Betting on Love, Leveling Up and Leaving Atlanta (Part VII)
In February, Adam and I saved $900 for a total savings of $3,500. We went a little over our grocery budget, spending about $650. Adam received his tax refund and used half to pay down an old credit card (it has about $300 on it now) and the rest for a nice day-after-Valentine’s Day dinner out and a few luxurious treats for us, which was nice. I put my small tax return into savings.
At the moment, Adam and I are sending out flurries of applications for various programs and jobs. I was slightly crushed mid-February upon being turned down for a dream job after getting more than halfway through the insanely long interview process. Perhaps I wasn’t meant to spend my life doing that particular thing after all. Ah well, onward and upward!
I was thinking about taking a trip to visit my sister in Germany last month and even opened a new credit card that had a generous sign-on bonus of 50,000 airline miles. I decided to put off the trip until we know what our plan is, but in the meantime, I’ll be exclusively using my new airline miles card to build up flight savings. My old charge card is getting discontinued soon and apparently I am not allowed to transfer my old bonus points to my new credit card which is frustrating.
Last month I broke down our future plan choices into three options:
• Option A was to move to another city in the U.S. and wing it with nothing lined up
• Option B was to line up a job in a U.S. city and then move there
• Option C was to use my TEFL certificate to teach English abroad
Adam and I are both leaning strongly toward Option C at this point. We are applying for several teaching programs, but I’d prefer not to tip my hand to the specifics on those until we hear back from one of them with a yes or a no.
Something else I realize I have to figure out soon is what overall direction I want to take in life. My bachelor’s degree in economics is pretty useless. My TEFL certificate and small amount of prior English teaching experience is more valuable, in terms of actual job-acquiring, than my entire B.A. I know that to become successful I have to choose a career path to pursue and work toward it tirelessly, but I’m directionless in terms of what I want to spend my life doing.
When I was younger I wanted to be an archaeologist, then an anthropologist, then I wanted to go to art school. I finally chose to get a degree in economics because I thought other people would respect me for it, which was a pretty dumb reason. I fantasized about being a spy or working in some far-flung embassy. I love history, civilizations, culture, politics, and economics, and would spend all day learning languages if I could. This is all well and good, but it doesn’t translate easily into any occupation that I’m aware of. Ultimately I have to just pick something and go for it. I need to buckle down and plan this out—each year that I don’t decide on anything is another year of lost income earning potential (opportunity costs!).
May is coming up really soon—only three more months! The huge amount of preparation Adam and I have to do between now and then is going to be intense to get through. We can’t give up or get frustrated or lose our nerve. Every day counts at this point. Hopefully we’ll keep each other’s spirits buoyed and refrain from squabbling and contagious deflated moods. In February we splurged a little to balance out the previous two months of asceticism, but in the next three months we will become like monks—a loving, positive, optimistic, hard-working 2-monk team. I’m really happy to see my budgeting efforts paying off thus far but the journey is far from over, and that’s okay. I’m excited about the future.
Previously: See Amanda’s “Betting on Love” series here.
Amanda Tomas’ childhood hero was Carmen Sandiego. Sadly, stealing international landmarks is not a viable career option.
Go you on your savings and making plans! Changed plans are difficult – it sucks to be shot down – but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t have to mean you’re never meant to do something, just not right now. Perhaps you’re meant to see more of the world first?
I feel like your career interests are actually really consistent and point in some obvious directions, based on what you’ve written here: international, engaged with people, politics, & economics. Foreign service? International policy? Some corner of diplomacy, international consulting, development banking? NGOs? Or, if the teaching thing is more central, working in higher ed on study-abroad type stuff or the transational expansion of universities? I hope I’m not projecting here, I just think you actually have really clearly defined interests and excellent training for them (economics plus languages, seriously!). I’m excited for you!
@tussock Nothing to add, just want to second this. I also think you’re being unnecessarily hard on your BA – I have never heard any economics major say their degree was worthless, even in a self-deprecating “harhar liberal studies” kind of way. My coworker – an econ major – just got an amazing job partially because of her degree, and she’s several years away from school and hasn’t been working in a related job either. It might open more doors for you than you think, including the ones tussock listed above!
@tussock Yes! I came here to say, degree in economics, experience teaching English abroad? This is basically the credentials of every 24 year old aspiring FSO I know! Or international development or diplomacy nonprofits… there are lots of possibilities here.
@tussock Fellow econ grad here! And, based on your post, we had similar interests after college. I took the foreign service exam the state department might be a good fit with your interests.
ETA: I just realized that, like, everyone just said the same thing. So, there you go.
@lil sebastian I think the one issue the foreign service might pose for her is that it seems like they want to stick together and live together and move together and the foreign service would make that very hard (see my post below on how they could do it if they wanted to but also the ways in which it would be very tricky).
However, maybe she could look into the civil service? And work in DC?
@tussock YES. All of these comments were running through my head as I read that part, glad someone already said them. So here are some specifics from my own work experience with a B.A. in economics:
- government research work. I worked for the Federal Reserve Board, there’s also the CBO, BLS, OMB, any number of agencies which need to do cost-benefit analyses.
