Hello everyone! The purpose of this blog post is to be a short and concise update on my life and my career/location transitions! Thank you for demonstrating interest in my life by taking the time to read this.
On one of the many Blue Ridge Mountain overlooks with Chris's dog, Lucy.
Photo credit - David Shaw
After college, I participated in a year-long volunteer program (comparable to AmeriCorps) that placed me in Asheville, NC, working in homeless services. By the time I had completed my year of service, the organization (Homeward Bound) hired me part-time. After getting to experience Asheville, NC, while making money, I decided to stay in the area and find a full-time job. I found a position with Four Seasons (Hospice Health Care) as a Coordinator of Volunteers which was similar to HR but for volunteers who visit our hospice patients, help with admin around the office, work at our retail stores, etc. I worked with Four Seasons for over five years, with Asheville being the defining location of my 20s. With my 30s coming up, I wanted to find something new to learn to advance my career, as well as look for a new location to live in.
Year 28 and year 29 have been defined as “preparation for my 30s” – I took on some extra responsibilities at work, which resulted in me working as an independent contractor for Teleios Collaborative Network – the network of hospice care organizations that Four Seasons is a part of. After a year working with their finance team and learning about accounting, they notified me of a position opening up on their administrative team. I applied, was offered, and accepted the position, which I will be starting on Monday, 6/26/23. The position is fully remote, so I have been selling/donating a large portion of my possessions and will be moving the remaining items to my father’s place in Columbia, MD. That will be my main base of operations as I learn this new job, visit family (annual trip to the NY Finger Lakes for 4th of July), and say goodbye to Asheville and my friends from the area (I will be dog/house sitting for an Asheville friend for three weeks in July).
More Asheville views from Frying Pan Tower
From there, who knows? Once I get a few paychecks with the new job and can calculate my budget for monthly mortgage/rent, I can figure out where to go next! Anywhere that allows me to remain within that budget and do my job effectively is on the table! When looking for locations to settle in next, I will focus on places that allow me to remain in warm weather, get plugged into another church community, and make some new friends – a lot of you have heard me discuss Charleston, SC, which checks all of those boxes. I’m open to all suggestions! Want to make a pitch for your state/city? Maybe I could visit you and check it out! Big thanks to Asheville, Homeward Bound, Four Seasons, The Gathering Church, and all the friends I’ve made here. Asheville will forever define this decade of my life, and I’m excited to have this flexibility to determine the best place to settle to start my 30s in January 2024. God bless! Jeremy Glidden