Opportunities are interesting things. Generally, we think of opportunity as some anomalous event. Most liken opportunity to luck really, and perhaps there is a bit of luck involved. But opportunity is more than realizing you’re in the right spot at the right time, it’s about placing yourself at the right place, at the right time.
Quite frankly, that is how I became the Director of Student Services, by putting myself in the right place at the right time. I was a freelance writer looking for a part-time job, when I sent my resume to FNU. At the interview, I was asked if I would be willing to substitute for a teacher who had just undergone surgery.
“Sure . . . when,” I responded.
“Tomorrow,” was the reply.
That was opportunity number one.
While working as a substitute, I was asked if I would be willing to help the Office of Student Services with the Spring Commencement Ceremony. Again, I agreed.
That was opportunity number two.
I wasn’t pushed to make either of these decisions out of necessity. In fact, decisions made out of necessity are very rarely thought out well, and can often end badly. This was not something I had to do. Someone asked for help, and I did. I could have made numerous excuses, and they all would have been valid: childcare issues, the 1 hour commute to the Hialeah Campus, my final semester of graduate school, conflicts with my husband’s busy schedule, etc. etc. You’re probably over-extended enough to understand.
But, I said yes . . . and that put me in the right place at the right time. Opportunity is funny like that. Quite often, it doesn’t reveal itself as an opportunity until you say yes.
