I didn't have a job lined up when I moved to Chicago, but I'd just graduated from college and was ready to get started. I had some debt piled up through student loans and was eager to begin knocking that down. My mother and brother lived in Chicago, and I'd spent several summers in the area, so it seemed like a logical place to move. I remember driving north one day along Lake Shore Drive, the city to my left and Lake Michigan to my right. Carl Sandburg's poem was familiar to me—the one where he describes Chicago as "City of the big shoulders." I felt at home.
As I contemplated my situation, though, I began to realize that I wasn't just looking for another summer job at the Wilmette Park Department or the Evanston Community Golf Course. For the first time, I was looking for a job that wouldn't end in a few months. I had an idea of what I was good at. I knew I could work hard, but I wasn't exactly sure how to get started.
This was a pivotal moment for me, and I wanted to get it right.
