I guess, I'm at the point of my life where I need to think everything through and finally make up my mind.
What should I do?
I was hoping I was done with this question when I went to college. But no, it's not over yet. Will it ever be?
When I was in high school I spent
months on thinking about my future. What do I want to do in five, ten years? Would I still be interested in something that inspires me now? What kind of skills do I have to help me get there? Can I make money from that and be independent? Will it be easy to find a job? Well, you got the idea.
In high school I was obsessed with English. At that time, there weren't may books in English in libraries and the Internet was almost non-existent. Whenever I found something in English I felt as blesses as a shopaholic who saw a Versace bag on sale for 5 bucks. English was like a getaway to another world. So I knew for sure - that's what I wanna study at college.
Colleges provided only 3 paths: I could become a teacher (no, thank you), a translator/interpreter (gimme gimme), or a mysterious linguist. I ended up becoming a linguist (alas, I wasn't smart enough in social studies to get into translator/interpreter program). Theoretical and Applied Linguistics - sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, natural language processing, history of linguistic studies, translation, applied linguistics - we had so many subjects but they gave us only superficial knowledge. Only pieces of a puzzle.
Isn't it sad? Five years of college (American evaluation services even considered it a
Master's degree) and almost no major-related career opportunities. Of course, if I stayed in Russia, I could easily become an English teacher or, if I got lucky, a translator/interpreter for an international company. I'd been a personal English tutor since my sophomore year at college. I liked it and all, but let's be real - it's an ideal side job not a career. Teaching at school simply turns me off - kids in big groups scare me, and it doesn't worth it for $5/hr. or less. Teaching in special agencies, so-called "English clubs", don't pay much either, although the audience is more appreciative. In order to get a translator job though, one should have years of experience. But where would I get this experience if nobody wanna hire without it? It's a classic Catch 22.
Anyways, I'm in America now. My knowledge of English doesn't make me special here. So I need to come up with a new plan. I don't want to be a server or a sales associate for the rest of my life, but that's exactly what I've been doing for last 3 years. It's so pathetic... But that's gonna change soon. I just need to figure out how.
The majority of people ask "What should I do?" because they don't know what they like and have no idea what's gonna satisfy them, hence it's hard for them to choose a career. My problem is that I like so much stuff. I wanna be a translator, an office worker, a business analyst, an actress, a librarian, a flight attendant, open my own business (restaurant or hand-made soft toys shoppe), work in a bank or an advertisement agency, or be a part of a marketing group. So many things fascinate and inspire me, so I can't choose
the one. I seriously incline to being a translator (a have the right degree and skills for that), but that's not a steady kind of job unless I sign a long-term contract with a company. Most of translators in America are free-lance. Also, a serious translator should be a member of American Translators Association (I'm not rich yet to pay $240 for a year membership, if I pay this now I'll have nothing to eat), without this membership one can't even take a certificate exam. This bureaucracy kills me!
So, what should I do? Work part-time as a server/sales associate, save money for ATA membership and certificate exam, and hope that I'll be chosen over hundreds of other free-lances? Or maybe I'd better got to college and get a degree in business, marketing or management so one day I get a real job? (OMG, if I don't even have extra $240, how am I supposed to pay for college?)
I should make up my mind soon. I'm gonna turn 26 in two weeks. Time passes by, and I still haven't found my dream job. As soon as I make up my mind, I'll do
EVERYTHING I CANto get there.
Man, this post turned out lengthy! If you're still reading this, I'm sorry. It must be very tiring.
Anyway, thanks for sticking with me)))
I have an interview at T. in 9 hours, so I need to make some research on the company - I gotta get the job!!! (Positive thinking. Positive thinking.)
Good luck to me on the interview! Please, keep your fingers crossed for me ;-)
- Ни пуха, ни пера!
- К чёрту!!!
(yeah, I'm talking to myself hehehe)
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