been doing alot of thinking...
It's been awhile LJ. But I've decided that writing all this out may help with my thought processes...
What am I going to do with my life? I mean...I have a pretty good idea of where I want to be in 10 years...but that's a lot of mystery in between now and then. I'm still young, not quite 23. I am not ready to fully settle into a routine. I'm restless.
Ultimately, my first order of business is to make the decision of finishing my MS by the fall of 2011, or bypass for my PhD, and stay in Delaware for another 5 years. I haven't even been in DE for one year, and I'm a little sick of it. And that's even with trips to Mexico for research thrown in. Don't get me wrong, UDel is great, and I like working with my adviser, and I like my research. But I'm not even at UD's main campus, I'm in a tiny southern DE town...with maybe 30 grad students, and not much to do. I've made a handful of close friends here, for whom I'm grateful, but I don't know if it's enough to keep my frustration of living here at bay long enough to complete a PhD. My entire life can't be my research...I need to be happy outside of school as well. But I'm hesitant about what I might be leaving behind as well. I shouldn't be letting myself get so stressed over all this, but, here it is.
Did living in Hawaii this summer sabotage my chances of liking any other location? Maybe.
So where does this leave me?
1. I can get my PhD, and be done with school forever by the time I'm 27. Many doors could be open to me for future research as a post doc or other positions. Every time I meet with my adviser he talks about all the possible directions my work could go in...projects I could do, other places I could see, if I stay for my phd. Besides more mexico, australia and Panama have been tossed around, along with winning fellowships and other prestigious possibilities. But none of these are a guarantee. He is very good at selling me the phd cause. Also, not gonna lie, I like the sound of "Dr. Irwin."
2. Get Masters, try to get into a marine policy program after, so I can combine knowledge of science with management, and have a more direct hand in marine conservation.
3. Masters, then Peace Corps (ideally working in a coastal community that relies on a reef for sustenance, and contribute to monitoring the reef and communicating the need for conservation efforts to the locals, so that their way of life does not have to be threatened by overfishing/loss of natural resources etc). This has a similar outcome to #2.
4. Pick up and go to Hawaii after my MS and see if I can get any Marine bio jobs there...maybe with NOAA.
5. Do any of 2-4, and then get my phd later somewhere else.
6. Get my teaching certificate and teach high school bio? This might be for after any of my other options as well...
All I know is that there is so much world to see, and if I don't do it now...well...
I really wish I could just get on a big boat, sail the world, and SCUBA everywhere I want, forever and ever. Of course...this idea only works if coral reefs survive that long. Getting into conservation work is definitely my big picture goal...whether through research, community outreach/education, coastal management and marine protected area implementation...there are so many avenues.
So...thoughts? Suggestions? Comments?
What am I going to do with my life? I mean...I have a pretty good idea of where I want to be in 10 years...but that's a lot of mystery in between now and then. I'm still young, not quite 23. I am not ready to fully settle into a routine. I'm restless.
Ultimately, my first order of business is to make the decision of finishing my MS by the fall of 2011, or bypass for my PhD, and stay in Delaware for another 5 years. I haven't even been in DE for one year, and I'm a little sick of it. And that's even with trips to Mexico for research thrown in. Don't get me wrong, UDel is great, and I like working with my adviser, and I like my research. But I'm not even at UD's main campus, I'm in a tiny southern DE town...with maybe 30 grad students, and not much to do. I've made a handful of close friends here, for whom I'm grateful, but I don't know if it's enough to keep my frustration of living here at bay long enough to complete a PhD. My entire life can't be my research...I need to be happy outside of school as well. But I'm hesitant about what I might be leaving behind as well. I shouldn't be letting myself get so stressed over all this, but, here it is.
Did living in Hawaii this summer sabotage my chances of liking any other location? Maybe.
So where does this leave me?
1. I can get my PhD, and be done with school forever by the time I'm 27. Many doors could be open to me for future research as a post doc or other positions. Every time I meet with my adviser he talks about all the possible directions my work could go in...projects I could do, other places I could see, if I stay for my phd. Besides more mexico, australia and Panama have been tossed around, along with winning fellowships and other prestigious possibilities. But none of these are a guarantee. He is very good at selling me the phd cause. Also, not gonna lie, I like the sound of "Dr. Irwin."
2. Get Masters, try to get into a marine policy program after, so I can combine knowledge of science with management, and have a more direct hand in marine conservation.
3. Masters, then Peace Corps (ideally working in a coastal community that relies on a reef for sustenance, and contribute to monitoring the reef and communicating the need for conservation efforts to the locals, so that their way of life does not have to be threatened by overfishing/loss of natural resources etc). This has a similar outcome to #2.
4. Pick up and go to Hawaii after my MS and see if I can get any Marine bio jobs there...maybe with NOAA.
5. Do any of 2-4, and then get my phd later somewhere else.
6. Get my teaching certificate and teach high school bio? This might be for after any of my other options as well...
All I know is that there is so much world to see, and if I don't do it now...well...
I really wish I could just get on a big boat, sail the world, and SCUBA everywhere I want, forever and ever. Of course...this idea only works if coral reefs survive that long. Getting into conservation work is definitely my big picture goal...whether through research, community outreach/education, coastal management and marine protected area implementation...there are so many avenues.
So...thoughts? Suggestions? Comments?