When did you know...

...what you wanted to do with your life?

I ponder this almost daily, along with a bajillion other college students in the U.S. Part of me wants to be a bookworm and get that PhD in history; but then there's the part of me that is obsessed with politics and government, and would love to be a lobbyist.

Anyone care to opine?

Why don't you figure out your sexuality first?

Are you two going to invite me to the wedding?

Originally Posted by edmorel

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Are you two going to invite me to the gangbang?

Fixed.

i learned late in life but once you know , you will know.

Originally Posted by edmorel

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Are you two going to invite me to the wedding?

I was going to ask you to be the best man!

Disclaimer: Duties performed by the best man will extend beyond the altar and into the bedroom.

Originally Posted by Connemara

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...what you wanted to do with your life?

I ponder this almost daily, along with a bajillion other college students in the U.S. Part of me wants to be a bookworm and get that PhD in history; but then there's the part of me that is obsessed with politics and government, and would love to be a lobbyist.

Anyone care to opine?

I'll bite - I still don't know exactly what I want to be when I grow up, but I have figured out what I like to do. In my case, I learned by being out in the workforce. I worked @ the World Bank for a while on policy issues, and then in the private sector, which I found a lot less theoretical and a lot more satisfying.

As the son of an academic and someone who thought seriously about getting a PhD in the humanities, a few words of caution:
* Massive time commitment - It takes a long long long time to get a PhD
* Skills not easily transferable - My dad has a PhD in Anthropology and went into a varied career outside Academia. He sometimes leaves the PhD off of his resume b/c it provokes a lot of questions. Again, this doesn't apply to a PhD in hard sciences, which can get you into industry if life sciences/geology or Wall Street if physics/math.
* Little financial upside potential - your earnings start our low and are irrevocably capped at around $100-120K [[inflation-adjusted in the future, of course]] unless you get a book deal (or are in the hard sciences, medicine or mgt schools)
* Lack of flexibility in choosing geography for jobs - You may need to take a job in a remote place when starting out, even if you go to a top school (although history is better than philosophy or art history in terms of # of schools with sthng to offer)
* Job satisfaction may be lower than you think - Grading papers and dealing with students is not an unalloyed pleasure. Faculty politics are real, and they are poisonous.


Not to say that you shouldn't do it, but be thoughtful about what it is that you actually like (e.g. exploring new ideas, etc) and whether academia is the only place to do that.

Lobbyists are dirty, but make money and influence things. The question is - how sure are you of your genius? If you believe that you are truly a great man, and a great thinker, by all means be an academic. But remember that humanities academics only influence the broad world if they are real giants (Allen Bloom, Herman Kahn , J.K. Galbraith, Keynes) and persuasive speakers. If you have a humbler self-image, and would like to judge yourself more on small, but tangible victories, then a tactical job like lobbying would likely be more satisfying. For either job, you'd need to be damned persuasive.

The lack of job mobility and big $$$ are the two big reasons I probably won't go into academia.

Your comments re: the influence of academics are spot on, Duveen...thanks a bunch.

I happen to be a lobbyist and I must say, it is a lot of fun. The hours are long, and it is really challenging, but you get to wield a lot of influence and travel in cool circles. You will be MUCH more successful, though, if you already have an "in" - you know a politician, prominent aide, etc. Starting at the entry level without this is very difficult. I would highly recommend pursuing a law degree if you are going to go that route.

Originally Posted by FLMountainMan

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I happen to be a lobbyist and I must say, it is a lot of fun. The hours are long, and it is really challenging, but you get to wield a lot of influence and travel in cool circles. You will be MUCH more successful, though, if you already have an "in" - you know a politician, prominent aide, etc. Starting at the entry level without this is very difficult. I would highly recommend pursuing a law degree if you are going to go that route.

I don't plan to go straight into lobbying. I'd love to work as an aide/legislative assistant/whatever for a while, and then look at becoming a lobbyist.

Wouldn't an MPP or something similar be just as beneficial as the law degree?

Not a lobbyist, but lived in DC for a while. I firmly believe that a law degree will help a TON more than an MPP. I will wait for FL to comment...

I think knowing exactly what I wanted to do with my life would be really, really boring.

I still don't know what I want to do when I leave academia shortly but I do know one thing: I wish I had never entered a PhD program and become an academic. It's probably the worst decision of my life. My advice is don't do it.

Originally Posted by mbc

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I think knowing exactly what I wanted to do with my life would be really, really boring.

Indeed.

Half way through my education, I still don't know for sure what I really want to do. That's the beauty of it all, let the present influence you and grab the opportunities that comes along, whatever they may be.