactly sure what that is yet), have the stability of a great paycheck that just screams "I have a college degree!!" and get to take two-week vacations once a year anywhere in the world that my poor little heart desires.

Well reality has hit! Its been almost 4 months since I graduated and I've got nothin'! I have applied with more companies than I ever imagined would be necessary to actually find a job and the result...two interviews with a pharma company, and one phone interview with a phone company. Really? That's all? I feel like I would be a great asset to any company and employers would just die to have me a part of their team. I have a very diverse and strong background in sales, customer service, management, training, AR, and a little marketing. What more could an employer be looking for? I'm outgoing, well versed, motivated, and ready to work but it seems I am just not what they are looking for. Then what are they looking for? I've read self-help books to help me in my job search, I've re-written my resume I think 15 times in the past 4 months, I've researched every single company that I have applied with before even submitting my application.

So that leads me to where I am now...I have now started questioning my career path. I am a huge believer in things coming along at the right time for a reason. And I'm starting to wonder if nothing has come through for me because I'm not looking in the right places for a job. Maybe being a sales rep for a pharma or medical device company is not the right path for me. Yes, it would be a fantastic job, I would get to interact with different people on a daily basis, I would be helping to get products in the hands of those that need them, I would make my own schedule, and above all I would get to develop who I am in the process while not sitting behind a computer screen 9 hours out of my day!! But again...maybe that's not for me?

So what is my calling? What was I put on this earth to do?

Last weekend I was at the pool laying out and 2 hours later I am helping to teach a child to swim underwater. It was a fantastic feeling to see him succeed and an even better feeling knowing that he trust me enough to actually swim all the way across the pool because I was at the other end cheering him on. After we started cooking dinner my friend Jenny made a comment about how amazing I was teaching that little boy to swim. It didn't really occur to me until the next day that I really do love teaching and coaching others. So the question is do I want to be a teacher? In theory yes I would love to be a teacher (I even got certified to teach Junior High) BUT I don't want to teach to test and I really don't want my pay to depend on my class grades from the state  examinations. I don't think teaching a child how to master a state exam would accurately reflect my teaching abilities. Everyone remembers sitting in certain teachers classrooms where all you did was worksheet after worksheet that modeled questions like ones that you would be tested over at the end of the year. Do you actually remember what was on those worksheets 2, 5, 10 years later? NO! So why teach that way? And why reward that type of teaching? So in a nutshell that is why I'm hesitant about becoming a teacher in the public school system. So what other options are there?

I have my psychology degree because I love learning about the way people think and function and I guess that is why i enjoy teaching so much. I love seeing that spark when someone learns something new. But where else can my enthusiasm for teaching be put to good use? Any suggestions?

So at least I have narrowed it down to what I know I enjoy and am actually good at..now what?

~Kim