parents of CC, plan my life for me

Parents Forum
1

<p>Me:
an incoming female third-year student at a well-ranked state university, Political Science major, 3.8 GPA </p>

<p>my interests: foreign languages (which I think is my most "marketable" skill), international relations, writing</p>

<p>my experience: a decent internship during this last spring semester and a tutoring position this fall, study abroad in France (this summer) and maybe Russia in the future</p>

<p>skills: proficient in French and Russian and a basic knowledge of Spanish, good writer </p>

<p>plans: grad school directly or soon after undergrad</p>

<p>personality: reserved, not a social butterfly but not totally inept i guess</p>

<p>my aspirations: to not just be a paper-pusher or rubber-stamper; hopefully to help people directly in some way</p>

<p>things i don't want to do: work for the CIA, NSA, FBI or any other organization that requires me to keep my entire work life a secret</p>

<p>i've posted this because my parents and I have been arguing constantly lately, with them pressuring me to tell them what i want to do with my life... so, parents of CC, i defer the decision-making process to you, what should i do in life? what kinds of careers are out there for people that love foreign languages/int'l relations? i don't mean to be snide or demanding with this post either, it's just that i truly have no direction in life and maybe someone out there knows of some excellent career/internship opportunities.</p>

2

<p>Friend of my husband’s daughter just graduated with a liberal arts degree. She is proficient in 3 languages. Got a well-paying job at a large international law firm in a staff position.</p>

3

<p>In international relations most grad schools like to see a bit of work experience. I’d try NGOs. The UN and the State Department are also obvious possibilities. I’ve known quite a few students who unsure of what to do next spend a year or two teaching English in a foreign country. If you want to brush up on your Spanish you might look for opportunities in South America.</p>

4

<p>D1 is a lot like you (but not as adept at the foreign languages, although she does speak a couple). She just finished a spring internship in DC at the State Department, and loved it. She is really eager to apply for jobs there for post-graduation. Admittedly, there are some “secret” portions of her job she can’t talk about, but a lot of it she could. She is not generally a secretive person, and she wasn’t so severely restricted that she was uncomfortable.</p>

<p>Does your college have a Washington semester option where you could do an internship there for credit? If so, that is a good opportunity to apply to and try some of the types of organizations mentioned here.</p>

5

<p>Foreign Service, international NGOs, and civilian careers with Department of Defense might be areas to explore.</p>

6

<p>The United Nations has internships - and having the second language is a huge plus there.</p>

7

<p>Go to Idealist.com …not for an actual job but to look at the listings that require foreign language abilities. You might get some career ideas there.</p>

8

<p>Look for a job in oil companies. Improving your Spanish will serve you very well and Russian will definitely help (not sure about French).</p>

9

<p>Don’t rule out NSA, FBI, etc type jobs.</p>

<p>I know someone who works for the FBI and I have a relative at NSA. Most of their job is not classified. For the NSA - The security checks to obtain the job were stringent, but beside not being permitted to bring personal cell phone into her building, she doesn’t feel “silenced” by the NSA.</p>

10

<p>Several people I know have taken jobs overseas as English language instructors, and then shifted to jobs in business with international firms in those countries. One went on to a full-funded MBA program (rare I know, but it happens), and another is now an office manager in the US for Berlitz Language Inc.</p>

11

<p>If you want a direct, people to people kind of job, you might consider starting out first in the Peace Corps. It’s good experience and will pave the way to a lot of similar jobs working in development. </p>

<p>Most people don’t realize that it’s pretty rare to go straight from undergrad to a job in the government or the foreign service (most incoming foreign service officers are older and have graduate degrees). So you should think about other jobs you can do in the meantime that will help you build your way to that if that’s what you want. However, working for the government, even in a development capacity at USAID, involves quite a bit of paper pushing, especially in the beginning. Ditto for working for the UN (actually, workign for the UN is probably a LOT more paper pushing). </p>

<p>So you probably want to focus your ideas on things like NGOs, think tanks that have robust in the field programs (the Enough! project, Vital Voices, People to People, etc), If you already had a good internship experience, think about going back there to work after you graduate, keep those contacts in good order so they’ll keep thinking of you should any openings become available. </p>

<p>Also, it’s not too late to think about applying for a fellowship. If you have the grades, a Fulbright fellowship could be a great way to spend a year working on your language skills, doing research, having great first hand experiences. You have the best chance if you apply to countries with fewer applicants, so for you, a former Soviet Union country or a French speaking African country might be best. Fulbright comes with a generous stipend and you have a lot of flexibility. Still, you need to be thinking and planning for it NOW even though you can’t apply until you are a senior. </p>

<p>Finally, you don’t have to figure it all out now. Just take one step at a time. Find your post-graduation job. Then find your next one. Then think about grad school. Think about the people you admire and would like to emulate (you may not find them until you get your first or second job), try to adopt some of their skills and plan to earn similar advanced degrees. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon, so don’t be frustrated if you can’t figure it all out now.</p>

12

<p>Not sure if this is up your alley at all or even what you want:</p>

<p>Start a business where you welcome people from other countries that speak Russian, French, Spanish and help to get them situated here in the US. Act as an intrepreter for them, perhaps teach them English, act as an agent for them to find jobs and set up a home here…</p>

<p>Maybe get a Law degree if that will help…</p>

<p>Or how about becoming a travel tour guide to those countries whose languages you speak? People have started businesses that way too…taking groups of people to the same country over and over again…different parts so you get very familiar with that country and can customize a tour to the group of people!</p>

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<p>“Start a business where you welcome people from other countries that speak Russian, French, Spanish and help to get them situated here in the US. Act as an intrepreter for them, perhaps teach them English, act as an agent for them to find jobs and set up a home here…”</p>

<p>Most immigrants wouldn’t have the money for such a service, and can rely on free community-based resources. And non-immigrants, meaning people here on work/visitors visas, either speak sufficient English and/or can use their sponsors/employers’ resources.</p>

14

<p>

Maybe this is your parents’ concern? Are you asking them to pay for grad school after undergrad?</p>

15

<p>Is a Master’s in Public Health anything you would be interested in? It might fit with some of the other international possibilities suggested here as well as some of what you described in your post.</p>

16

<p>go to career counseling office at your university; they have counsellors who can help you.</p>

<p>Pick a teacher who you admire, who has a sense of who you are, and ask them.</p>

17

<p>thanks to everyone for all your suggestions! I don’t remember who suggested this, but I did a bit of research and my school does have a competitive semester in DC program that i plan to apply for next spring. the program cost is lower than the cost of tuition at my school, though housing is obviously rather expensive, since it’s DC. </p>

<p>

i haven’t “asked” them for anything, and honestly, they seem to want to be able to support me. and i feel i’ve done my part by working and getting as many scholarships as i’ve been able to.</p>

18

<p>

Oddly, everyone that works at the place where I interned - is an intern. everyone works there for no pay (i only worked 3 hours at a time 4 times a week, but some people worked 9-5 daily), and to be honest, I think the manager (it was a very small company) just wanted some free personal assistance (as much of what i did consisted of ordering business cards and that sort of thing; one week she even had me work on getting a landscaper to go work on her house). It actually was not the best experience but I guess that part doesn’t have to go on my resume.</p>

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<p>To be honest, do have got to do what you got to do. If you were to work for a small company, you would need to wear many hats. For a guy with a Ph.D. in Chemistry, working for a small company, cleaning toilet can some times be part of the job. I am talking from personal experiences.</p>