Opportunity Never Knocks Twice

Yesterday I got a call from Donna Watts, Manager of the Child Study Center's summer program, asking me to come in for an interview next friday. If I am selected, I will become a camp counselor this summer for children with behavioral disorders such as ADHD, depression, and bipolar syndrome. I am nervous; I do not know what the credentials are of the other kids applying for this job, and I don't know how my resume and college transcript compare to theirs. What I do know is, I have a shot at this.

I have been praying for an opportunity like this for weeks, now. After so many attempts to make it somewhere in the world - from competing in the math Olympics in 6th grade to spelling bees and writing contests for B'nai B'rith, I've always received a "runner-up" or "honorable mention." This interview is like one of those competitions, except it takes place in the real world. If I make it, a letter of recc from this job will put me one step closer to medical school. If I don't, it's back to the drawing board.

There's plenty of other jobs out there, available at NYU's career placement website - Wasserman - and elsewhere, but here I feel like I could do the most good. Here I could actually help kids with pressing, persistent problems in their lives, and push them to rise above their circumstances.

It seems as if every time I apply for a job, the sum of myself - what makes me valuable to society - is being appraised. That's what makes it so stressful; the question of "Am I good enough?" always lurks in the background. 

We press on. Even of I don't get this job, there's school to focus on, and summer jobs come second-place on my to-do list.

UPDATE: I GOT THE JOB!

I can only hope that what I learn, and what I do with that knowledge, will help the kids I work with socialize better with their peers and navigate more effectively in a world that does not run on the same track they do. It's not about the money, and it has never been about the money. It's about the chance to make a difference in the lives of kids who are at high risk of addiction, delinquency, and suicide.

Now that I've got the job, I must prepare myself for the challenge of actually DOING it.