Post-bachelors now what?: Dream job or have some fun overseas?

Career Opportunities & Internships
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<p>So this is a thread about how after graduating with my degree, should I have some wild fun times overseas and experience life or get my long term goals started by working as a lab tech in a lab that is investigating what I want to eventually spend my life studying?</p>

<p>Why I should do the lab job:
1) A lab tech opportunity in this particular field is extremely rare (byproducts of metabolism and their affects on DNA and therefore aging). Once I return to the US in 6 months or so, I think it's safe to say I would not have this opportunity again. It would be great experience to have since it's my long-term interest in science.</p>

<p>2) Seattle is a fun city. I have a great apartment and great friends who I have a blast with every weekend and often times weekdays too.</p>

<p>Why I should go teach English in Hong Kong (my friend's mom runs the program):
1) I think I need to have more adventures in my life. I dated a wild and fun 27 year old girl for a few months recently who has changed my beliefs on what the point of life is. She has made me crave adventure and experience. I worry that if I don't get out of here and do something completely new and unfamiliar, I might regret it later and never feel settled down. I'm a very outgoing guy and I love to meet people and then laugh with them: Hong Kong would be absolutely epic. I would meet so many people, see so much, and party and dance my ass off. I also think I'd be a good teacher for the kids and that I'd make it fun for them.</p>

<p>2) Teaching English overseas could help me grow as a person, learn about myself, and stand out more. The only time I've been out of the US is Canada a couple weeks ago. For all I know I'll decide the social atmosphere in laboratories is a deal-breaker for me and continue teaching or get some other job.</p>

<p>3) My current job (which is ending soon) has given me a lot of useful lab experience that would probably allow me to find a new job within a month or so once I get back home. That way I could go back to working and having fun in Seattle, then eventually do my grad school thing.</p>

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<p>By the way…I’m asking what you would do in this situation!</p>

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<p>The two reasons we make the worst decisions in our lives as men?</p>

<p>1) Women
2) Money</p>

<p>You’re honestly going to let some girl you “dated” make you doubt your decisions? It’s clear that before you dated this girl you would love to do the type of research this lab is doing, but was she really that spectacular that she makes you think you’re wrong? Take the freaking job, go backpack in South America for a month, and tell that girl to quit being an idiot. I’ve seen her type (the wild girl, but no accomplishments) and yeah she may be fun, but I’ve also seen your type (the fool that falls for it) a million times and I can’t say I have ever see your type come out happier after making decisions based on a fling.</p>

<p>EDIT: Btw, you’re logic is off. You say if you don’t do it now you may never do it, yet it’s clear you want to do this job and then go to grad school, therefore you’re not starting a career. It’s also clear you have no family, no huge bills to pay, etc. What is to stop you from doing this after you have had this job?</p>

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<p>There will always be time in life to travel, don’t waste a good opportunity to start building yourself a good life.</p>

<p>If you want adventure and opportunities to see the world, join the military in a reserve unit. You can still work as a labtec and in the part-time have adventure. Plus, some extra cash in your pocket and the opportunity to payoff your student loans or attend grad school for free.</p>

<p>I recommend US Army Reserve PsyOps or Civil Affairs. Civil Affairs is about working with local communities to build a better relationship. It’s the “winning the hearts and minds” portion of the military mission. PsyOps isn’t as diplomatic, but it’s a really good job to have in the reserves and provides totally kick-butt training.</p>

<p>I know Washington is the base for Air Force SERE (Survival Evasion Resistance Escape) operations and I believe you can enter the career as a reserve. It’s about survival training (think Bear Gryls) and teaching other military servicemen how to survive in hostile areas or if captured by the enemy. Lots of rock-climbing, camping, fire-making, and other skills working with your hands such as how to create tools and shelters.</p>

<p>I dated a wild and fun 27 year old girl for a few months recently who has changed my beliefs on what the point of life is. ~AntiAger</p>

