on Concerning the Future of my Life
The future is uncertain, but there are a few certainties that can indicate a probable outcome for the near and not so distant future. While I may not know where I'll be or what I'll be doing by the end of the year, I do know where I won't be and what I won't be doing.
It seems to be fairly official that I will not be moving to New Hampshire at the end of Summer and I will not be attending the University of the aforementioned state for graduate school. Once again, my denial of admission has led me to wonder if graduate school will ever happen for me. But I also can't help but wonder the circumstances around my denial and if the current slump in the economy has any role to play. Its tough competing for a spot in a highly demanded field while the federal funding is cut more and more each year. Of course, I may have also just been sloppy with my application. I may never know.
I do know that my denial of admission to graduate school somehow doesn't upset me very much. I've managed to find myself a job that I really like with a great community of employees located in a great place (though this recent heat and humidity wave has led me to question my like of Virginia). While I may be bummed about having to wait yet another year to advance my degree, I'm looking forward to finishing the season here through November with the possibility of returning again for another next year.
I fell in love with New Hampshire while working in Maine for two falls, and if I returned, I'm sure I'd fall in love with the state again. However, I've set my sights on something bigger: the West. Perhaps in my next round of applications, I'll look at some of the western states more closely as well as apply to more than just two schools.
The uncertainty comes with the break between mid-November and mid-March when I would be unemployed. Do I find a lucrative job in Hagerstown just to pay the bills so I can stay with Erin? or Do I become a graduate student's field bitch for their data collection season in some far-away land of enchantment so I might have some experience toward graduate school? Such questions, ones that don't have to be answered quite yet, but I may have to start thinking about around the end of Summer so that I'm not left unemployed for 4 months again.
I don't ask for pity. I knew when starting this job that I'd be happy with any decision, and it helps that 3 months later, I don't have the desire to pick up and move on. Its one of the few places I haven't wanted to leave.
It seems to be fairly official that I will not be moving to New Hampshire at the end of Summer and I will not be attending the University of the aforementioned state for graduate school. Once again, my denial of admission has led me to wonder if graduate school will ever happen for me. But I also can't help but wonder the circumstances around my denial and if the current slump in the economy has any role to play. Its tough competing for a spot in a highly demanded field while the federal funding is cut more and more each year. Of course, I may have also just been sloppy with my application. I may never know.
I do know that my denial of admission to graduate school somehow doesn't upset me very much. I've managed to find myself a job that I really like with a great community of employees located in a great place (though this recent heat and humidity wave has led me to question my like of Virginia). While I may be bummed about having to wait yet another year to advance my degree, I'm looking forward to finishing the season here through November with the possibility of returning again for another next year.
I fell in love with New Hampshire while working in Maine for two falls, and if I returned, I'm sure I'd fall in love with the state again. However, I've set my sights on something bigger: the West. Perhaps in my next round of applications, I'll look at some of the western states more closely as well as apply to more than just two schools.
The uncertainty comes with the break between mid-November and mid-March when I would be unemployed. Do I find a lucrative job in Hagerstown just to pay the bills so I can stay with Erin? or Do I become a graduate student's field bitch for their data collection season in some far-away land of enchantment so I might have some experience toward graduate school? Such questions, ones that don't have to be answered quite yet, but I may have to start thinking about around the end of Summer so that I'm not left unemployed for 4 months again.
I don't ask for pity. I knew when starting this job that I'd be happy with any decision, and it helps that 3 months later, I don't have the desire to pick up and move on. Its one of the few places I haven't wanted to leave.