There's a looming big decision in my life, and I'm writing this week partly to start conversation. The decision is, "what next?" I'll finish my master's program in December of this year, which feels soon enough to start figuring things out. I have some specific work I'm interested in doing: coastal adaptation to sea level rise, sediment management, fluvial habitat restoration, flood risk mitigation. I also miss teaching. Still, as always, I am pretty open to whatever comes my way.
(I remember going to a talk by Ann Pendleton-Jullian where she discussed her pathway through life, and she introduced the metaphor that one's vehicle through life is more akin to a sailboat than something with an outboard motor.)
I have a history of being sloppy at making large life decisions: I pulled teeth out over changes as a teen, I lost some friends due to flip-flopping on my decision to transfer colleges, my move to Los Angeles was sudden and stupid, and the decision to come to the Bay Area for grad school was almost flippant. I regret none of it, of course, and have a supportive family (thanks!!). Now, with the next chapter of life on the horizon, I'm curious if I can structure the next transition more intentionally.
After 8 months I finally feel something of a social and emotional network in the Bay Area, but I still ache for the social spheres I left behind in New York and Los Angeles. Leaving this academic program can ostensibly set me up into the first truly professional job of my life, and most of the connections are in San Francisco or Southern California. That said, I'm lucky that there is environmental engineering work to be done anywhere: I will not be tied to metropolitan areas to find work, but my expertise (and desire to surf) will keep me on the coasts. I've always dreamed of having a chapter of my life outside of the United States.
I'm not someone particularly motivated professionally, but I would like to find meaningful work; I care deeply about my friends and community-building, but I believe I could do this in many places; geographic location is important to me, but I believe any new places can force me to change and develop. Basically, my scaffolding for the decision feels very mutable. This is all just a bit of context to ask: how shall I establish a set of priorities to inform what I will do next?
(and for me, "what I will do" and "where I will go" feel very intertwined...)
Have you made a structural change in your life recently? Change in place, change in work, change in personal life, some combo of any or all of those, something else? To the extent that you had control, how did you assess your priorities to guide the decision-making? Were there any cognitive tools (ways of thinking) that helped? I'd love to hear.
Waffling,
Lukas
(I remember going to a talk by Ann Pendleton-Jullian where she discussed her pathway through life, and she introduced the metaphor that one's vehicle through life is more akin to a sailboat than something with an outboard motor.)
I have a history of being sloppy at making large life decisions: I pulled teeth out over changes as a teen, I lost some friends due to flip-flopping on my decision to transfer colleges, my move to Los Angeles was sudden and stupid, and the decision to come to the Bay Area for grad school was almost flippant. I regret none of it, of course, and have a supportive family (thanks!!). Now, with the next chapter of life on the horizon, I'm curious if I can structure the next transition more intentionally.
After 8 months I finally feel something of a social and emotional network in the Bay Area, but I still ache for the social spheres I left behind in New York and Los Angeles. Leaving this academic program can ostensibly set me up into the first truly professional job of my life, and most of the connections are in San Francisco or Southern California. That said, I'm lucky that there is environmental engineering work to be done anywhere: I will not be tied to metropolitan areas to find work, but my expertise (and desire to surf) will keep me on the coasts. I've always dreamed of having a chapter of my life outside of the United States.
I'm not someone particularly motivated professionally, but I would like to find meaningful work; I care deeply about my friends and community-building, but I believe I could do this in many places; geographic location is important to me, but I believe any new places can force me to change and develop. Basically, my scaffolding for the decision feels very mutable. This is all just a bit of context to ask: how shall I establish a set of priorities to inform what I will do next?
(and for me, "what I will do" and "where I will go" feel very intertwined...)
Have you made a structural change in your life recently? Change in place, change in work, change in personal life, some combo of any or all of those, something else? To the extent that you had control, how did you assess your priorities to guide the decision-making? Were there any cognitive tools (ways of thinking) that helped? I'd love to hear.
Waffling,
Lukas