Day 39: Thankful

I wonder how many people love their job? I mean REALLY love their job. I would venture to guess that the number would be quite low if a poll was taken. Do I love my job? Not really. I barely even like my job but I can feel thankful that I at least have a job.

I met a friend last night for dinner, which turned into having cake at a cafe instead. I'm not complaining. Dessert first is something I firmly believe in. Anyway, she is about to begin a job search in Stockholm and was asking me about the process I went through in my own job search. The story behind the search leading to my job is actually rather amazing.

I began to look for a job as soon as we moved here, but with no Swedish language skills it did not go so well. It was disheartening to receive rejection after rejection, if I even received a reply at all. I started to feel like I would never get any positive response. I continued my Swedish studies and tried to become proficient in the language. One day I discovered that I could request a job coach through my contact at the Arbetsförmedlingen (unemployment office), free of charge. The job coach was designed to assist you with motivation and tools in your search but not really help you look for a job. Ok. I was paired with a job coach and after a few mishaps we began my serious job search process. My coach assisted me with search techniques and with translating my CV to Swedish. Once my CV translation was completed, things moved quickly.

Carl and I had just come home from vacation at our summer house and I was on a field trip with my Swedish class to visit Stockholm's City Hall. My group was outside waiting for our scheduled time when my mobile phone rang. For the record, it was probably the first time it ever rang since we moved to Sweden and I nearly didn’t get to it in time, as I did not recognize the ring tone. I answered and it was someone from one of my job applications calling to offer me an interview. My first interview in Sweden and as it turns out, after two additional interviews for this position, my first interview became my first job. It was some kind of sheer, dumb luck and when I really think about it, it’s kind of cool that I am working in a foreign country, speaking a foreign language. So what if I don’t love my job. Today as I sit here I choose to feel thankful that I have a job. This very job.