When Life Hands You Lemons...

Well a lot has certainly happened since last I posted. I don't even know where to begin, so perhaps I should go on a month-by-month basis. August: I last posted in August, and at that time I had been feeling pretty discouraged. Summer was winding down and the job prospects, both in Meteorology and just minimum wage, weren't looking very good. September: Fast forward to September. A small glimmer of hope. My old security company called me to say they were interested in hiring me. I was happy to have a job, don't get me wrong, but the prospect of working for minimum wage again was really depressing. It seemed as though I was going backwards, not forwards. Still, I told myself it was temporary. It was a necessity to pay the bills. I think my spirit got really low by the end of the month but something occurred that renewed my faith and hope, albeit a long shot. I was called by a company out west in North Dakota, a private company that was hiring Meteorologists whom I had sent my resume to. A good friend of mine also was working there and had told me of the opportunity, so I sent my resume in and lo and behold they called me back to set up an interview. It was a tough interview but I made it out alright and was given the opportunity to provide them with a couple of mock forecasts as part of the interviewing process. They chose the cities. Chicago and Seattle. SEATTLE!? My arch nemesis when it came to forecasting the weather challenge! Nevertheless, working a third shift that night at security didn't deter me from making the best forecast I could and submitting it the next morning. I later checked on the forecast and was very happily surprised at how well it was verifying. This definitely lifted my spirits. October: Well weeks had gone by since the interview and I was already planning on not going anywhere for awhile. Just when it seemed like all hope was lost, I got the call from that company and they told me they'd like to hire me. I was ecstatic to say the least. It was kind of scary, too, because I didn't have much time to get a place out there and move all of my stuff, not to mention the difficulty in leaving everyone behind. Luckily I had a good friend or two out here already waiting for me, but it was still difficult leaving my family and friends back in Michigan. Still, moved I did. November: And now here we are. I am now currently living in North Dakota forecasting. It's been an incredible last few months. I'm not sure what's in store for me next, but now I have a renewed determination to be optimistic and to feel more confident. I forecast for several different states around the country. It's quite challenging but is also allowing me to gain a lot of forecasting experience in very different climates/terrain. From west coast to east coast, the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico. It's approaching winter, though, so we'll see how I far in one of the biggest winter players in the Contiguous U.S. It's funny how life works out sometimes I suppose :-)