Finding some time to breathe
I feel blindsided by the start of the semester. Although my classes are comparatively easy, I’ve felt that I haven’t even had time to breathe lately.
I like the mix of classes I have this semester . . . cost-benefit analysis, quantitative program evaluation, nonprofit management, international trade and China’s new marketplace. I think it’s a good mix of quantitative and qualitative courses. And, other than cost-benefit analysis, the classes have been quite interesting.
I think two things have been taking up a lot of time. First, I’m helping to run to student groups at Columbia . . . Japan Exchange Forum and China Forum. This week budget requests for funding from the school were due, and I spent most of last week writing those grant proposals. Plus, I’ve had to go and help organize multiple events each of the past couple of weeks.
The other much more dreadful thing that has eaten my time has been thinking about what to do after I graduate in May. Sigh. I just don’t know. I think I’ve narrowed (?) down my choices to the government (something like the GAO or maybe the Departments of State, Commerce or Treasury), a nonprofit doing work with Asia, politics (more on this later) and education.
I had a talk with my friend Yosuke earlier in the week. He at least helped me eliminate education for now. He made a good point that education is the easiest of my choices to return to sometime down the road.
Otherwise, I’m still stuck. Part of me wants to go back to Asia. Another part wants to stay involved in domestic politics. I also can’t decide how I want to help society — at the macro level like in a government job or at the micro level like in a nonprofit. Decisions, decisions, decisions!!
Speaking of politics . . . I’ve been feeling really bad for not getting involved in this election cycle. A big part has been the fact that I was out of the country this summer. And, of course, there’s all the other stuff that I just wrote about going on.
So, I’m planning on skipping school the week before Election Day to go back to my home state of Ohio to help out. I’m happy to do any of the grunt work, like canvassing or making phone calls. I’m currently working through one of my high school friends who is working in the Akron field office of the Kerry campaign to work out something to do.
Okay, I should probably get some sleep. Tomorrow is a loaded day . . . I have a meeting with career services to talk about my life. I’m also meeting a Japanese person I met in Osaka this summer. Then, I’m heading down to a Japanese sake tasting event down in SoHo. Of course, I’m going to catch the big debate tomorrow night, too!