Small small reflection of sorts

As I my final semester as a technical undergraduate nears its end, I can't help but ponder about my future.
A) Unemployment
B) Continuing education
C) The amount of money spent on education
D) My travel bug

Unemployment is ever present and looming in my weary face. Not only is there a practical hiring freeze across the globe, but I'm not qualified to do what I want to do. Please tell me why one must have a Masters just to INTERN at a big organization? It's absurd.

You may or may not know that I am currently working on my MPA. This just means that I get to wrack up 36 more credits and add an MPA to the end of my name. I can also intern at the UN. What is an MPA? Master of Public Administration...for public and nonprofit management and policy analysis, with a light focus on health. It's a mouthful. This also means that I will be adding about 40K to my education costs...bringing me to my next topic.

Over the past four years, I have spent approximately 200K on my education. By "I" I refer to my loving parents and Sallie Mae. Due to the ever changing significance of education, my BA is now worth about as much as a GED, requiring me to attend more school and shell out more money. This year I didn't purchase any text books, as they raised tuition 2K a semester. Sigh.

What could I have done with 200K in four years? Hm. Let's think. I could have flown myself around the globe and traveled to far and near lands. I could have studied to be a yoga instructor and moved to India for a touch. I could have actually afforded to live in New York. I could have bought a pretty decent house (in this economy). ETC. There are many things that I could have done with that 200K.

What could I not have done without spending the past 4 years as I did. I wouldn't have experienced ridiculous roomates. I probably would not have lived in New York. I wouldn't have lived in Madrid. I wouldn't have become a mechanic for 3 months (who knows). I wouldn't have lived in Ghana and worked on an incredible project. I wouldn't have met a lot of people. I wouldn't have figured out what I wanted to do with my life academically. I wouldn't have learned such valuable life lessons. I wouldn't be the same person whatsoever.

Was 200K worth it? Who knows. But I did it and it's done and I'm here. And very very very much in debt.

The travel bug is a different issue entirely. I've always had this, but now it's INTENSIFIED! I'm thinking India, Kilimanjaro, or Kenya. Hmmm....

All in all I'm pretty blessed to have such a challenging yet unchallenging life. It's like my yoga practice--only as challenging as I want to make it. It's like I'm always IN control and NOT in control....interesting interesting interesting.

Another year...

University is slowly passing me by. As bills pile up, tuition increases, and my ever changing course of study begins to narrow itself down, I think to myself...why? The answer? Human capital. Somehow we, the people of this lovely country, have been conned into believing that the longer we go to school, the more letters we can append to our name, and the greater the investment into this educational endeavor, the more capital we will have when we enter the "real world."

Democracy, eh?

I gradually buy into this theory--I'm enrolled in a BA/MPA program for goodness sakes. These days, you need a Masters for entry level jobs in the USofA. My yearly tuition is more than my expected salary. Joy.

Despite this great American con, I do need to stop myself daily to think that somehow, I was given parents who see the bills, take a deep breath, have a shot of Jack, and write the check. That's love right there folks. As the tuition increase raises to 6% for next semester and I jet set to Africa, Lord only knows how much love it takes to painfully put a John Hancock on the e-check.

John Sexton--you had better be enjoying those (PLURAL!!!) penthouse Manhattan apartments...for all of us.