My life: 2006-~2011
I've been thinking about my life's trajectory after college (certainly a familiar theme among all of us these days I'm sure) and I've been refining and adding onto my plans. As I said earlier, I got into Beijing Normal University's language program for this fall, and I've got a good grasp of how I'm going to pay for it so, barring any emergency, I'll be in Beijing for at least that semester. I've also all but decided that I'll be there after I finish the semester, working some job. After that, there have been some new developments.
These past few weeks I've put a lot of thought into the next 10 years of my life, specifically my career. With a flexible but unfocused major/minor like East Asian Studies/Philosophy, there's no real trade I'll have after graduation. Being the type that's unsatisfied with just getting a job after college, and with no other alternative with my current degree, I decided a long time ago that further education would be necessary. But while I know I want to get into international relations, I have to be realistic. IR experts aren't that marketable without some sort of practical skill, such as business school, financial skills, etc. So just stopping at an MA in International Relations isn't enough. Which is why I've decided to pursue a joint law degree/MA in international relations.
Law has always been something I'm interested in, but until now I've never really thought about becoming a lawyer. But the more I think about it, the more I like the idea. For one thing, the career will give my mind the type of problem-solving work that I love. Furthermore, a joint law degree/masters will be focused enough so that I can market myself, but broad enough so that it's applicable to many different fields and I won't be pigeonholed into one specific career track. On top of that, the opportunities for those with law degrees in China are expanding rapidly, and I should have plenty of opportunities to work and travel in China, which is something I want to do throughout my life.
I've started practicing for the LSAT, which I'll be taking on June 12 (the day after my graduation). After that, I'll be spending the summer applying to law schools for entrance in fall 2007. Once in school, I'll hopefully have plenty of opportunities to go back to China for the summer with an internship. My goal is to spend most of my non-school time in China so as to keep my language skills up. The worst thing would be if I lost all that I've worked for in terms of language while I'm US and outside of a Chinese environment. I'll also be getting a masters in IR, which is something I'm quite passionate about and should be very applicable to many fields.
If all goes well, I'll be done with law school and grad school by 2011, when I'll be 27. I'll still have three years of my 20s to cherish, and I'll have spent my 20s quite well I think. Lots of travel in China, lots of learning, and a future that will enable me to do many things. With experience in China and law plus an education in international relations, I'll be able to develop opportunities for myself to get involved in all kinds of high-level positions involving US-China relations, not just in the government but especially in the private sector, where US-China relations are arguably even more important. By no means do I have a clear map as to where I'm going. But I have a well thought-out plan, and at this point, that's as good as it gets.
Anyway, I'm even more excited now to graduate! I can't wait to start carving out my future, and show the world what I can do!!
These past few weeks I've put a lot of thought into the next 10 years of my life, specifically my career. With a flexible but unfocused major/minor like East Asian Studies/Philosophy, there's no real trade I'll have after graduation. Being the type that's unsatisfied with just getting a job after college, and with no other alternative with my current degree, I decided a long time ago that further education would be necessary. But while I know I want to get into international relations, I have to be realistic. IR experts aren't that marketable without some sort of practical skill, such as business school, financial skills, etc. So just stopping at an MA in International Relations isn't enough. Which is why I've decided to pursue a joint law degree/MA in international relations.
Law has always been something I'm interested in, but until now I've never really thought about becoming a lawyer. But the more I think about it, the more I like the idea. For one thing, the career will give my mind the type of problem-solving work that I love. Furthermore, a joint law degree/masters will be focused enough so that I can market myself, but broad enough so that it's applicable to many different fields and I won't be pigeonholed into one specific career track. On top of that, the opportunities for those with law degrees in China are expanding rapidly, and I should have plenty of opportunities to work and travel in China, which is something I want to do throughout my life.
I've started practicing for the LSAT, which I'll be taking on June 12 (the day after my graduation). After that, I'll be spending the summer applying to law schools for entrance in fall 2007. Once in school, I'll hopefully have plenty of opportunities to go back to China for the summer with an internship. My goal is to spend most of my non-school time in China so as to keep my language skills up. The worst thing would be if I lost all that I've worked for in terms of language while I'm US and outside of a Chinese environment. I'll also be getting a masters in IR, which is something I'm quite passionate about and should be very applicable to many fields.
If all goes well, I'll be done with law school and grad school by 2011, when I'll be 27. I'll still have three years of my 20s to cherish, and I'll have spent my 20s quite well I think. Lots of travel in China, lots of learning, and a future that will enable me to do many things. With experience in China and law plus an education in international relations, I'll be able to develop opportunities for myself to get involved in all kinds of high-level positions involving US-China relations, not just in the government but especially in the private sector, where US-China relations are arguably even more important. By no means do I have a clear map as to where I'm going. But I have a well thought-out plan, and at this point, that's as good as it gets.
Anyway, I'm even more excited now to graduate! I can't wait to start carving out my future, and show the world what I can do!!