When I woke up last Tuesday, I did not ever imagine I’d be writing a post like this one.

Life is a funny thing, though. Sometimes, opportunities defy expectations and come from seemingly nowhere. That was the case for me last week.

This story begins with a phone call I received Tuesday morning, from a company called Cerner Corporation. Cerner is a healthcare IT company headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. I had recently posted a new copy of my resume online, and Cerner evidently had discovered it. Because I had been keeping my job search fairly local, I was not familiar with Cerner, but I was quickly brought up to speed on the company.

I was told that they wanted to bring me in on Friday for a job interview, and because the job opportunity sounded like a strong fit for me, I was quick to accept the invitation. I flew down Friday morning, interviewed with several people, and learned more about the company and the position. Then, I flew back home that evening. It was truly an exciting, whirlwind day. My feelings about the position were solidified; I was very impressed and firmly believed it was a great fit.

Monday morning, I received a call with a job offer, and after mulling it over for a day, I officially accepted. I will be starting on the 13th, going through training and then moving into a consulting role where I will be helping clients (that is, hospitals) with the software solutions Cerner implements.

Because I am starting so soon, the hunt for an apartment is in full force. I certainly did not expect to be moving to Kansas City to start my career, but I am extremely excited. Everything I’ve heard about Kansas City indicates to me that it is a great place to live. There seems to be an abundance of things to do, and the cost of living is lower than it is here in southeast Wisconsin.

More importantly than the location, though, there are several reasons I am very excited about the job itself. First and foremost, I’ve always wanted to work somewhere where my work truly had an impact and could help people. Working with health care providers to improve patient care with technology certainly satisfies this goal. My work will have a direct impact on improving patients’ quality of life, and I think that makes this an awesome opportunity. Furthermore, both of my parents work in health care, and my sister plans to as well, so it is always something that has been very strong in my family. Finally, I love to take concepts in technology and relate and explain them to others. I’ve always loved assisting people with technical issues, and this position offers me the opportunity to take my skills and do just that. And I can do it at a company that is young and growing, as Cerner is a recent entrant into the Fortune 1000. They were also recently named the #52 best place to work in IT by Computer World.

In short, it seems to be a perfect fit, and it all came together in a blink of an eye. After months of searching for employment in this competitive and difficult economy, a fantastic opportunity has come from an unexpected place.

I can’t wait to get to Kansas City and get started.