I'm sure every twenty-year old has had the What am I going to do with my life freak out. I was surprised at how many of the Fulbrighters were unsure about their plans for after their grant ended. And I was also pleasantly surprised at how some people found interesting and fulfilling jobs that didn't necessarilly relate to their humanities major. One thing that I realized is that everyone goes through this period of uncertainty regarding their path in life. I was under the erroneous impression that lots of other people just 'had it figured out' and that they were 100% sure about their career decisions. However, very few people fit into this category! Even focused people with great jobs often find themselves 'in the valley' while job hunting. I know now that I have two options: I can either despair or strive towards my goals with confidence.
Nipping Negative Thinking in the Butt
Sometimes, it can be hard to not get overwhelmed by negative messages. If you hunt for that negativity, you'll surely find it. (Spending five minutes of the 'lost generation' reddit thread is enough to fill you with a lifetime of cynicism!). Yes, the job market in the United States still hasn't picked up to pre-2007 levels. There are people who did everything right and are working minimum wage jobs. Job security seems to be a thing of a past and wait, what's this mythical pension that you talk of? Student loans and the long-term impact on the economy are a serious concern. It can be hard to not let this fear take over and shake your confidence. But while all of these concerns are valid, I had major confirmation bias. I searched the internet looking for gloom and doom and guess what? I found it! The economy is in the toilet! This person doesn't like their job, so I surely wouldn't either... This person is a STEM graduate with a 3.82 and he still can't find a job!
It seemed like a teaching job was hard to come by, and that I didn't have any transferable skills because I didn't know how to code or do anything STEMy. But I didn't realize that all those 'helpful' forums I was looking at were kind of an echo chamber, and there were plenty of millennial not only surviving, but thriving. I only saw what I was looking for, and I had to change my tune to look for success stories.
Look Inward First
Some people quip that employers don't care about your self-esteem, or who you are as a person, or what you like and dislike- they just care about how well you can do the job. This has a bit of truth, but being a confident and introspective person really does matter. Employers don't want to hire some wishy-washy person who doesn't know their worth, what they are good at, and where they would be the best fit. And the soft-skill people aspect of networking and job-hunting can't be overstated. Before, I put so much of my focus on the wrong things- scouring the internet for information about careers and then getting stuck with over-information decision paralysis. While I was trying to find the best risk-averse option (who doesn't want security in this economy?) I ran in circles and went nowhere because my motor was propelled by fear. I was so focused on external factors like the economy and the job market that I forgot to turn inward to see what job I would like and be good at! And the time that I spent investigating careers ad naseum could have been better suited for getting more life experience and meeting new people - you never know where connections might lead!
I've been reading What Color is Your Parachute and it's helped me realize that I have a lot more transferable skills than I once thought. I'm completing the self-inventory and now I know that my skills and preferences can be applied to an array of jobs. I was stuck thinking that you could only get a job in your major, but the Fulbrighters spun their humanities degrees to enter into many different fields. There are jobs that I didn't even know that existed that I would be a good fit for. However, if I didn't look inward first, I probably wouldn't have even had known where to look!
Building Identity Capital
I read the book The Defining Decade and it has some good takeaways. (Spoiler- it's about using your 20's productively). Anyway, one segment was devoted to the idea of 'identity capital', the idea that meaningful events in your life are like deposits into a bank account that builds your confidence. It's perfectly normal to feel insecure and doubtful, especially when you don't have much life experience. For example, of course I felt nervous teaching for the first time! But I actively tried to get as much experience as I could with tutoring and other endeavors so that I could get a taste of success and know that the career was a good fit for me. I actively pursued these opportunities through volunteering, and it did a lot for my confidence.
Now, people have asked me what the Brazilian Fulbright has to do with my future career, and I'll admit- it's not super applicable outside of education. It's not a beeline to a job, but that doesn't mean that it's worthless by any means. Most people that I've talked to seem to fall on extreme ends of the spectrum, from 'Why are you 'bumming away' in South America when you could be building your career in the states?' to 'Oh wow! The Fulbright is so prestigious and it will open so many doors!" . I think the reality is somewhere in the middle and a lot of it depends on me and how proactive I am in seeking opportunities. The experience in itself is a great way to learn to adapt to new situations, coordinate with fellow assistants and teachers, learn about Brazilian culture, and exercise soft-skills from a multicultural approach. I would also love to volunteer with children with special needs, participate in outreach programs, or do anything in educational or non-profit sectors that I can get my hands on.
So I have to remember that even though there will be trying moments, this experience will be what I make it. And while it's important to be forward-thinking, I'm also trying really hard to live in the moment and to take advantage of the opportunities that I have NOW, rather than squandering them by running in circles worrying about the future. Sometimes I get caught up wondering about what I'll do after the grant ends, and I have to stop myself. "Woah! You're in Brazil now. Work hard, enjoy it, and it will all fall into place!"
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