Transferable Skills?

Dear Reader,

When I got into college, I had to practice writing resumes. This was a bit overwhelming to me because I wasn’t exactly sure what to put on my resume. I had plenty of real-world experience; I just wasn’t sure how that would translate to corporate America. Taking care of animals and training horses shows dedication and responsibility, but there were some random skills that I wasn’t sure how to even mention on a resume like “proficient in drawing blood from jugular vein for Coggins testing” or “has a knack for feeling when a horse will go lame weeks before everyone else notices.” But there are actually a lot of cross overs in working on a ranch and working as a church secretary.

Keeping things in stock

Nothing gives a ranch kid anxiety more than wondering if they made the right judgement call on whether the feed will last until the next feed store run or not. Or if they even remembered to put the order in with dad. This will teach you very quickly that it is better to be safe than sorry and to think two to three days in advance. Because there is nothing more guilt tripping than a horse looking at you, knowing that YOU are the reason that they did not have a full grain ration that morning. Learning to plan ahead for supplies is a very useful skill because the printer is always hungry, pens always get lost, and envelopes are a very hot commodity.

Proper clothing

In ranching, proper clothing is key. Boots, jeans, and a hat are always staples, but there are other accessories and variations that need to be considered depending on the weather. Some days require rubber boots and a slicker, some days require a Carhart and felt hat, and some days the lightest clothing possible is needed. The weather isn’t as extreme in the office as it is in the great outdoors, but it learning to plan your outfits is still somewhat of a need. If there is a funeral at the church, then I need to make sure I am wearing something nice, if it is a Friday I can get away with a casual outfit, and if it’s cold outside I defiantly need to dress warm because a 125-year-old building doesn’t have the same heating standards as they do now.  And there are little extra things too, if there is a funeral in the morning, I like to bring a more comfortable pair of shoes to change into later, and I now try to buy dresses and sweaters with pockets (because I don’t know who thought it was ok to stop making women’s clothing with pockets).

Working by yourself

Ranching involves a lot of solitary tasks, so you learn to keep yourself company and usually develop a broad range of musical taste. Fixing fence, riding horses, and cleaning out the barn (especially cleaning out the barn) leaves you with the task at hand, your thoughts, and music if you happen to have good signal. In a church office, there is a lot of alone time, even if you are not technically by yourself in the office. Everyone has their assigned tasks, and you do them. Sometimes all of the pastors may be out doing visitation at the same time the financial secretary is at lunch. This doesn’t bother me too much. I prefer to be left to my own work with little distraction from others, but it is nice to know that someone is just down the hall that I can bug if I get bored.

Unpredictability

If there is anything that ranching and being a church secretary have in common is the unpredictability that the day may bring. The best laid plans may come undone before the day has even started, and it helps to have a flexible mindset and a happy attitude. In ranching, the cows may decide to get out, have trouble calving, or get their head stuck in some unimaginable way that totally redirects the goals of the day. In church ministry, a church member could be rushed to the hospital, called home to heaven, or the A/C could go out in a building where we are having service that night. All of these situations require a team who can adapt to the new situation and be able to get the situation diffused and still manage to get what else needs to be done that day taken care of.

So, I guess ranching and church ministry isn’t that different, after all, Jesus did say. “Feed My sheep”.