Serendipity

The young college student arrived promptly for our scheduled appointment to interview me for her communications assignment. She pulled out her steno pad and jotted down notes.

"How did you choose your career?" she asked.

It took several minutes to reflect on how I got to where I am today. Actually it was a pretty unusual story. "I guess it was really because of the ducks," I replied. Her eyebrows raised, urging me to continue.

I was living in Oregon, raising two children by myself. The country was in a recession, and after being laid off from three temporary jobs within a year; I decided to move to another state hoping to find better employment prospects. My children and I stuffed all of our worldly possessions into our 10-year-old Pinto and drove to Utah. While reading the classifieds for apartments, I was disheartened to discover rentals being more expensive than in Oregon. I was deeply regretting my impulsive decision to move to Utah while I was sitting in my parked car near a payphone outside of a grocery store.

At that moment, a man walked across the street to use the payphone. After completing his phone call, he approached me to ask if by chance I was looking for an apartment. He explained that he owned the home across the street and had just finished preparing the basement apartment to rent out.

"It is not advertised yet, if you would like you can come over and check it out," he offered.

I was suspicious of him, but my pragmatic daughter suggested that it could not hurt to at least look at it. The apartment was suitable for our family and was available immediately. Best of all, the rent was half the price of the advertised available apartments. We moved in immediately.

After unpacking the car, we drove around exploring our new neighborhood. Several blocks away I saw a large fountain and duck pond in front of a beautiful college. We pulled over to feed the ducks. While feeding the ducks, I noticed the College Administration building immediately to the north of the pond.

For a moment I allowed myself to imagine being a college student. As a child of a working class family, I had never planned to go to college. No one in my family ever went to college, nor did I personally know of anyone who had a college degree. I had assumed that I would work entry-level positions, hopefully advancing through hard work. College is for the wealthy I thought; certainly I could not afford it.

Sea Gulls flew overhead, squawking while skillfully diving for pieces of bread before the ducks could reach it. Suddenly a strong breeze sprayed water from the fountain onto us. The breeze slapping our wet skin made us cold.

"Mom, I got to go to the bathroom," my youngest daughter said.

After using the restroom in the Administration building, we walked by the Admissions office. I asked the clerk shyly, "How much would it cost to take a single class here?"

The woman looked at me with my two children in tow. "Why would you want to take just one class?" she asked.

I explained that as a single parent, I certainly would not be able to afford tuition for full-time enrollment, but perhaps I could manage the price of a single class. After a short discussion, she handed me a packet of information informing me of financial aid and suggested that I apply for a Pell Grant.

After graduating from college, my intention was to return to Oregon. However, I received a phone call from a former professor informing me of a job opening he thought was perfect for me.

"It's not advertised in the paper yet" he explained. "Go now before they get a lot of resumes. I want your resume to stand out."

He also cautioned me to not use him as a reference, since he had recently resigned from their Board of Directors. As I was hand delivering my resume, I saw my former practicum advisor speaking with a woman on the sidewalk directly in front of the agency.

"Hi Lisa, what are you doing here?"

"I decided to drop off my resume here, just in case they may be hiring soon," I explained.

My former practicum advisor smiled at the woman in front of him, declaring firmly, "Hire her! You will not regret it."

She smiled at me, reaching out to shake my hand. "My name is Colleen, and I am the director of this agency. May I please see your resume?" She offered me an interview and hired me within the week.

The college student stopped jotting notes, closed her steno pad and terminated our interview, thanking me for my time. I sensed her frustration as she set her sight on yet another prospect to interview. He was a very successful real estate broker with 37 years of experience. He explained that the majority of real estate agents quit within their first year on the job.

"How did you choose your career?" she asked him.

He described how he came to Utah to ski after the Vietnam War, living off of his savings until they were depleted. "I was down to my last $10; I was hungry and decided that it was time to get a job."

He heard about a job selling land to prospective buyers over dinner. "Free dinner?" he thought. He then decided that was the job he wanted, and it turned out to be a very good career match for him.

While completing an assignment for a general education class, the young college student who interviewed me inadvertently discovered her talent. As she felt the pressure to fulfill the requirements of her task at hand, she carefully edited the ramblings of her subjects. With skillful precision she made her cuts, and the final product is as flawless as an airbrushed photo. It is then that she decided her major—simply by completing a boring assignment.

Some people believe in fate. I don't pretend to understand the mysteries of life. All I know is that amazing opportunities develop from some of the most mundane events in our lives.

So, next time you're feeding ducks or sitting in your car in a parking lot or completing a monotonous assignment, pay attention a little closer to see what opportunities could be standing right in front of you.