Once I finished my online program for my digital marketing certification, I wanted plenty of time to study for the exam. I’m not a good test taker. However, I hadn’t anticipated overcoming obstacles to get some studying in. My mom ended up the hospital, because the stent in her bile duct needed to be replaced in June 2017. Her CT scan showed her tumor had grown a little. It was a stressful time of the year, because my uncle Dean had died. His memorial service was the same day as my digital marketing exam. I was getting nervous about my exam, because it seemed like whenever I was about to study, something came up.
My mom called me the Friday before my exam and told me she needed to log in to her bank account to pay some bills that were due soon. My mom gave me the password over the phone, but it was incorrect. I kept trying, but ended up getting locked out her account. I felt so overwhelmed. It felt like one thing happened after another. I let my mom know what happened and gave her the number to call to reset her password.
My mom got out of the hospital on Sunday, which was the day before my exam. I drove her to Mass at Our Lady of Grace in Edina, because they offer a Sunday night Mass. I went to Mass Saturday afternoon. After I parked my car, I sat in the back seat to study. After Mass was over, I pulled up to the church door to pick up my mom. On the way home, we stopped at Pizza Luce to take home some dinner.
Overcoming Obstacles on Exam Day
The next morning, I got up to go to my exam. No one was awake, so I headed out the door. As I was getting in my car, I looked up and saw my mom. It meant a lot that she wanted to say good bye before I left. She wished me well on the exam and we hugged before I backed out of the driveway. I made sure to allow plenty of time to get to the office building near the Mall of America where I took my exam.
After I signed in, I went to the use the rest room. After I washed my hands, I tried to open the door, but it was stuck. I panicked, because I had to be in the room by a certain time to take my exam. I didn’t know what to do, so I started banging on the door and yelling. A few moments later, I was able to get the door open. God was definitely watching out for me that morning and helping me in overcoming obstacles..
As I took the exam, I tried to read through each question thoroughly, but attempted to not spend too much time on a question. Thankfully, I was able to flag a question, and come back to it later if I wasn’t sure of the answer. I had three hours to finish the exam, and I had plenty of time to go back and review the questions I flagged, which was a big relief, because I’m a slow test taker.
Receiving the Results
When the exam was over, I went back to the examiner for further instructions. She handed me a page, which broke down my exam. I was nervous after she handed it to me. Then, I looked down and at the top of the page which said, “Congratulations. You passed.” I checked to see how I scored on all of the sections as well as my overall score. It would have been nice to have a higher overall score, but then I thought, “Who cares? I passed.”
When I got home, I told my parents I passed. I felt a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Overcoming obstacles made getting my certification that much sweeter. I also thought about how I was one step closer to finding a permanent job. My brother and I drove separately from our parents to Dean’s memorial service, because Jason had to work and I had rehearsal for “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” This was the second show I did with Richfield Lutheran Theater Company. I played Mrs. Potiphar and was in the ensemble.
When we got to the nursing home, we went upstairs to the dining room where my uncle’s memorial service was held. Like my uncle Steve, Dean suffered from brittle bone disease. He also had been under county care since he was in his early 20s. The last time I saw him before he died, he asked how he could pray for me. I asked him to pray that I would find a job. It was a bummer I couldn’t tell him in person that I passed by exam, but I believe his prayers had a big influence on the outcome.
