Some exciting news today guys, ready?
YA GIRL IS NO LONGER UNEMPLOYED!
I recently accepted a formal offer with the United States Department of Agriculture to work as a Public Affairs Specialist — specifically, a Deputy Public Affairs Officer — for the United States Forest Service!
I just relocated to Flagstaff, Arizona to work out of the Coconino National Forest Supervisor’s Office.
Like, literally. Just. Yesterday was my first day of work.
I offhandedly mentioned that I’d be relocating to northern Arizona when I mentioned buying my new Jeep Wrangler, so consider this an official announcement.
I started job searching back in April after the shock of my Peace Corps evacuation wore off. Peace Corps has a jobs website for all of its returned volunteers, so I’d been relying on that heavily during the job search. Every other day, I’d plug the phrase “public affairs” (I knew what I was qualified for and what kind of work I wanted to do) into the website, and apply for every single public affairs job that was posted.
I’d always planned on transitioning from journalism into public information — it’s part of why I obtained a master’s degree in public administration several years ago — so figuring out what type of work I wanted to do was a no-brainer. It just came down to finding the right agency or non-profit to work at.
Peace Corps granted all of its evacuated volunteers what’s called “Non-Competitive Eligibility,” which meant we had hiring preference for federal jobs. Instead of going through the traditional application process through USA Jobs, I got to email my resume directly to hiring managers, and they got to interview me and then send my info to HR, rather than having HR initiate the process.
That’s exactly what happened with my current job. I saw the posting, emailed my resume to my now-boss, and he called me the next day for a phone interview. He basically hired me on the spot, and then I just had to wait while the federal government processed my paperwork and compiled my formal job offer.
Because it’s the federal government, that part took about five months.
So, it was a weird five months, because I knew that I was waiting on an offer, but didn’t know how long I would be waiting. It was a long period of limbo where I held off on buying a car and spent week after week shuffling back-and-forth between my sister’s couch and a spare bedroom at my childhood home.
I was still applying for and interviewing for other jobs, but this one seemed the most promising — and the most adventurous — so I was set on waiting for the formal offer to come through.
Eventually it did, and — after a hectic move across the country that I’ll detail later — I made it to Flagstaff!
I’m (of course) devastated that I won’t be able to go back to Ukraine to finish my Peace Corps service, but, life happens. The show goes on. Who knows how long this pandemic will last, and I don’t want to wake up in a year STILL unemployed, waiting on something that isn’t guaranteed, and realizing that I’ve just wasted a year of my life sitting around doing nothing.
Plus, northern Arizona seemed like a great place to ride out a pandemic. Lots of space, outdoor activities, socially-distanced things to do? Count me in!
This definitely isn’t where I thought I’d end up, but I’m still very excited for this new Southwest adventure of mine. Stay tuned to hear more about my job, more about Arizona and more about my new life 7,000 feet up here in the mountains.
This post was originally published on Jan. 21, 2021. Its timestamp has been updated.
