So this semester is officially a month in and let me tell you, it really does feel like my senior year. For those of you who do not know, I go to FGCU in Florida (where I'm from obviously) and I'm just now starting my senior year as a PR major. Things have been a little bit hectic but surprisingly.. I'm doing fine. I'm in the swing of things and I feel like I'm starting to hit my stride.
I should probably knock on wood.
There was a little bit of an odd bump in the road that I seriously felt like I had to share with you guys. A few weeks ago, I was applying to a bunch of places for a part time job. One of those places was the Bass Pro Shops that is right down the street from me. It's the perfect place, since I've been hunting all my life and I'm pretty experience.
So I got a call and went in and did an interview where they told me they were super interested in me. I was anxious because I live five hours away from where I go to college, and they were telling me that 1) I wouldn't be able to go home for Christmas because they needed me to work Christmas Day or Eve. Which really wasn't okay being that I live five hours away from my ENTIRE family. Extended and all. And then 2) I wouldn't be able to leave for Thanksgiving either, which is the ONE week out of the entire year that I go hunting and see people I've grown up with from hunting in the same place.
Obviously, I was kind of wary to take the job.
Except that when I went through two interviews and got the offer, they decided to give me the week of Thanksgiving off. I was completely thrilled AND they offered to pay me well over minimum age. They also agreed to work with me on the Christmas days when they realized I lived so far away. I was essentially the happiest person ever. I was supposed to work in the camo and hunting department which was ideal.
And then they made an error.
I'm talking about a really stupid error that could have been avoided. While I was in the middle of working with my group for a project, Bass Pro called me and asked me if I had taken my drug test for the company yet. The orientation was the next morning. I replied that I hadn't because I had forgotten but I would stop by Bass Pro right after the project meeting and pick up the slip to go.
"Oh, well you were supposed to do it within twenty-four hours of being hired and you were hired three days ago.... so we can't offer you the job."
I was totally shell-shocked. I instantly started crying and told them that I understood, except I really didn't. I was never informed of this twenty-four hour grace period, and I was NEVER given the slip to take to the office to get tested for drugs that would tell them who to send the results to. Bass Pro made the error of not only forgetting to tell me, never giving me the proper paper work AND not bothering to call me when they never got my results.
Cue the ugly crying in the library. I eventually consoled myself and got over it. They're a MASSIVE company with so many different employees to take care of and things to do that I knew I should have asked more questions or made sure they had everything they needed from me. I know being hired is a two way street, but it sucked.
Mom said everything happens for a reason. Kind of didn't see it.
And then I got a communication/ game day internship with the local hockey team, the Florida Everblades here. Now if anyone knows, I'm a massive hockey fan (go blackhawks) and I've wanted to go into sports PR for as long as I can remember. This past summer, I interned with a soccer team and although that organization itself was a nightmare, the sports aspect of it was amazing.
Starting next Friday, I will be working game nights and office days. I will be learning how the production of the entire game day goes from managing media, to making sure staff and the team are in the right places, to making sure that all promotional events are going off without a hitch. I honestly could not be happier with the offer. Not only does it open a million doors for my career, but it's something that I actually love doing.
The moral of the story is, no matter what happens in your life, just try to take it in stride. You can play the blame game or you can swear that bad luck is chasing you like your own personal shadow, but everything really does happen for a reason. Bad things happen to lead you to better places. Good things happen to reward you.
Anything could happen. And go Everblades!
-N
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