Lately, I’ve been pondering what my next step will be beyond two years of Peace Corps service here in Cameroon, despite the fact I still have at least 15 months left. What can I say, I am slightly obsessive compulsive when it comes to my future. I am known to come up with an outrageous idea about my life, with complete evidence as to why this idea is a great one, only to top it a few weeks later with an even crazier one. I refer to this as the process of elimination. Survival of the fittest (ideas).
A pattern I’ve discovered through the search of the next step is that most requires you to pick a location. Want a job? What continent/country to target? Grad school? same. I don’t want to pick! I joined the Peace Corps partly for this level of exciting randomness. I like the idea of being sent anywhere in the world. My Peace Corps recruiter called to tell me that I am qualified to go anywhere, and asked where I would like to go. This would be the dream to most applicants who have a specific place in mind that they would like to embark life upon. However, I replied to the recruiter, “that is your job. I don’t wnat to pick.” He solicited more information and narrowed the option to West Africa, and few months later, I opened an envelope that told me I will spend two years in Cameroon. I honestly had to search the country on Wikipedia to know for certain its location, but that’s precisely the reason I enjoy “not-picking”.
My question then is, what jobs are out there where I have no say in where I work, and the location will change rather frequently? Thus far I have only found the International Manager program at HSBC. Surely there are more. I am still searching.
I have not ruled out the possibility for a PhD program, but that also requires picking a country. The only elimination I have done is the USA, simply because that’s where I did undergraduate studies. I believe doing research and studies in a different country will provide a broader perspective. Perhaps I will apply to a school on every continent and see where I get in. Just a thought!
