Wednesday, May 26, 2010

And so it begins......

Welcome to a blog about my pursuit for the meaning of life. This blog begins with my almost invitation status to Peace Corps, where I am right now. I hope you enjoy the story....


Today, I received an email from a Placement and Assessment Assistant. She requested an updated resume, specifically looking for any volunteer or professional experiences I have had since the start of the process.

At that point, I felt a like an underachiever......

Since starting the Peace Corps Application process, I worked on passing all four sections of the CPA exam, but I have not applied to be a CPA. Therefore, I cannot say I am a CPA, but all I need to do is contact the state board, ask for a packet, complete the information, and pay money. I haven't done so to avoid getting behind on required continuous professional education that is required each year. I have three years from passing all four sections to apply without the board requiring me to start the process all over again, which I do not want to do, so I can't say that I am a CPA.

Since starting the Peace Corps Application process, I have been working to see parts of the U.S. I have never experienced. I took a road trip out west, and I encourage you to view my pictures. (http://picasaweb.google.com/kwwhite3) In addition, I have scheduled a trip to NYC and DC, but still no professional or volunteer experience.

Since starting the Peace Corps Application process, I have been busy making backup plans as to what I will do if the invitation does not come soon enough. I have been accepted to law school, so I will begin three busy years of scholarly activities if all else fails. Still no professional or volunteer experience.

Since starting the Peace Corps Application process, I have continued working at the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center assisting small businesses with marketing, expansion, financing, etc. I have continued increasing my experience and knowledge that I hope to utilize while working to helping small businesses in Africa, but how can you articulate this on a resume?

I have not done like I had intended, and that is to volunteer. Why? No good reason. Volunteer experience is one reason why I want to get my invitation. So I can spend 27 months helping others instead of myself.

What to do,.....

Send an email with an updated resume, and add an explanation in the email stating how close I am to being referred to as Kevin White, CPA.

While feeling like an underachiever, I still found excitement in the receipt of this email. While some may think "you still haven't made it to the Placement Officer," I think "I now have the name of my Placement Officer. Also, she stated that she needs my resume for it to move along to the final review." FINAL REVIEW? Yes. This is it. Almost there. I've adjusted my mental timeline to next week Wednesday, which is when I will call to check the status and provide the next post. Unless I hear something sooner, but that's highly unlikely.