I had an interview today.
It sounds like a pretty good job. It's union and starts at $20.00 an hour. That's good money here in the heartland. Insurance is good, too. Forty-seven dollars a week for health, dental, and vision for me and my wife. The kinda crappy part is it's rotating shift work. I'd be on first shift for a while, then second, and then third. However, I'll still get two days a week off every week and the swing occurs after my off days.
I really hope I get this job. The interviewer seemed like he liked me and said they were going to hire a bunch of people after the first of the year. I've been a trucker for a long time, and I've been trying to get out of the trade. I swear, it's like the fuckin' mafia. Once you're in, the only way out is in a coffin. Well, hopefully this is my ticket back into mainstream society.
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Union!!! 
It does sound good. I hope you get it too.
And not getting out of the trade the way you would in the mafia, either! 
BEST of luck!
I wish you the same.
(This is how you cross your fingers if your middle two fingers are missing)This might just be because I've spent my career or some of it in NPOs, but I think you'd be a great candidate for a position in that sector with your background (and most people with business Bachelor's degrees or MBAs either never think to consider it or aren't motivated to apply because the pay isn't "Wall St."
...the real growth in positions in that field is actually for business-minded people that can make organizations able to do more with less. As the economy tightened and funding tightened, more and more organizations realized that they needed that kind of business-savvy person somewhere in their staff and to transition to running their organizations more like a business in the business of helping people.
Combine that with your clear concern for other people and the fact that you can flat-out write (sometimes I think I spend more time writing than actually helping people. It's a lot of writing.); I think you'd do well. You might need to spend some time (under a year) volunteering (make sure they understand your intent and what you're looking to do so that they can use you in a role that benefits both of you) to build applicable experience and it would probably help to take a course in grant-writing or fundraising. (If you need help there, just ask. I can refer you to exceptional reasonably-priced certification coursework from Association of Fundraising Professionals and The Foundation Center.) Try to volunteer someplace you'd like to work, you'd be amazed how many people are hired internally from the volunteer pool for opening that never even get posted. (If you need a list of local organizations/opportunities, try looking at Idealist.org or VolunteerMatch.org)
It's a broad-field, I don't know where but I'm fairly sure there is an NPO out there somewhere for whom your background as a trucker would be useful...possibly an NPO focused on transit-issues, transportation, highway safety; alternately one that concerns itself with logistics (think food banks...all that food has to get in and out of the warehouse somehow; disaster relief...same basically.) Or...maybe you want to be in something completely different.
I followed your posts while you were in school, and I admired you for going back to get your degree. It may not seem like it now, but I really believe (for what that is worth 
) that your degree is going to pay off. This may well be the opportunity to get your foot in the door, and then move up in management.
At any rate, getting out from behind the wheel while gaining a higher starting salary as well as better benefits sounds like a winner. I will be sending you good vibes!
