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I was thinking today about careers. What are they and what do they mean? Are they just social constructs, the same way that race and color of skin are social constructs? Do we just invent them in order to understand ourselves and how we fit into the world? This is what I'd like to discuss in this blog.

I was thinking about all of these things because now that I've turned 30, well passed that now (31), I've started to think about my own career and what it is exactly. I started my "career" in international, non-profit work, with a focus on educational exchange programs. It was a good job after studying International Relations and Latin American Studies in college. I honestly didn't know what it would be like to have a full-time job and work in an office. I found out that it was MUCH different than college: Work is a little more serious because you're getting paid and expected to do well. In college, you don't get paid, but you're still expected to do well.

Anyway, I then joined the Peace Corps in El Salvador, and this still seemed to make sense: I wanted to get international experience, really learn Spanish, and do valuable service in another country. I soon found out that it's actually very difficult living in another country and learning to tolerate another culture and way of life. It was certainly a challenge, but I got a lot out of it and, upon returning to the U.S., I had a whole new perspective on the world. I was a different person.

My "career" then turned to teaching, specifically ESL. I had taught English in El Salvador, and thought that I'd continue this in the U.S. in order to help immigrants coming to this country. I got my first job back in the U.S. as an English Instructor in Silver Spring, Maryland. This was great! I really enjoyed it and though teaching was a challenge, it gave me confidence and I felt proud to teach my students.

My idea of a career in my mid-20's was more experimental than anything else: I had many different jobs and side-gigs which I've actually found to be the most valuable up until now. I was a camp counselor for people with disabilities, I tutored students in reading in California public schools, and I was an activities guide for international students studying in the U.S. So, I guess I also had lots of international-related experiences, apart from the whole disabilities thing and the public schools thing. But they were still involved in education.

Anyway, after all of this I still don't know what my "career" is. In fact, I had that stupid word. I'm sure it's nice to be dedicated to some profession, like a doctor, teacher, lawyer, social worker, journalist, or whatever. But I've never really been that...type. I actually like how I've gone from program coordination, international development work, teaching, teacher training, and now I'm into public diplomacy; they're all sort of interconnected somehow. Honestly, I don't know where they've brought me up to this point. I'd like to think that I can be some sort of international educator, who does public relations and some development work. I've also thrown in languages there, too, like Spanish.

So, I feel lost in a plethora of inter-related "things." Maybe it's time to go back to grad school somewhere and find a new course of action. It just seems so amorphous. Careers just discombobulate me.