College, schmollege

I'm currently rounding out my senior year at the University of Washington and am now under pressure to choose a graduate field of study. Unlike an undergraduate degree, achieving your graduate degree is not at all a liberal process. There are no longer vague prerequisite courses that allow you to gradually build a solid footing; there is no longer the opportunity to select leisure electives to fulfill empty credits; there is no room for switching majors/concentrations half way through. At this point I need to know exactly what the hell I plan on doing with the rest of my life. If not I will be wasting a substantial amount of money and believe me, I already have enough student loan debt to keep me occupied for many years. Many, many years.

So please, people. Help me choose what I want to be when I grow up.

I feel your pain, girlfriend.

I know I want to work with people, preferably in an intimate and creative way. The occupation that has been at the front of my mind for awhile now is teaching. Not only would I be able to work closely with people- staff, students and parents- but I would also be able to release some creative juices via curriculum and lessons plans. If I go this route I am 99.9% sure that I will teach high school science. I'm not a science buff by any means but there is a huge shortage of secondary science teachers thus equaling a higher number of job openings and, most importantly, the chance for federal student loan forgiveness.

So what's the problem, right? Well, here's the thing.... teachers neither get paid much nor well, though I'm sure you and every other American already knew that. Like, duh. For all the time and energy you invest in helping to shape a positive future for countless students you are rewarded with a rather meager salary. Don't get me wrong, it's not all about money. Still, money is something I am definitely forced to consider when attempting to plan out my future. By the time I wrap up all of these tiring years of full-time schooling (while concurrently working full-time as well) I want to enjoy myself, which, to some degree, requires a ballin' bank account.

These ballers are having nothing short of a fun time.

Secondly, I have good grades. And when I say "good grades" I mean damn good grades. I'm a straight up nerd to the to the umpteenth degree. My GPA would give me exceptional advantage in terms of gaining admission to competitive graduate programs, i.e. law. I feel I should apply my academics toward... shall I say... a more prestigious career.

I'm sorry, teachers. I admire you! Truly, I do. It's just the rest of society that fails to do the same.

All I know is that I have roughly two months to figure out the rest of my life, or at least the professional/occupational realm of my existence, which will naturally bleed into all other areas of my life and thus is a big freakin' deal. Do I become a teacher? A lawyer? A neurobiologist? The next leading NASA chief engineer?

I'll give it another month or so and then I'm going to draw a name out of a hat.