A fork in the road

There may come a time in your career when you are “pulled” from your current position to address a need outside of the workplace. 

Depending on the situation, it may require you to relocate in order to better address the need at hand. This transition may be something that can be planned for, or at times comes without any warning.  I recently moved from Colorado to Ohio to assist my parents with their own moving process.

Fortunately, in my situation, this was something I had been planning for, for almost a year. Initially it was difficult to fathom leaving my well-liked position of assistant superintendent in the mountains, to embark on this journey, but the desire to help my family outweighed the cost of leaving my job. Once I recognized this move would allow for the betterment of others, it put me at ease, and allowed me to concentrate on the changes that I would soon be facing.
 
Like many other young professionals in the golf course management industry, I have a focused plan for the advancement of my career. My ambitions are high and motivation is strong. Nonetheless, things come up as we progress through life.  It’s not always the challenges we face, but the way we respond that determines our outcome.

Don’t become discouraged by these events, instead, view them as an opportunity.  Perhaps this is the time when you can experience a different sector of the industry, or even take a stab at an unrelated field that you’ve long been interested in. And who knows, you may find a position that you are better suited for and wouldn’t have previously considered. 

As long as you remain focused and continue to position yourself for the attainment of long-term goals, suddenly, your new situation becomes a lot more comfortable. The skills that you continue to develop during this transition will only make you more qualified for future employment opportunities.

With all of that said, I began the employment search in Ohio well in advance of leaving Colorado. We all know that jobs aren’t abundant these days, let alone when you are searching for an industry-specific position, in a limited geographical area. As most of us would do, I quickly searched the popular golf course industry employment websites. At the time nothing relevant was posted. From here it seemed like my options were limited, but once I started digging deeper I soon found greater opportunities. After a few hours of searching the Internet, I learned of allied industries in my area that I didn’t even know existed. 

This is when your creativity really counts.  Step outside of what you know best and look around. From equipment manufacturers to seed suppliers, I began to learn of more and more options.  The internet, combined with personal phone calls to area contacts proved to be the most beneficial way of learning about potential jobs. 

Now with a few options available, I began sending out cover letters and resumes. 

Initially, it seemed like everything was going to fall into place, and I was going to have a job secured relatively easily. Well, as things sometimes go, that option fell through and I was back to the drawing board. 

It’s times like these when it is important to remain positive and continue the pursuit of what you’re passionate for. Don’t let these challenges drag you down; because it is when you are at this low, you can only go up from there.