I was able to get started on my first Shelter Advocate training shift last night. It was nothing major - just headed over to the lottery to learn the details (I was aware of the general process and idea, having attended before). This included breathalizing - this was my first time doing this but there wasn't too much to mess up thankfully. Aside from a couple of resistant men (to the breathalizer idea), it went smoothly.

Tonight and tomorrow I'm putting in 2 more 5 hour training shifts. I am pretty confident about the job overall although the new position jitters are there anyway - that's just me. The only other bummer is that I still have to work 8 hours prior to going in to fulfill my 5 hours. Having done it many times before, I know how to handle it but I also know that there will be times that it will catch up to me.

All in all, I am very excited about my new beginning and beyond. Knowing how many job seekers are out there, I know how lucky I am to be given this opportunity. I've worked hard for the past year and a half to try to find something in the field, even before the cafe closed and I lost my job, I was applying to anything that sounded like a good fit. I really fought settling for something that was going to derail my career path knowing how tight the market is. Patience has paid off (although, typical me, I was so happy to be offered the position, I actually didn't ASK about the pay but I'm not worried - I'll make it work one way or another).