- think-tank work. I have friends with experience doing this, think Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, CBPP, Mathematica, etc.
- multi-lateral institution. World Bank, IMF, UNDP, etc.
- academic field work. I worked for the Jameel Poverty Action Lab for several years in foreign countries, and I learned a ton. That said, those kinds of jobs pay a pittance and are usually just a stepping stone to a graduate degree and a higher level job. I am now a grad student again.
- consulting of various kinds. I had a short-term contract consulting gig doing statistical analysis to be used by expert witnesses in big lawsuits. It was terrible and I hated it, but I definitely used skills from my degree!
- journalism. I have never thought about doing this, but I know other econ majors who do.
- as suggested by other people: translator, foreign service officer, non-profit worker, anything you want!
Two most useful things taught in an econ major, at least at my school: the ability to translate real-world situations into theoretical concepts and statistical reasoning (along with proficiency in statistical computer languages like SAS and STATA). You’d be amazed how many employers need that kind of skill!
(Finally home from work! I was looking forward to reading comments all day.)
@tussock & all
All of these econ major career path suggestions sound great. DC is definitely the city that contains most of the jobs pertaining to my broad interests.
On foreign service: I have considered it and would apply if I were single. The fantastical dream job I was interviewing/eventually turned down for was very similar to working for the State Department and had a lot of crossover applicants so I know that I’d be a decently competitive candidate if I did apply.
On think tank jobs and jobs that require advanced knowledge of statistics: I did not graduate with that much knowledge of statistics. My program’s curriculum didn’t require it and I didn’t know it was so valuable, otherwise I would have taken the classes for my own benefit. I also went to a not-that-great school and I know a lot of the fancier consulting/think tanky jobs are given to top tier/Ivy League grads. I would need a MS Econ from a decent school to move up this particular career ladder.
On NGOs/foreign aid orgs: I might have a chance with these, maybe?
On journalism: Would love to be an investigative journalist/war journalist but that’s one of those fanciful career plans that most people would scoff at if I told them I was seriously considering it (I am sort of seriously considering it!)
@Amanda T For what it’s worth, my co-worker graduated from [State] U [Local Campus] and just got a job at a multi national consulting firm in one of their local offices, so don’t get so down on your education! I know you want to move, but look for either the local offices of big companies or smaller, local companies that do similar things, and I doubt they’ll blink at where you got your degree from, just that you have it.
It sounds like Sociology would be the ideal field for you.
@minijen I’ve seen this comment like four times now and each time I read it “Scientology.”
@stuffisthings Would you like to take a personality test?
@Amber Stewart@twitter It’s fun and it’s free!
I don’t think you can get a TEFL certificate without a bachelors in something, so don’t sweat it, especially if you enjoyed learning about economics in school. School should be more than just a way to get a job, at least in my opinion.
Good luck! I can’t wait to see where you guys end up.
Hi Amanda, I can relate to a lot of what you write about your varied interests (especially languages), useless degree, and confusion about your career path, from the perspective of someone a bit older (32). I wanted to give you one concrete career idea and some general encouragement. How about translation? That might allow you to work on topics you’re interested in (history/economics/politics) while getting to use your language skills. Your technical knowledge of economics might be handy depending on what kinds of translation projects you work on. My main advice, though, would be not to worry too much about picking one grand career path. You don’t have to decide now what you’ll do forever–you just need to decide the next thing, and often the skills and experiences you collect in one job give you ideas about where to go next. (Don’t know if you have any interest in Washington, DC, but we have a great job market, you can always get a job teaching ESOL or working in international development, and a quantitative degree is often a valuable asset.) Good luck!
@suzabellajones Agreed, DC sounds like the perfect US city for Amanda, in terms of her larger career interests. Also, there’s lots of free stuff to do, the metro system is easy to navigate, and we have a great amount of local culture/music/cuisine that can vary even between neighborhoods. The only downside is the cost of rent can be quite high in the city itself , but that is definitely manageable between a couple (My boyfriend and I live in MD, just two miles out of the city but within the metro system. The rent is just right for us.)
@suzabellajones I like DC. It reminds me of Atlanta some ways (Southern city, sort of transient- most of the population is from somewhere else) but it’s much much better than Atlanta in most ways (center of the US gov’t, walkable/bikeable, more international, great mass transit).
On translating: From what I hear, it’s a low-paying, flooded industry, but I do like what the day-to-day of the job would entail.
@suzabellajones DC has a good, not great job market. Remember, there are countless other people who move to DC every month with the same dreams as Amanda…and alot of them don’t make it. Sad but true. Also, budgets for State, USAID, etc. are not going to rise anytime soon. In fact, probably the opposite.
Have you thought about applying to the foreign service? It sounds like it might fit what you are looking for in terms of career/life.
@RachelW Is that something you can do as a couple though? That is a genuine question – I honestly don’t know. It sounds like Amanda and Adam are adamant that whatever they do, they do together.
@RachelW @Blondsak You can’t really do that as a couple. Well you can but…it’s super complicated and doesn’t seem like what they’re looking for.
