Worker Bee
One of the most common complaints I have heard from other military spouses is that it is "impossible" to find a job when you move every 1-4 years. Ironically enough my 5 best girlfriends in Columbus (who chose NOT to complain about this subject and take action) were employed, myself included, in a very small town in Mississippi. One has her own tanning business and works retail, one works for a private airline, one was a teacher, one taught yoga and worked at a physical therapy clinic, one (our "Token Civilian") is an office manager and I worked in Marketing and then was crazy enough to purchase and run a yoga studio for my last 9 months there. Now were we all working in our "chosen" fields? No. Where we all making "great" money? Nope. But did we complain? Well maybe a little ;)
The point is: you can either complain about something or DO something about it. And that goes for all aspects of military life (well, life in general, but it can be a serious problem among military families) I do not want to criticize, but I do want to take a moment and PRAISE those who I have met who CHOOSE to stay positive, proactive and prayerful throughout the struggles that being a military spouse may bring. It is truly inspiring and I have grown tremendously as a result of being surrounded by those type of people.
My "career journey" has been nothing but adventurous! Let's sum it up: Graduated early on accident with a degree in Elementary Education, so I subbed and supply taught for 9 months before getting married. Moved to Maryland so I decided to teach dance and sell Mary Kay to pay for the MBA I decided to pursue while there. Moved to MS with a masters and zero real business experience and miraculously got the job of all jobs working part time as a Marketing Assistant for a small local firm. Which ultimately led to me purchasing the yoga studio from one of our clients. Fast forward 9 months I was now certified in yoga (because, why not?) and sold the studio just a month before we moved to Jacksonville. Michael and I joked that since we would only be in Arkansas for 7 months, I would just go work at Tutti Frutti. But then God placed all the pieces together when my Dad, who owns an Architectural firm in Kennesaw, GA had an employee, his MARKETING coordinator, going on maternity leave the EXACT months I was in Arkansas. A position he asked me to fill in for. Thus my "work from home" marketing position I have now. If you had asked me while I was in college if I would have done ANY of these things, in ANY of these places, I would have laughed at you! I had no idea what my life with Michael would bring, but I prayed hard, kept my ear to the ground, took opportunities when they knocked, and am grateful for each and every step of this employment journey.
Now the fun question is: what do I do in Germany? My dad would encourage me to get a job with a large firm in Germany who has a global presence and would thus hire someone who knows 15 German words. (Hallo, Ich heiße Marissa. Wie gehts?). But that would limit by ability to travel with Michael during his sporadic time off, and obtaining a work visa in Germany can be very difficult for military spouses. Another option is to work on base, possibly teaching or subbing. Seems like a good plan. There are so many options, and an equal number of restrictions and considerations, but all I can do is PRAY hard, and continue to look into my various options. I know God will provide!
So- moral of the story is, there are ALWAYS options, even if they weren't the ones you expected. God has a plan, we must trust in it. Cheers to all the #WorkerBees out there!