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What should I do with my life?
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Date: April 10th, 2009 12:06 AM Author: Floppy ticket booth Not sure where I should post this, so apologies in advance for what might be a long post as I share a minor existential crisis. I'd appreciate any (even harsh) advice people might have.
I'm 32 years old and have a very successful career in the medical device industry. I love my job, have good pay, a great trajectory, etc., but am beginning to get a hankering to contribute more directly to social well-being/greater good/public service/etc.
My background: * BS in Engineering from a top (public) university in the field, 3.9 GPA; intro econ & poli sci courses, plus a bunch of German language & lit * Three masters degrees from top institution: Kellogg MBA (part-time), joint Harvard Med/MIT biomedical business thing * Lots of work experience, well-respected, etc. at one of the top firms in the industry. * Decent international experience (undergrad study abroad, worked on global projects as an engineer, now doing global business deals), used to be proficient in a foreign language, etc. * Limited community service time, but some political involvement. Also involved in some public policy issues for my job. * I am a true generalist. There are many issues about which I am interested and passionate--health care, energy & environment, security & IR, innovation & tech policy, micro & macro econ, development & poverty, education--but I could never specialize in just one. * Currently live in the SF bay area (15 min from Stanford)
I used to have a 30 year plan: 10 years big company, 10 years entrepreneurial ventures, 10 years building up a public service resume, then maybe strive for a sig role at the federal level. I'm getting impatient and think I'll drive myself nuts waiting for another 15+ years before getting involved in public affairs. Per above, need to broaden out and want to give myself the toolkit to do so. I'm also intellectually curious and (given non-rigorous approaches in b-school) would prefer to be rigorous in the way I acquire the toolkit. I would like to become a policy wonk and a great public manager.
In the ideal world, I would give myself a base level of knowledge of history and intermediate-level econ by self study, then enroll in some sort of JD/MPP or IR program (and really push to take PhD-level applied econ courses). One add'l note: I am concerned that many of the MPP/IR programs I have looked at are pretty light in their level of econ (though I have forgotten 90% of the math I've ever learned, I'm a chem engineer and suspect I could re-learn it quickly)...and I've already had "econ-light" for my MBA.
However, given reality (recently married, maybe a family some day, crappy economy, still some student loans), this doesn't look like an option anytime soon.
So, can anyone please share your general thoughts or point me the right way on: * self-study (or part-time) of econ, history, PS, IR, etc. How to approach? Syllabi/books? Programs I'm not aware of? * Law -- how important? I'm fascinated, but not sure if this is a "must" or "nice to have". Also, any sense when the ABA and law schools might get their collective heads out of their a&&es and allow top-tier programs to go part-time with a reasonable schedule and/or incorporate elements of distance education? I know so many people in the working world who would do a JD that way over, say, five years... * I want to become more involved now in my community (vs working 70 hours a week), but am not sure even where to start given breadth of interests. * What else? |
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Date: April 10th, 2009 12:35 AM Author: Out-of-control thriller national what region do you live in?
law - lawyers like to hire lawyers, and it is still at the top of the master's degree pile for domestic affairs, but it is no longer the only degree around
could your sloan network help you any? alumni club of your ug? |
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Date: April 10th, 2009 12:46 AM Author: Floppy ticket booth I'm in Northern California. Good ideas about the alumni clubs...thanks. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=972163&forum_id=3#11385881) |
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Date: April 10th, 2009 1:38 AM Author: Soul-stirring casino You wasted your life.
I'd killself. |
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Date: April 10th, 2009 10:07 AM Author: buck-toothed clown elastic band LULZ TITCR (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=972163&forum_id=3#11388203) |
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Date: April 27th, 2009 11:44 PM Author: Sticky free-loading mad-dog skullcap therapy Wow your chronic desire to overacheive is excessive. I definitely would not get another MA or professional degree - a recruiter would just look at your long list of degrees and be confused. You would be labeled (more) unstable or be further overqualified. If you really love learning for learning's sake I would get a PhD.
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Date: June 5th, 2009 11:11 AM Author: Big hall Subject: don't listen to all the trolls.... You have more than enough degrees and more than enough experience. I wouldn't suggest going back to school unless you want to do a PhD and go the academic route, which it doesn't sound like you do. In my experiences, anyone with more than two masters degrees never gets too far. I work for a consulting firm. None of the partners have more than two masters because there are lots of master degrees that pair well, but there are few 3 (much less 4 or 5) degrees that have good synergy (i.e. you will have an MA in IR and MA in Biotec Business...WTF???)