<p>Anytime a guy starts a sentence like the one above I begin to cringe. This is how men start to screw up their lives - by listening to wild chicks they date.</p>

<p>No disrespect, because we’ve all been there. History is full of men doing stupid crap on behalf of sexy women. Ask any guy to recount some of the mistakes in their life and they will begin the same way, “Well, I was dating this girl…”</p>

<p>Good lesson, never do anything based on the advice of a woman that isn’t your mother or your wife.</p>

<p>Take advantage of the labtec position, strike while the iron is hot, because good opportunities like this often have away of disappearing forever.</p>

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<p>You really don’t make clear how unusual the lab job is. You call it rare but then say you could get another in a month. If the job is unusual and will help your career, take it. If you can get one just as good a month after you return, go.</p>

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<p>Clearly, what he is saying is that when he returned he could get A lab job. Not one this “rare”.</p>

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<p>One thing I regret is not teaching abroad for a year or two after undergrad. I always wanted to - I love living in other cultures and learning languages; I really wanted to do a Fulbright in Korea or the JET Programme. However, I had the same dilemma as you, and I eventually decided to start early on my grad school prospects, so I went straight to graduate school out of undergrad.</p>

<p>I regret it. Graduate school is a grueling process, and it requires a lot of dedication. When you’re 22, you’re still quite young; even if you are exceptionally focused for your age (which I was) you’re still likely to want to have fun. I also find it hard to believe that no lab tech opportunities will be available when you come back - it might not be the exact same one, but I’m sure you can find another one when you come back.</p>

<p>In addition, traveling overseas for long periods of time is going to be a lot more difficult when you begin pursuing your graduate school goals in earnest. People will always tell you “you can always travel.” But it’s not necessarily true! When are you going to? While you’re a lab tech making very little? When you’re trying to finish a grueling graduate program? When you’re doing a post-doc and trying to push out publications? When you’re on the tenure-track trying to push out publications and teach 4-6 classes a year? Once you’ve got a family, a house, and obligations? It’s a LOT easier to travel abroad when you are young with no attachments.</p>

<p>I always give this advice to students vacillating, having been there done that: if there is anything you want to do before you begin preparing for graduate school, do that. Research and lab tech jobs aren’t going anywhere; your 20s are. You WILL regret it later, take it from me. Do the epic teaching program.</p>

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<p>Some very diverse replies here!</p>

<p>big4bound, I think you misinterpreted a bit. I’m not dating the girl anymore, there is nothing to tell her she is an idiot about. She has not pressured me into either decision. She doesn’t make much money, but she is more happy and has more fun and friends than anyone else I know.</p>

<p>“You’re honestly going to let some girl you “dated” make you doubt your decisions? It’s clear that before you dated this girl you would love to do the type of research this lab is doing, but was she really that spectacular that she makes you think you’re wrong?”</p>

<p>-After dating this girl, it’s become clear that I would love to do something like teach English overseas in Hong Kong. I’ve changed on my own but through my experiences with her, not from any lecturing from her. I have not changed my mind about wanting to work in the lab, but I have possibly changed my mind about what priorities I have for the experiences I want to have in my life. Maybe I would be happier doing the HK thing, then coming back doing a not-as-interesting lab job instead, but not caring to much since I’ll go to grad school anyway.</p>

<p>“What is to stop you from doing this after you have had this job?”</p>

<p>-Lots of things. I would definitely have an apartment and it would be very hard to end both my job and the apartment lease at the same time. I’d have to find someone to replace me that I could trust and figure out where to put all my things. And how could I go teach English abroad for a few months while in grad school or as a post-doc?</p>

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<p>

“Most” Civil Affairs units are pretty high-speed aka Airborne.<br>
However, if the OP is pursuing this as an officer, most Civil Affairs units will only take 1LT’s with at least 1 combat tour. Most O slots in CA are for O3’s and above.</p>