Exploring Economics Programs – No Idea Where To Start
Well, I intended to do another post on the Euro, focusing on Germany this time, and I still might. But when I sat down at my computer what I first started researching was a way to get an undergrad. degree in economics online since I’ll be bouncing around too much in the CG to really go to a brick & mortar campus. The affordable options are surprisingly limited.
Rainy Day Thoughts
Well, we finally made it to another weekend. Even though my last weekend off was only 2 weeks ago, it feels much longer. That is mainly because days as the newest watch standing non-rate at my station are very long ones. Long as in, your only time off is the six hours you get to sleep. Give that as my typical workday, I’ve been very happy with the amount I’ve been able to write in the past couple weeks. Heaven knows there was plenty to write about.
A New Direction
Now that I’ve had a chance to talk to my family, I’m ready to share a big employment decision with the wider world. Some of my friends know this already, but many people who may have been following my journey do not. I have decided to enlist in the United States Coast Guard. In fact, I signed my contract and took my Oath of Enlistment today. This is a decision I reached after many months of thought and research, and I believe it is the best path for me to take for several reasons. This is going to be a long one, so the rest of the story is below the cut.
Steps Back and Forward
The day before Thanksgiving I had to take a step back in my plans. That was the day I received my letter stating that I was not accepted to American University for January 2011. While I knew that my odds were 50/50 at the best, it was still a big disappointment for me, since I’ve been itching for a general change in my life for several months now. I’ll admit that I cried a few times after I got the news. The short, cold, dark days of winter make me a bit more susceptible to my more negative emotions. It’s been about four weeks since I got that news now. I’ve been figuring out what I want to do.
Still Runnin’…
Nothing worth doing is ever easy.
We’ve all heard the phrase a million times. And we all know it from personal experience. It often becomes our mantra when life throws us curveballs and just generally makes things difficult for us as we pursue our goals. That’s part of why this blog’s name is what it is. Pursing something will be difficult, and will be like running against the wind.
I’m leaning on this phrase heavily today. I received notice sometime within the last hour that I will not move on to the Oral Assessment of the Foreign Service in November. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t very upset to get that answer instead of the invitation to Washington for a chance to prove myself in person. But I also knew that there was a high chance that this is the answer I would get. After all, I have never been out of the country for anything more than a high school music competition. I have little formal training in economics, which is the field I want to work in. And I’m sure plenty of other candidates had both of those things.
So what this means is that my back-up plan is now the plan. Graduate school was always the path I wanted to pursue if the Service didn’t work out because it will give me the right combination of academic preparation and personal, or life, preparation. It gives me the opportunity to study abroad, meet people from around the world, and really learn about the field. Knowing that there’s no chance of the Service this time around does mean I have to re-evaluate whether or not to pursue some programs in the Spring 2011 semester. Doing so means starting my studies earlier, but possibly forgoing a chance of going to some of the best schools – which only start in the fall. It also means giving up the option of trying for a Pickering Fellowship, which would help me with both grad. school and getting work experience. I figure I have a few days to figure that one out. Today I’m just going to let myself be sad and work around the house a bit. Tomorrow I’ll start asking the tough questions.
