I’m a 21 year old who is presently in Jordan and simultaneously all over the place.
I’ve been in Jordan for two months as of tomorrow and it dawned on me that once I get home, my real life starts. I’m going to be an actual human person who’s going to have to start thinking about how to pay off student loans and how not to cry in public (so often).
In conversation I constantly get asked what I’m studying, immediately followed by a question about my post-undergraduate plans. It’s a conversation I’ve been hearing for years but I’m genuinely stumped every single time. I don’t know what I want to do for a career, there are just so many options and will end up defining a great deal of my life. How could I decide?
I’ve see a quotation floating around the internet that says, “don’t ask people what they want to do, ask them what problems they want to solve” which I think is a really good question to turn inwardly as well.
I know that some problems I want to solve include:
– the patriarchy/hypermasculinity
– hunger & water crises
– ostracization of people with disabilities
– the poverty disparity
– homo/trans/not-straight-phobia
– bigotry, racism, islamophobia
– among others!
If I could have it my way I would just try and singlehandedly do everything and solve every single problem everywhere but I’m a tiny little human the fact that I have to choose just a few, for logistical/sanity reasons, breaks my heart. This has led me to the realisation that education is the track for me. I would love to teach the importance of service learning and civic engagement and give students to tools and resources to “fix the world” in whatever way they know how.
The world is my oyster which is comforting and terrifying in the best of ways. The next few years are going to be filled with a LOT of uncertainty but I think I’m finally prepared to handle it.
dog with a blog 