Doug is Now Employed!!!!!

Back in March, Doug interviewed for a job as a Projects and Portables Coordinator with Fulton County Schools, in Atlanta, Georgia. Doug was referred for this job through a previous co-worker at Preston Partnership.

He was so well-prepared for the interview. He practiced a 90-second "elevator speech" with me. He looked sharp. It sounded like he interviewed well. They called him a few weeks later and mentioned that he didn't get the job, but that he was a strong #2 candidate. We thought the case was closed. Doug became very busy with the Rwanda project about that time.

Doug got a call from the hiring manager for the Fulton County job during mid-May. They wanted to know if he was still interested, as the candidate they chose to hire had not yet agreed to accept the position. They gave the other candidate 24 hours to respond and accept their offer. The other candidate never accepted. They asked Doug if he wanted the job!

They offered him $2k more than he earned before salary cuts at Preston. (That's what the job paid.) Wow. We were just hoping he would be able to find something that would at least pay for the kids to remain in day care. God answers prayers!

It is a hike for Doug. He drives 56 miles round-trip everyday. Fortunately they've offered a flexible work schedule to him. So, he chose to start work at 7 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. every day, in hopes of avoiding Atlanta rush-hour traffic. It takes him about 45 minutes to get home. I take the kids to day care in the morning. So far it has worked out really well.

He will be responsible for any projects within Fulton County Schools, and also for any "portables". These are the mobile / trailer classrooms they add onto schools if there isn't enough room in the actual school building. He is busier during the Summer than Winter as they want the portables to be installed before the school year starts. He will be driving to quite a few schools to check them out and make sure everything is going well. I think there are 100 schools for which he is responsible.

It's definitely a change of pace for him. He doesn't feel quite as much pressure as he did when dealing with deadlines at architecture firms. He is still learning the ropes. He is the youngest employee there. A 66 year-old man, who is also a Viet Nam vet, works for him. I've heard this man has quite a few war stories.

His benefits are amazing. He has a pension, doesn't pay into Social Security, quite a few given days off (due to school calendar) and good vacation time.

The office is located in College Park. They told him that if he is the last one to leave the office, he should close the blinds, turn off the light and lock the door. It doesn't sound like the safest place to be after midnight...

God works in mysterious ways. I didn't realize this detail until Doug told me... Doug wouldn't have been able to work on the Rwanda job if he had immediately been hired with Fulton County Schools! But, he finished the Rwanda job and then got a call from Fulton County. Amazing timing. Better than we could've planned it. God sure has taken us on a wild ride, but we're grateful.

So I joked to Doug about his change in employment... He went from working on skyscrapers to working on trailers! He had to laugh.

Peace, love and the projects,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam