While in Ireland we don't celebrate thanksgiving, a huge part of the Irish diaspora and my own relatives and direct family who live in the states do and I can't help but feel linked to the holiday.
It has been a massive year for me this year. About ten years ago I was a total mess, my mental health was in the shitter and I was floating from shit job to shit job after having to quit a college degree halfway after going back to college as a mature student. I decided to emigrate and help a buddy set up a business in a country where I didn't speak the language and was forced to make new friends and experience the world through a different lens. It was a gruelling 3 - 4 years and while I had an absolute blast, when I returned home after the business shut down, I vowed I was going to figure out my shit and start over with a solid, stable career.
I wanted to be an air traffic controller. It's something I had my eye on for years, but had no chance of getting as the recruitment process was notoriously difficult and I had zero experience. I did not make it past the first few steps.
I took a job in the civil service working for our police force here as a control room operator in their headquarters, taking emergency calls from the public and soon jumped at the chance to become a dispatcher.
This year, with four years dispatching under my belt and a wealth of experience in high pressure and serious incident management, I reapplied for the position of air traffic controller. Out of hundreds of applicants and a very tough year long recruitment process I not only made it through selection, but ranked only a few spots from the very top of the panel. At the start of next year I am going to be once again moving to start a new life at a new job, hopefully for the last time. I am beyond excited, and a little bit scared - but in a good way!
To say I am thankful is an understatement. Thankful for my family who supported me when I was at the end of my tether and getting myself situated upon returning to ireland. Thankful for my friends who encouraged me the whole way and kept me sane through an awful few years of working in emergency services through a pandemic. Thankful for my colleagues who made me laugh and kept my brain occupied.
I am also genuinely and sincerely thankful for this dumb website. It has gone through many serious changes since I started paying attention to it in 2010, just like myself. With all the ups and downs Giant Bomb has been my favourite, most consistent source of entertainment, distraction and comfort. This website has been there through some extremely dark chapters in my life, and I hope Jan, the Jeffs, and all the staff sincerely take what I am saying to heart if they happen to read over this thread. You have done a fantastic job keeping all this together, and are currently making some of the most fun and engaging content the site has ever produced. Thanks for being a great bunch of duders.
And thanks to the GB community for being consistently the most awesome community on the Internet. I read the forums a lot while not posting much. I mostly lurk on GB infinite these days as I don't have time to chat there alot, but there's a great crew in there all the time and I am thankful for the chats we have had at times when it was sorely needed.
Thanks world, and thanks Giant Bomb!
Log in to comment