RCA - Committing Time

When we got in from the field Sage gave us some time to clean up a little. I put my stuff away in my car while the others used the showers first. I didn’t have a towel or soap with me, so I borrowed one off the wall and used some of the shampoo that was set on the bench. I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed. Warm water all over my body never felt so good. The water running off of me had turned brown from the dirt and probably would have turned into mud had it not drained. In that moment the only thing better would have been a bathtub large enough to lay down in.

Sage sat us down in the Staff room and handed out to everyone a packet accompanied by a pen. “This is your written test, good luck.” Over the course of the week Sage had been teaching us different things about the program ranging from camp setup to star constellations to the different stages of change. Now we had to prove that we were paying attention. Some of the questions hadn’t been covered, while others were entirely too easy. Of the 50 or 60 questions, I missed 5 or less. Bam! We switched papers and went over the answers together. To finish things up, Sage pulled out a compass and GPS to show us how to orient ourselves with the field map. From there we had some paperwork to be doing. Fingerprints, W4 forms, automatic deposit, phase books, etc. A few of us also had the chance to meet with Mark Noe, AKA Earth Warrior. Warrior was over staff relations. He grabbed two of us at a time and took us into the administrative offices down the hall. Tim and I had already been fingerprinted so we went first. Warrior pulled me into his office first and sat me down in a comfy chair. He asked about how I’d found RCA, my desires to work, and what sort of time commitment I was hoping to give. I expressed a desire to work 8 months before heading back to school in September. We talked for a few more minutes about other things – school, girls… He passed on some feedback that he had received from Sage. Apparently I ask really good questions and grasp understanding very well. It felt really good to hear that. He thanked me for my time and I exited to the hall.

I later learned that contracts were only offered upon completion of the internship. Internships are the first three shifts out in the field, usually taking a month and a half. That puts me clean into March until I am offered a contract. March to September is only seven months – not quite the 8 that I had planned to give. The nice thing is that I am only required to stay 6 months. No contract is awarded, but if I were to complete my commitment I would be allowed to return next year to work again. However, sign an 8 months contract and receive a $1350 completion bonus at the end. Sign a year contract and be awarded $2000 for completion, have benefits after six months, and have access to pro gear deals. I don’t have to sign an 8 month contract… I could just put in 6 or 7 months before school and then come back the following winter for another 4 months during my off track...

The last couple days that I’ve been thinking about this I’ve come up with this explanation – and you readers are free to check my thinking.

First off - I’m not here because of money. I don’t NEED the money like some others do. Back at school I had a part time job that was paying for my living expenses, my school loans were at a minimum - I could have continued surviving just fine. Between the two jobs I’m working right now I plan to save as much as I can and put it away for some future need. Money is not the immediate issue.

Second – I want the experience. I want to have this on my resume in ten years when I apply for my first school administrative position. Though I don’t fully understand how valuable my stay here will be, I get the feeling that it will only boost my confidence with teenagers and be able to handle myself more professionally in sticky situations.

Third - I want to be able to experience the fullness of the program, not just put in a few months and get out. Let me explain – The state of Utah requires Field Instructors to have 6 months of experience working with youth before taking the role of Head Instructor and being able to lead a group. So – the first six months in the program I will be like an assistant staff – not able to lead my own group. If I were to only work the 7 months before heading back to school, I would only have a couple of weeks that I would be able to lead my own group. I would be just leaving as my opportunity for more involvement opened up.

Now – If I were to stay 8 month I would miss the starting date for Fall semester of school and have the rest of Fall and Winter semesters to do nothing. I might as well commit the year and work the whole time until returning to school next Spring.

Fourth – Though I’m taking time off of school, it’s not like I’m ditching to screw around. I’m working two jobs, saving my money, and gaining relative experience to my career goals.

To help me with my decision, I’ve talked to a few people that I trust will give me sound advice. My mother was one of the first people. She is the master of difficult decisions. Pro/Con graphs were her forte. Her only worry was that I would be away from the dating scene and put off marriage yet another year :). My next source of advice was my good friend and sister from another mother Alana Lewis. She didn’t like the idea of me being away for another year, but thought that it would be a good experience in the long run. My next consultant will be my best friend and cousin Bekah. Though I haven’t decided yet, I hope she can steer me one way or the other and help me to feel confident in that choice.

One wrench in the year plan would be taking time away from school. I am allowed only one semester personal deferment. If I stay the year, I would need to take off two. I called the Admissions office and explained the basics of my situation. She gave me a few options.

Option One – Withdraw from school and reapply at the end of the year. BYU-I has a 97% acceptance rate and would most likely take me back. However, when reapplying there would be no guarantee of getting put back on the same track, creating the possibility of a semester or two wait.

Option Two – I could take a one or two credit class online each semester to keep my enrollment status. I just had to be careful not to slack because if I bombed a one credit class my GPA would plummet and I would be put on Academic Probation. I would have to find a course that would be workable with my 8/6 schedule – allowing me to turn in assignments early/late.

So – this is my dilemma. Put in the minimum time requirement and not experience the program, or commit the year and take a few semesters off of school.