Often students wonder, “Am I ever going to use all this knowledge when I am done with school, and if so, how?!” Well sometimes the doors of opportunity open only because you have specific knowledge, and it becomes your education that gets you the job you never thought you would get. I simply speak from experience.
After finishing my master’s courses at PSU, I went on a search for jobs. I really did not know what I was looking for. Portland, I thought, would be a good place for new opportunities, but five months later, nothing came up. I finally realized I had to look beyond my comfort zone and be open to other possibilities.
One place I had overlooked was teaching. Although I had been a University Studies mentor for over a year at PSU, I did not think I was going to get into teaching with a degree in Conflict Resolution. Well, I threw out this thought, and weeks later I got called to teach in Southern Oregon. The best thing, however, is that I got to use both knowledge and skills I had gained at PSU in my graduate program and as a mentor, so I began teaching in my own field of studies. One piece of advice to everyone: never overlook any of your experiences because everything counts.