New Job

As Jacob got closer to graduating, he started dedicating a fair bit of time to applying for jobs in his career field. It was one dead end after another. He applied for internship positions, entry level positions, anything he thought he might qualify for. The sad truth was that he didn't qualify for any of them. The time he spent getting this degree in computer science didn't mean a whole lot to anyone because even though he took the classes and checked the boxes for the degree, he didn't have any project experience. He didn't have a portfolio. In short, getting his degree didn't actually teach him the skills he needed to work in his field. 

We kept praying and he kept applying. In answer to our prayers, we kept feeling peace. Peace in the midst of rejection after rejection. I knew Heavenly Father wouldn't abandon us now and that something would come up. He has always guided us through and I knew he wasn't going to stop now. We started looking into alternate options: the military again (this time as an officer), more training in the form of 15,000 dollar coding bootcamps, anything that would make it so he would be able to get a job. 

Well, Jacob came across something that we never would have looked twice at if it weren't for all of the rejections. The company is called Revature. Basically, they give you an in depth training for 10-12 weeks in a computer science related area, pay you minimum wage while doing it, and then you sign a contract to work where ever they want you to in the continental U.S. for two years for little more than peanuts the first year and a pay bump the second year. It is super pricey to break the contract, but many companies that they go work for end up buying out their contract before the two years are up and even if they don't, you end up with good training and two years of experience. 

Well, this is the path that we have decided to take. Jacob graduated 3 weeks ago, ended his job at the university 2 weeks ago and started his training for Revature the next Monday. 

We decided to bring our trailer and our family back to good old New Mexico to a different city than we have ever lived in before for him to complete his training. We chose New Mexico for a few different reasons. 

Reason #1: Minimum wage in New Mexico is 10.50 an hour. If we had gone to Utah or Iowa where we were close to family, and where my heart really wants us to be, he would only be making 7.25 an hour. 

Reason #2: Our trailer only has one AC unit, which means that we can't be parked anywhere too hot because it just can't keep up, otherwise we would be in Arizona near one of my sisters. 

Reason #3: We felt like it was a right. 

Now I will admit that when we first pulled into this RV park, I wanted to turn around and go back to Arizona, or Utah. I even kept looking at other options of places we could go stay even after we got a PO box and sent our church records here. I just didn't want to stay. Why would we be away from family when we finally have the option to be close? We've had a taste of being near family for the first time in a really long time these last 6 months and I didn't want to give that up. 

So Jacob started his training last Monday and found out that he is being trained to be a Dev Ops Engineer, something he had never considered going into because he didn't know what it was. I don't all the way know what it is still, but basically, it is something that developers don't usually start out doing. Its something they might specialize in after being a normal developer for 5 years or more.  Honestly, it is something that really plays to Jacob's natural strengths, but he definitely wouldn't have had the opportunity to do something like this for a long time if ever. He feels like it is something he could be good at and happy doing.

So here we are in a town we've only ever driven through previously, with no one we know close by starting on a new adventure that could take our family anywhere. All of the unknowns makes it really feel like we are in the military again, except this time Jacob can't get deployed. Kent was asking me where we would be for his birthday if a few months and I had to tell him that I had no idea!

Honestly, if I didn't know that Heavenly Father was directing us and that he has a plan for us individually, I don't know how I would be handling all the unknowns!  As it is, we are trusting Him and taking it one day at a time.