03 May 2011

so I'm graduated . . . now what?

I must be doing a blog series on this topic. Weird.

I have had a few conversations with friends, etc., lately about going "off the grid" and living a life of farming and husbandry, or some other self-subsisting occupation. Doesn't that sound so idyllic? Sadly, it's probably not very feasible for a lot of people.

It begs the question, though, if modern careers in general have the possibility to be very satisfying. It seems like higher education is very career-oriented and I worry about that. What do you think? As Tim said the other day, a lot of people must be living for the weekend.

In my search for an "occupation," I feel like I have three options: find a more satisfying job, bear progeny, or go back to school.

7 comments:

Joanna Galbraith said...

I was going through this same crisis a couple weeks ago, and I've gone through it from time to time since graduation. I'm just not as passionate about my career as I would like to be. I am not sure what the solution is. I am not living for the weekend per se, but I am definitely not living with as much purpose as I'd like to be.

Rachel said...

People who think a life of farming is idyllic are fooling themselves. Sorry to be the rain on the self-sustaining parade.

Rachel // Maybe Matilda said...

Oh man, I really struggled with this after I graduated. It was so frustrating to know that I had worked my butt off in school for . . . what? I couldn't even find a job in the first place, and then when I kind of switched gears and did a completely different career that had nothing to do with my college degree, I still felt somewhat unsatisfied. It's tough. I don't know what the answer is. I will say, though, that being a mom is pretty great. It's not 100% bliss all the time (and don't believe anybody who acts like it is, they're lying to you) and you'll look back fondly on a job and school, but if I had known how much I would like it, I might have had a baby sooner. I'm just sayin'.

hburdie said...

I'm not living for the weekend as much as I am living for the day when Seth is done with school and enters the work force. But it's the same idea. I feel the same way about the fulfillment factor of our career.

I think the problem is that there is no creativity. While subsistence farming is one idea of a career change (though, to be honest, that sounds like a lot of manual labor), I would feel much more fulfilled if work allowed for more creativity. Ideally, I would like to start freelancing doing design for cards and wedding invitations. Now THAT sounds fulfilling.

Margaret said...

I think it's important to find something practical and desirable. So unless either of you have a large inheritance to start living off the grid, it might be better to start smaller and see what you would like to do before you have kids.

Isn't this the prime of your life? You are married, have a job, and aren't tied down with kids yet. Take advantage of this! All of us fall prey to thinking of a former or future time in our lives as better than the present, but what we have right now should be equally amazing. That's my opinion, at least.

Unknown said...

Congrats on Graduating!

sarah-lucy said...

yeah, look at your options. maybe there's a more satisfying job out there for you. put out some feelers. keep your options open. you deserve to have a job you actually like.

or go back to school. do what feels right.

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