The Fast and Furious

October is here - the air has turned cool (thankfully) - the leaves are beginning to drop.

The college applications are coming in fast and furious.

For weeks now, my son has been bombarded with letters, postcards, and applications for various colleges throughout the country. My head is spinning, much less his. But he thinks he now knows where he'd like to attend next year, so we're at least getting a few items checked off the long list.

Now if we can stop adding five for each item we check off.

However, yesterday the mailbox contained something a little new. The college he's decided upon sent an unsolicited scholarship for the Dean's Scholarship, based upon his ACT scores. It's small but it is something and hopefully only one of many to come his way. He's planning to apply for a music scholarship as well so it would be wonderful to see that pan out for him too.

In the meantime, my hands are busy tapping away at admissions and scholarship application forms to guide my son through the process. Good thing I'm a writer, otherwise my fingers would be numb by now.

Makes me wonder what winter will bring.

The Elusive First Job

With the new year, my son is back at it again, pounding the pavement seeking that elusive first job.

There's a huge store expansion in town at the neighborhood grocery store. They've been advertising and posting job openings quite a bit in preparation for the opening. So my son just posted another application there.

Sure hope he gets something.

I think he's very ready to get a job. He sees alot of benefits to employment and having some freedom. He's even been volunteering to drive - THAT'S never happened before.

It's kinda nice watching him grow up and take on additional responsibilities.

Good thing too. I could always use the break. :-)

On The Hunt

For the last several weeks, my son has been putting in job applications around town. So far no takers. That's okay - I'm still proud of him anyway.

Initially when we talked about the concept of him getting a job he wasn't all that excited about the prospects. I think it was more fear than anything. But now that he's really considering what a job can do for him (and what the money can eventually buy) he's starting to get anxious to get something soon.

Sunday afternoon we went around and he dropped off four more applications at various fast food joints. Fast food jobs are usually the best kind of opportunities for first employment. There's several with "Now Hiring" out on their signs or in their windows. We thought he had a real chance at the job at Wendy's, but they really need someone who can close.

Sorry, not going to happen on a school night.

I'm also requiring him to keep Wednesday evenings open. We're hoping for Sundays open too, but if it comes right down to it I'll let him work Sundays as long as it is after 3:00. I will not allow a job to come before church and family lunch gathering. Other than that he's available any evening, pretty much all day Saturday - heck I'm even letting him consider closing on a Friday night. Figured Friday availability would be a good opener in this town, since so many are playing sports and unavailable then.

And yet several weeks in he's still searching. I told him that getting that first job was going to require some work, but that once he had something - anything really - on that resume then he had a better chance at getting a job that he'd like to have. He'd really like to work at Border's Bookstore.

I told him he needs to finish getting his hours in for driving before then. I'm not going to spend my evenings running too and fro. That's at least where I put my foot down. At least here in town he can walk or it is a quick jaunt for me in bad weather.

For now though he'll keep at it until he's exhausted all possibilities.

I guess then we'll just start all over. Heck, there's plenty of good jobs out there. Sometimes you've got to dig to find that diamond in the rough.