In december 2009 I graduted from college with a chemistry degree. I’ve applied for a lot of jobs since then, but I’m still working the same part time job that I had before I graduated.
My dad called me yesterday and basically said he thinks I’m too smart to not go back to school, and that I should do it soon (probably spring or fall 2012) since the job market for new graduates isn’t great. So I have the option of going to grad/law/med/whatever school with the support of my parents.
The way I see it: everybody gets to live their life one time. Many people don’t have much of a choice in what they do most of the time. There were tens of thousands of years where most peoples’ time was spent hunting or gathering. That lifestyle was probably very fulfilling, because it was easy to understand why you needed to do those things. Everybody knew how the world worked – you do the things you need to do to survive, or you die.
That’s not true anymore. The world is a much more complicated place than any cave man ever imagined (even though their brains were exactly the same as ours!) And most of us do get to choose what we do most of the time.
I am very interested in science. This quote from physicist Evalyn Gates explains how I feel:
We are tiny sentient parts of the universe, and we have a choice in how we interact with the rest of the universe. I want to interact with what we now consider the “edges” (subatomic particles, faraway galaxies, etc) because I can’t see myself ever becoming uninterested in those things. I am assuming I’ll need a PhD in astronomy or physics to get paid for that.
What should I do now? My degree is in chemistry. I have no undergraduate research experience, nor any close connections with former professors. I still live close to the school I went to, so I can still get over there to talk to professors and advisors, attend lectures, etc. And I’ve got plenty of time to read books.
btw I’ve been lurking this forum for about 10 years!