Nonetheless, you have a great background and obviously aren't an idiot because you have done really well so far. Your long-term goal is a high level job with the federal government, but all of sudden you really want to do something that you consider "public service" and you no longer want to wait to do that. So, the solution seems pretty clear to me. Break into what you want to do now and keep your long-term goal. Start looking for public sector and community type jobs now. Find ones that are a good match with your current background (I don't know your field well, but I'm sure there are TONS) and apply for them now. In this economy it is tough, so just tell yourself it might take 2-3 years of semi-active searching. Meanwhile, stay at the job you claim you like. Cracking into these type jobs now is not going to hinder/kill your long-term goal. The people that are really making a difference in D.C. are usually the career bureaucrats that often to make it to really high post via internal promotions.
Seems pretty simple to me....
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Date: April 10th, 2009 12:43 AM Author: Talented flushed hunting ground internal respiration Subject: commit suicide (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=972163&forum_id=3#11385821) |
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Date: April 10th, 2009 12:48 AM Author: Floppy ticket booth I also posted on the grad page, where someone suggested "2 chicks at once, man". I'll take that over suicide any day!! (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=972163&forum_id=3#11385912) |
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Date: April 10th, 2009 2:24 AM Author: Soul-stirring casino yea, but your bitch ass will never get two chicks at once.
Just killself. You wasted your life
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Date: April 10th, 2009 1:05 AM Author: Irradiated Nursing Home Read Grendel and then come back to me. Seriously. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=972163&forum_id=3#11386181) |
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Date: April 10th, 2009 9:22 AM Author: Razzmatazz lodge Why does the dragon, who's all knowing, recommend that Grendel find a pile of gold and sit on it? I never really got that part. Am I dum? Should I also killself? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=972163&forum_id=3#11388107) |
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Date: April 10th, 2009 3:39 PM Author: Irradiated Nursing Home The Dragon is a fatalist. He has the ability to see all of Time, and as a result believes that all events are predetermined. The Dragon realizes that all of human events are but a flash in time and thus ultimately meaningless -- includes the abstract ideas of religion and poetry and whatever is espoused by them. So he suggests to Grendel to find something tangible and rational to occupy himself with in his cosmically brief existence. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=972163&forum_id=3#11390939) |
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Date: April 10th, 2009 4:06 PM Author: Razzmatazz lodge Yeah, I was just joking.
The dragon, as a fatalist, also knows it's his destiny to guard a pile of gold. You know... cause he's a dragon, and that's what dragons do. Gardner was poking fun at how they're represented in popular culture and mythology.
I'm not sure if suggesting someone read Grendel is good advice. I mean, it's a good book... but I was just more depressed afterward. |
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Date: April 10th, 2009 4:49 PM Author: Irradiated Nursing Home Why were you depressed after reading it? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=972163&forum_id=3#11391609) |
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Date: April 10th, 2009 5:49 PM Author: orchid shitlib crackhouse All the dragons by me sit on gold. stfu. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=972163&forum_id=3#11392345) |
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Date: April 13th, 2009 12:02 AM Author: Floppy ticket booth Got the book late yesterday at the library. I hope to find some time to read it early this week...back to you soon. Thanks (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=972163&forum_id=3#11412391) |
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Date: April 13th, 2009 12:10 AM Author: orchid shitlib crackhouse no wonder why you're asking for life advice (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=972163&forum_id=3#11412468) |
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Date: April 27th, 2009 2:41 AM Author: Irradiated Nursing Home Thoughts? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=972163&forum_id=3#11557912) |
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Date: April 13th, 2009 9:15 AM Author: Violet marvelous heaven dysfunction Smoke some Sour Diesel and it will clear up these things for you. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=972163&forum_id=3#11414493) |
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Date: April 27th, 2009 7:35 AM Author: Cream Rambunctious Hominid Digit Ratio Make a decent pile of money. Travel. Sleep with your wife. Eat good meals and drink good wine.
What more do you want?
Forget all the bullshit about public service. You'd be surprised by how petty minded and bureaucratic the public sector is, loaded with mediocre bureaucrats and self-serving politicians. It's very hard to make significant changes through the political system (which Mr. Obama is slowly finding out).
Don't ruin your life in some mythic quest for the golden public service position. You have a good job with good pay, so ride out the five-year recession then maybe we'll talk more. |