Saved.One.by.Grace
New member
Not having the draft and Viet Nam hanging over me, I started planning my future work career. I interviewed with a lot of companies, some were polite refusals, some were more abrupt. I refused to consider Sales Engineering which is where someone with my GPA would normally end up. I was one class short, an engineering lab, of being able to graduate in spring. Since I didn't have a job lined up or any prospects, I decided to stay in college one more semester and graduate in winter. It gave me a chance to take a couple of graduate level courses that I thought may make me more attractive to potential companies.
Also, something weird happened on my way back to my trailer from school one midday. With no other cars or trucks around, driving out in the country alone, something took out my windshield. I think but cannot prove that my windshield was struck by a rifle bullet from the drivers side, some distance away. There was woods there, and I figure my car got hit by a stray bullet. Thoughts of a highway sniper also crossed my mind. I did duck when it happened but no follow up shot came.
Graduation came with no job offer. About a month after Christmas, I went to a Job Fair, talked to a lot of recruiters and dropped off my resume at the Chrysler Corporation booth. I didn't hold out much hope because they didn't appear that interested. Later that week, I was called to come in to Chrysler to take a test. There were a lot of people there, for I didn't know how many jobs. Well I don't think I did all the well on the test, but I believed I nailed the interview. But when it came time for a plant tour, it was too late in the day and I missed out. I called Chrysler later in the week to remind them I had not received a plant tour and they told me I was scheduled to start work Monday. I accepted the job without even knowing how much they were offering. Stupid right?
God was nowhere in my life and I was still having drowning nightmares. I also started waking up but my body was still sleep-paralyzed. I hate that and it would cause me to panic. [The drowning nightmares stopped after I became a Christian. The sleep-paralysis only occurs if I sleep on my back.]
I only worked for Chrysler for two years until I was laid off for 10 months. I went to work for a company that sent me to California for 6 - 8 months training (turned out to be < 2 years). Chrysler offered me a new job while I was in California but I wasn't given a chance to talk to them about it. They only had my phone number from when I lived at home and my mother turned them down, for me I guess. While I was working in California, my future wife was suing the same company in Illinois for wrongful termination. When I finally moved to Illinois, her wrongful termination suit was just being settled in her favor. I took a couple of weeks off after being dumped by a another young woman and took a long vacation (alone) out west by car. After I got back, I started talking to my future wife who was working in an area I was the engineer responsible for. We hit it off and soon started living together (my wife and I are not proud of this behavior and do not recommend it to others. It certainly did not prepare us for marriage.) I have only dated 5 women in my life and only 3 women more than once. I was engaged twice and have been married only once, to my lovely wife for 32 years and counting. My wife had been married before, twice, which I found hard to believe. She had been a Baptist but had fallen away from the faith. (to be continued)
Also, something weird happened on my way back to my trailer from school one midday. With no other cars or trucks around, driving out in the country alone, something took out my windshield. I think but cannot prove that my windshield was struck by a rifle bullet from the drivers side, some distance away. There was woods there, and I figure my car got hit by a stray bullet. Thoughts of a highway sniper also crossed my mind. I did duck when it happened but no follow up shot came.
Graduation came with no job offer. About a month after Christmas, I went to a Job Fair, talked to a lot of recruiters and dropped off my resume at the Chrysler Corporation booth. I didn't hold out much hope because they didn't appear that interested. Later that week, I was called to come in to Chrysler to take a test. There were a lot of people there, for I didn't know how many jobs. Well I don't think I did all the well on the test, but I believed I nailed the interview. But when it came time for a plant tour, it was too late in the day and I missed out. I called Chrysler later in the week to remind them I had not received a plant tour and they told me I was scheduled to start work Monday. I accepted the job without even knowing how much they were offering. Stupid right?
God was nowhere in my life and I was still having drowning nightmares. I also started waking up but my body was still sleep-paralyzed. I hate that and it would cause me to panic. [The drowning nightmares stopped after I became a Christian. The sleep-paralysis only occurs if I sleep on my back.]
I only worked for Chrysler for two years until I was laid off for 10 months. I went to work for a company that sent me to California for 6 - 8 months training (turned out to be < 2 years). Chrysler offered me a new job while I was in California but I wasn't given a chance to talk to them about it. They only had my phone number from when I lived at home and my mother turned them down, for me I guess. While I was working in California, my future wife was suing the same company in Illinois for wrongful termination. When I finally moved to Illinois, her wrongful termination suit was just being settled in her favor. I took a couple of weeks off after being dumped by a another young woman and took a long vacation (alone) out west by car. After I got back, I started talking to my future wife who was working in an area I was the engineer responsible for. We hit it off and soon started living together (my wife and I are not proud of this behavior and do not recommend it to others. It certainly did not prepare us for marriage.) I have only dated 5 women in my life and only 3 women more than once. I was engaged twice and have been married only once, to my lovely wife for 32 years and counting. My wife had been married before, twice, which I found hard to believe. She had been a Baptist but had fallen away from the faith. (to be continued)