When I took a seat in the Worship Center one Sunday, the pre-service video about the ReStart Career Conference immediately caught my attention.
Are you in a career transition?
“Why yes, I am,” I replied to myself.
Do you need a new career?
“Yes, I might need that. Maybe I could do that. Right?”
If I wanted to advance in my physical therapy job, I would have to go back to school. Or maybe I’d go back to school to start a completely different career. Unfortunately, my strongest quality at the time was indecisiveness. I waffled back and forth. One day I was determined to start over in a new career—and the next day, I changed my mind. “No, I’d get an advanced degree in my current field.” I began to pray, “Please God, send help! If I had a spirit animal, it would be a squirrel!”
I’m happy to say that one thing I didn’t waffle over was signing up for the ReStart Conference. The founding leadership knew who they were and where they were going. I wanted to be like that.
Job Search Tip
Go after the job you want, not necessarily the job that is available.
The day of the conference we got an early morning start and the founder gave his testimony, followed by Pastor Josh Walters, who shared how his career path led him to become Seacoast’s Mount Pleasant Campus Pastor. So many professionals were happy to share their insights, and they welcomed, comforted, and prayed over all of us.
In the breakout sessions I attended, I learned how to build my best résumé and a powerful concept that was new to me—one that would make all the difference: How to go after the job you want, not necessarily the job that is available.
After the ReStart conference, I contacted a place where I’d love to work, even though they weren’t hiring. My skill set matched their business model, and they accepted my offer to work as a temporary fill in. Six months later, I started working for them three days a week and also made the decision to return to school, using my two days off a week to study.
The journey through ReStart SC taught me not to settle, to go after what I wanted. I got the job and the advanced degree. That was five years ago and I could not be happier in my career as a physical therapist. Thank you, ReStart, for helping me get rid of my inner squirrel.
Next Steps:
The ReStart Career Conference will be held on November 2, from 8:00AM—3:00PM. Register to attend and start identifying how to transition into a new career.
