Interview with the Corporation

[marpesia_m]

Greetings to all. I hope that you have all been well.

I have been so exceptionally tired the past few days and I imagine it is for a good reason. Having finished teaching a very hectic semester this summer my body has finally decided to turn off of it's 'workaholic' mode and is slowly crashing. I will need a good week to rest but first I have to

Comments

[lux_ex_umbra]

You are competent! You are knowledgeable! You do have skills and abilities that the common people lack and that many organisations crave for.

Only 8.9 percent of American students ever receive a postgraduate degree. Not only do you have two of those, but they were both obtained abroad, which is not a common nor easy feat, and tells a lot about who you are, and what you can achieve!

And how many people of your age can claim to have such a high level of education, lived, studied, worked and travelled in Europe -- including war-torn Kosovo for one year -- taught at an American university, published in a prestigious journal, etc.? With each of your achievements, you become more and more of a rare and precious gem.

You should not have to compromise too much. It is very however difficult not to compromise when you are starting your career. So perhaps the best approach would be to actually set the limits of the compromise you would accept. For example, a job in market intelligence with a retail store company may be out of your compromise scope. But a job in risk assessment with an international NGO, or a job in conflict analysis for the UN, or a job in criminal statistics and research for an EU agency are perhaps within your compromise scope.

I guess this is where the challenge lies, but experiences like that Target interview or your year in Kosovo probably help determine how wide is your compromise scope, what's within it and what's outside of it. Friends, boyfriend, family, contacts, profs can also help you with that.

The next challenge is obviously to make yourself known to these interesting potential employers, and show them how much of a rare and precious gem you are. This is the most difficult part, of course, but I have faith in your determination, in your drive, in your skills. I can only hope that fate and circumstances give you a hand in your quest...

[marpesia_m]

It was interesting to think about all of that. I also believe that much of the incompetance feeling came the War Studies degree where everyone was so damn knowledge about war that it made me feel quite dumb. What I had forgotten was that 'war' in essence (and at that time) was not my primary field of interest and not why I went to that school. Hence, it is on no surprise that people knew more than me. Wierd how I didn't see that then.

Indeed, the most important task is to know what you will compromise on and have the balls to go knock down doors which otherwise would not open.

Thanks for your kind words, my love, sometimes it's harder to see inside yourself then it is to other people.

PS-On a completely unrelated note: I want to go see that movie, 'A scanner Darkly'. It has a very Matrix-ish philosophy behind it, no?