Giddy ^

            

The other day, an individual made a statement during a late night hallway discussion we were having. Following the topics of foreign policy, contraception, ethics, and schooling, he said “I’m looking forward to seeing where we’ll all be a couple of years from now.” Such a statement got me thinking about my future and what I want to do with my life. It is difficult to discern the future, daunting at the least, especially as an undergraduate with more questions than answers. However, I like to think that my colleagues and I here in DC have a good shot at “making it.”

            

What exactly is “making it?” Is it the magical six figures that we all love to see on a monthly paycheck? To some, success means living the life of limos, fancy dinners, and lounging around all day (Also, don’t get me wrong, that sounds phenomenal and I’m not some pretentious idealist preaching against such a lifestyle). On the other hand though, a general consensus on success, as defined by me and a few of my friends, is incorporating what you love with your work. What I’ve begun to notice through my internship and meeting with endless amounts of young professionals in DC is that we struggle to achieve that balance. It isn’t because of our lack of effort, education, and drive but rather the reality of the times. A college graduate’s first job, as told to me by just about every professional I have met, will almost never be the ideal job. The sooner we accept that, the sooner we can move on to better things.

            

I recently met with a state department representative and asked what advice she could give to a young college student. What I took away didn’t exactly help me chart out a career but instead put things into perspective. Here we are as young adults trying to “make it” in the world. We’ll spend more time worrying about situations twenty years in the future rather than the present. At the end of the day, a career isn’t just a position but also the events that led up to it. Take for example Deputy Secretary of State Philip Gordon, an Ohio University graduate who worked his way through graduate school and various think tank positions to reach his current diplomat position. What made his career wasn’t the title of Deputy Secretary of State but instead the journey that made him qualified (debatable in some circles.)

           

In the coming months, several of my close friends will be graduating. They will attend graduate school, get entry level jobs, join the armed forces, and even wander aimlessly until they stumble upon an opportunity.  I honestly believe that all of them will “make it” because every one of them is headstrong, intelligent, and genuinely good. Hopefully, if they’re reading this, they can appreciate what they have now, in the present, because we will never be able to replicate the value of time spent in youth. 

AK