If you’re married your spouse can come with you (also domestic partners but I believe that’s only for same sex couples). So if they got married and she got accepted he could come along. Some embassies have certain jobs that spouses/dependents can apply for (called EFM jobs). They’ve also started a new program that gives some job assistance to spouses, helps connect them with jobs that are English speaking or hire foreign employees and things like that but it’s newer and not everywhere has it.
She can apply alone and unmarried and if she is accepted then once she finds out where she is posted he can apply for jobs there on his own. But! he’d have to know the language (or be able to get a job in some international English speaking organization) and of course he’d have to get a work visa. Even if he did get a job as time goes on it would get harder for him because companies would see that he is only spending 2 years or so in one place and they would be more reluctant to go through the visa process for someone who clearly isn’t going to stay on.
Let’s say they both apply and are both accepted. Let’s assume they are both accepted at the same time. Keep in mind that basically everyone has to go through the exams more than once so if she fails once and then gets in and he fails twice and then gets in (or if one of them is accepted and the other isn’t) it will make things harder. But let’s say they are both accepted into the foreign service at the same time. There is no guarantee that you will go the same place. And by no guarantee I mean in your first couple postings you probably wont be in the same place (you have very little control over the first couple places you go) and even after that it will be hard to coordinate.
They’re getting better about helping you be in the same place nowadays but that’s only for married couples/same sex domestic partnerships and still, it’s never guaranteed.
@RachelW I very very much related to this paragraph:
“When I was younger I wanted to be an archaeologist, then an anthropologist, then I wanted to go to art school…Ultimately I have to just pick something and go for it.” which everyone is responding too.
Right now, I teach 5 subjects at an International School in the US. Which is great because I get to use languages, interact with ppl, am challenged everyday, etc. – but it isn’t a career path. (very low pay, no room for promotion without a PhD in ed admin)
I did some study abroad that was sponsored by the state dept., and when we met employees there they REALLY stressed in response to our questions that life/family balance is very difficult in the Foreign Service, particularly for women. Everyone keeps telling me to take the exam and apply for it, but I’m also pretty committed to my relationship and my very smart, hardworking boyfriend is not okay with following me around aimlessly.
It drives me crazy when people suggest it, because it would not work for me. And I didn’t know how hard balancing two peoples careers would be if I pursued my undergraduate major (global studies with a governance/economics dual focus). I love what I studied! But I can’t move to DC or the Middle East now, so I’m stuck wishing I had majored in something less location specific in terms of employment. I really regret my undergraduate degree.
@RachelW As I wrote above, I do like the idea of working for the foreign service but yes – Adam would most likely not be able to get in as a fellow FSO and I don’t want him to feel like a useless appendage as I uproot our lives every 2 years. I feel like many State Dept and military jobs were designed for men with stay-at-home wives, and that old-fashioned role expectation would be really weird for both of us.
Have you thought about applying to teach in South Korea? It’s a great way to save up some money. Most contracts include housing and you can eat at the school where you teach, so all your income can go into savings for your next adventure! And travel around Asia on school breaks! The only problem is, the contracts tend to start in March, but they do take people at other points in the year. I have known couples who have gone together as well. I would be careful about going to Argentina, the peso situation is kind of volatile and inflation is unpredictable, but I guess if you have dollars, you’d be alright for awhile. Just in terms of earning in pesos, it might be a bit difficult. Good luck!
“I know that to become successful I have to choose a career path to pursue and work toward it tirelessly, but I’m directionless in terms of what I want to spend my life doing.” — I have spent a lot of time battling this exact anxiety, and ever piece of advice I have had from calming, successful older adults is not to worry about it so much. If you’re not sure what you want to do, then there are probably quite a few things you would like doing. You don’t need to pick one thing and pursue it to the exclusion of everything else, you just need to find a job that supports the kind of life you want while you explore your interests. I think there are plenty of people out there who work to live and don’t live to work– you might find your passions don’t necessarily line up with your employable skills or the kind of work you do, and as long as that doesn’t make you miserable it’s okay.
@Michelle Argh, that “don’t worry so much” advice makes me so frustrated! Haha… It’s really hard for me to live in the moment and I know that’s a problem, but I CAN’T do the contented drifting interests-as-hobbies thing. Maybe when I’m 55 and I got some of what I wanted out of life- THEN I can sort of sit back and be like, hey I did alright, time to chill out a little. Until then, I just CANNOT. /drama
No, your degree in economics is not worthless. That degree is one of the most valuable out there. The fact that you aren’t utilizing it is 100% on you.
Of course, it does depend somewhat on how well you did. Huge difference between a 2.8 and 3.8 GPA in economics. Did you establish a strong network while in undergrad? With your fellow econ majors? Your econ professors? I’m guessing not.
Also, for those saying Foreign Service, International NGO, or any other DC-type job, an FYI. There are tens of thousands of 20-somethings sharp-elbowing each other trying to get the few jobs available in these fields. In fact, FS jobs are fairly rare and thus, quite very competitive. It’s going to get even worse with State Dept./USAID budgets stagnating or even contracting over the next several years.