Posts tagged career
Would-not-be an Entrepreneur
Jul 15th
I have yet to find another blog by a twenty-something who, like me, eventually wants to be a college professor. They are all by entrepreneurs or would-be entrepreneurs. God, why would I want to live that a life that fast-paced? I don’t even want to begin to imagine. They are all chock-full of advice on the many hats you have to wear, and how life moves at 100+ mph. Ugh.
There is no blog about how to become a college professor, that I’ve found. Should there be? I don’t know. There are advisors along the way to provide the requisite hand-holding. It’s a pretty straight-forward career path. I’m terrified that I’m not cut out for it, that I’ll get bored before I finish my Master’s thesis.
I don’t know, maybe there SHOULD be a blog for those of us who seek to stay in the world of academia forever. As much as that world utilizes technology for research, it could also be doing so to communicate with the world and amongst themselves. Maybe they already are and I just don’t know it.
Life After College: My Journey Thus Far
Jul 5th
In December of 2007, earned a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature. Immediately following graduation, I jumped right into taking graduate classes as a non-degree-seeking student. The most important thing I realized from this was that I was not ready for graduate school, which was fine… I was accepting of that, on one level. On another level, it was a huge blow to me. I had always anticipated continuing on with my education in pursuit of a Ph.D without stopping for a breath of air.
So, from Summer 2008 until Autumn of 2009, I worked. I did a month-long internship in which I was able to utilize my research and organizational skills, but did not really learn anything about marketing, nor did I successfully network. (This was my own fault). I “temped” as a secretary for a month until I obtained a regular job in a book store. I mistakingly thought that working in a book store would be an appropriate environment for someone with a passion for literature, such as myself. Again, I was terribly wrong. The book store at which I worked put a higher emphasis on sales (especially the dreaded “discount card” and magazine subscriptions) than they did on anything else. I should have known better – it is, after all, a retail establishment. I toughed it out from March 2008 until March 2009, when I finally received an opportunity to nanny. Now, I describe myself as a modern-day Mary Poppins. While I am still working for an hourly wage, I no longer feel that my work is necessarily menial, nor do I feel undervalued as a person.
Yet, I am by no means a “young professional.” I finally feel like I am back on the “right” path in that I am returning to the wonderful(ly safe) world of academia. I joke, in way, calling it wonderfully safe… It’s a world in which I walk happily and comfortably, also one in which I’ve always imagined myself living and working. I remember saying in the 3rd grade that I would obtain a Ph.D. Now, I feel like I’m on the way. Though I am not a “young professional,” nor will I ever seem to be (by the time I begin a true profession, I’ll probably be in my 30s), I am on a path on which I know I am not travelling alone.
I suppose I should have known way back in 1992 that I was destined to read for a living.