What I don't want to do with my life

            I began this summer thinking I was in over my head, but hoping that somehow I would end up figuring out what is was I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Heavy, I know.

            I did not even decide what I wanted to major in until my sophomore year of college. I had always been interested in international work, for years thinking I would join Doctors without Borders or some other global health organization. After taking a fall semester of random classes, I finally found my passions for travel, different cultures, helping people, and addressing inequality, nicely wrapped up in the perfect major for me: international development. 

            This euphoria only lasted a few months, though, as I quickly realized I had no idea what a career in international development actually looked like. I imagined working for the UN, the World Bank, the WHO, and any other international organization we learned about in class. The only problem was, I had only ever learned of the Deputy Directors or Director Generals of these organizations, but never the entry-level recent graduate picking up more coffee than reports.

            I guess that was my whole reasoning for applying to WAIP. I had an idea, a picture in my head of what I wanted to accomplish in my life, but no concrete way of getting there. I imagined this experience showing me so much about my passions, my talents and skills, my ability to keep up with the pace and caliber of D.C., my ability to compete. What I did not imagine was that it would not show me what I really wanted to know.

            I will not finish this experience knowing exactly where I want to work in five years, let alone in January. I will not go home knowing what position I will hold, or what I will be working on. What I do know, is that it will not be global health. It might be economics, or foreign policy, or diplomacy, but I know that my sophomore self got this one right. And I am entirely happy with that discovery.

Sometimes, most of the time, things are not going to go the way you imagined. I am leaving this summer not knowing how my job, future school, or general life are going to look, but at least I have crossed one thing off the list. I can now move on to something new, exciting and unknown, and I cannot wait to find out what that something ends up being. But for now, I am happier letting myself continue to figure it out.

Christina Rodas