My mom always taught me to dream really big. To reach for things that are so far out of reach and make them happen. I’ve practiced this philosophy in a lot of aspects of my life. Sometimes, though, there is no amount of reaching that could get you to your dream.
Until it could.
When people ask me what is my dream job if there were no limitations, I could confidently say air traffic controller. I know, right? So totally not getting there with my journalism degree! For a brief moment in time in 2009 I toured one of our local community colleges that offers a great ATC program. I met with the professors, toured the tower, knew it was what I wanted. And then my mom died. Thoughts of ATC school vanished as I plowed through the estate work and fell into a nice job in Healthcare accounting. Yea, thrilling, right? So now not only am I not working my “dream job,” I’m not even using the degree I worked so hard for! Oh well, it’s paying the bills for now.
And then the FAA randomly opens up ATC trainee positions to persons under the age of 31 (a requirement of the hiring process in general) with a degree and 3 years of work. So, I applied and waited for my rejection. A few of my friends also applied and they got their rejections but my application sat “untouched” in the system with the last update being the day I submitted it. And I kinda forgot that I was waiting for my rejection and went about my life.
And then this happened:
When I finally stopped screaming at work and texting everyone who I told I applied, I jumped online and scheduled my test. I figured it would be similar to the SATs, and while I still think the format might be, the test itself is going to be so hard.
So hard, in fact, that I spent most of my week convincing myself I wasn’t going to take the test. We can’t really afford the trip to NYC and I’m not doing too hot at the math section while studying. However, God has thrown EVERYTHING he has at me until he slapped me in the face enough for me to realize that THIS IS WHERE I’M SUPPOSED TO BE!! My dreams are dead in front of me and it is up to me to make it happen. That crazy, no-way-in-hell-gonna-ever-happen dream is really happening. And it’s freaking scary… but also really excited!! So I am going with faith that this is what I’m supposed to be doing, studying like I’ve never studied for a test in my life, and praying really hard that I can remember everything and that I pass. Because passing means a job, and a job means I will be living out my dreams.
And if I fail, then I will know that I gave it my very best shot and that’s the way it is supposed to happen. Someone once used the analogy that I was “circling the airport” during a transition time in my life. I now look at it as the last few years I have been circling the airport. This is my opportunity to land my plane. Literally!!
Amy Dick says
I am so proud of you friend! That gave me chills:-)
Amy says
Go get em, Megs! I know you can do it.