by David Hoffman
So, maybe you're one of the lucky ones whose hopes for themselves align perfectly with a specific career path. But maybe you're more like I was, once: a lot on your plate, decisions to make, your whole future seemingly at stake, and graduation already on the horizon. And maybe, to you, the so-called real world of graduate degrees and careers is as vague and remote as a continent you've never visited, or a decade in which you've never lived.
And maybe you don’t sense in yourself the interest or capacity to devote yourself to anything in particular, day after day after day, but you feel considerable pressure to just know. That little voice of doubt in your head may be saying: If you had a calling, wouldn't you be hearing it by now?
And maybe your anxiety is compounded by people projecting their hopes and beliefs onto you, so that their certainty is like a dinner ordered for you while you’re still looking for a place to hang your coat. It's frustrating, but you don’t want to appear ungrateful or irresponsible. Maybe you believe, or hope, that your tastes might change once you’ve stomached enough.
But maybe …
Maybe you are stronger and wiser than you think. Maybe for you, the very uncertainty that troubles you is an achievement, a refusal to succumb. The hardest thing in the world to know is your own heart when others have designs on it. Yet you insist on pushing to discover the path to your best self, your best contributions.
And maybe there are worlds behind the broad career categories: opportunities to carve out a niche wide enough for your hopes, if only you first gain a foothold. Maybe finding your starting point will require some casting about in the dark; some trial and some error, and patience.
It certainly did for me. I was a lawyer and then a community organizer before discovering how I could act on my passion and deepest sense of purpose in a profession, within a supportive (campus) community.
There are resources for you on campus: the Career Services Center, located in Math/Psych 212, can help you think about careers and connect you with opportunities; and The Shriver Center, on the first floor of Public Policy, can connect you with internships so you can explore. Pay them a visit. And know that you're not alone.
If this post has resonated with you, I hope you'll make this struggle more visible, and connect with others, by leaving a comment.
Co-Create UMBC is a blog for and about UMBC, written by David Hoffman and Craig Berger from the Office of Student Life. Join the Co-Create UMBC group on MyUMBC. Like Co-Create UMBC on Facebook. And follow David and Craig on Twitter.
So, maybe you're one of the lucky ones whose hopes for themselves align perfectly with a specific career path. But maybe you're more like I was, once: a lot on your plate, decisions to make, your whole future seemingly at stake, and graduation already on the horizon. And maybe, to you, the so-called real world of graduate degrees and careers is as vague and remote as a continent you've never visited, or a decade in which you've never lived.
And maybe you don’t sense in yourself the interest or capacity to devote yourself to anything in particular, day after day after day, but you feel considerable pressure to just know. That little voice of doubt in your head may be saying: If you had a calling, wouldn't you be hearing it by now?
And maybe your anxiety is compounded by people projecting their hopes and beliefs onto you, so that their certainty is like a dinner ordered for you while you’re still looking for a place to hang your coat. It's frustrating, but you don’t want to appear ungrateful or irresponsible. Maybe you believe, or hope, that your tastes might change once you’ve stomached enough.
But maybe …
Maybe you are stronger and wiser than you think. Maybe for you, the very uncertainty that troubles you is an achievement, a refusal to succumb. The hardest thing in the world to know is your own heart when others have designs on it. Yet you insist on pushing to discover the path to your best self, your best contributions.
And maybe there are worlds behind the broad career categories: opportunities to carve out a niche wide enough for your hopes, if only you first gain a foothold. Maybe finding your starting point will require some casting about in the dark; some trial and some error, and patience.
It certainly did for me. I was a lawyer and then a community organizer before discovering how I could act on my passion and deepest sense of purpose in a profession, within a supportive (campus) community.
There are resources for you on campus: the Career Services Center, located in Math/Psych 212, can help you think about careers and connect you with opportunities; and The Shriver Center, on the first floor of Public Policy, can connect you with internships so you can explore. Pay them a visit. And know that you're not alone.
If this post has resonated with you, I hope you'll make this struggle more visible, and connect with others, by leaving a comment.
Co-Create UMBC is a blog for and about UMBC, written by David Hoffman and Craig Berger from the Office of Student Life. Join the Co-Create UMBC group on MyUMBC. Like Co-Create UMBC on Facebook. And follow David and Craig on Twitter.
